By Mike Cavaliere

For the fourth consecutive year, Georgia College & State University ranked No. 1 for academic success rate in the country among all public universities within NCAA Division II.

Georgia College tied both Michigan Technological University and the University of Texas at Dallas for the No. 1 spot among public institutions, recording a 92% academic success rate, a metric used by the NCAA to measure the percentage of students who graduate within six years of initial college enrollment.

"I am so incredibly proud of our Bobcat scholar-athletes," said GCSU President Cathy Cox. "They are disciplined, focused and hard-working on their courts and playing fields, as well as in their classrooms.”

Georgia College Athletics also ranked 12th overall among all public and private institutions competing in NCAA Division II. They topped the Peach Belt Conference and placed second among all Division II schools in the three conferences of the Southeast region.

"Bobcats set big goals for their competition seasons and for their lives, and that's what this statistic represents to us,” Cox added. “Our scholar-athletes work hard to be the best in everything they do. That's what makes them winners — for life!"

Additionally, Georgia College was one of 43 total NCAA Division II institutions to earn the Presidents' Award for Academic Excellence this year. Awarded to schools that have achieved an academic success rate of 90% or higher, this distinction has gone to Georgia College for the past five years.

“This recognition pays tribute to the emphasis Georgia College places on student success every single day,” said Wendell Staton, director of Athletics. “From coaches, to faculty, to admissions reps and all staff, Bobcats invest a lot of personal care and attention into our campus. These honors are truly a team effort. Academic excellence at Georgia Collage is not an accident — it’s by design.”

Academic success rate is calculated based on graduation rate and includes athletes who transfer into a school while removing those who left the school in good academic standing. In addition, the data includes the more than 30,000 student-athletes who are not on athletically related financial aid.