Tuesday, July 5, 2022

PORTLAND, Ore. – After making a difference in competition for their institutions, a large number of GNAC student-athletes are moving on to the next phase of their lives.

A total of 403 student-athletes that participated in the conference’s 17 sports earned their degrees this year. The group is the first to graduate following the return of full seasons and academic experiences that changed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The large number of graduates for the conference’s 10 full-member institutions and two affiliate members should positively impact the conference’s impressive federal graduation rate numbers. In 2021-22, the conference matched its all-time high in federal graduation rate at 65 percent while also attaining an all-time high academic success rate of 80 percent.

Both metrics track freshman student-athletes who entered college between 2011 and 2014 are based on a six-year cohort as prescribed by the U.S. Department of Education. Over the last 10 cohorts, the GNAC has ranked among the top 10 among Division II conferences in both metrics.