LOUDONVILLE, NY – Siena College student athletes continue to graduate at one of the highest rates nationally. According to the NCAA's annual Graduation Success Rate (GSR) report, 92% of student athletes who entered Siena as freshmen in the Fall of 2012 went on to graduate, eclipsing the national Division I record-setting average of 89% by three points.
 
"College athletes continue to meet and exceed the benchmarks set for academic achievement," said NCAA President Mark Emmert. "They have surpassed the original goal by nearly 10 percentage points, a phenomenal achievement that highlights the commitment these students have to succeed in all areas of life."
 
This marks the third consecutive year in which Siena has achieved a stellar 92% Graduation Success Rate, matching the athletic department's highest rate since posting a 93% GSR in the 2013 NCAA report. Siena has now boasted a GSR of 90% or higher in all 15 NCAA reports since the first rate was released in 2005.
 
"The Graduation Success Rate does not tell the whole story, just an important, and expected, part of our student athletes' success story," noted Siena College Interim President Margaret E. Madden, Ph.D. "Our Saints succeed in competition, in the classroom, and in the community. They succeed as leaders on the Siena campus, and they go on to succeed as doctors, and entrepreneurs, and social workers, and so much more. I'm proud that our student athletes graduate at an uncommonly high rate, but that's just a small measure of their overall contributions to our College and our community."   
 
A total of 10 Siena Athletics programs - men's golf, men's soccer, men's tennis, men's cross country/track, women's basketball, women's golf, women's swimming and diving, women's tennis, volleyball, and water polo – achieved perfect 100% Graduation Success Rates in this year's report.
 
"Simply put, our student athletes are superstars, and our GSR says it all," explained Siena Athletics Academic Advisor Molly Kaffka. "Our coaches do an outstanding job recruiting student athletes who embody Siena's Franciscan core values; their motivation and determination to excel yields results on the field and in the classroom. They recognize the value in taking advantage of the academic resources available, and they create meaningful relationships with their professors and advisors. I am truly blessed to play a role in their journey of success!"
 
The NCAA Graduation Success Rate report gives graduation information for students and student athletes who entered college in 2012, the most recent class for which the required six years of information is available. It also breaks down the GSR by sport, using a four-year class average (2009-2012) called a cohort rate to provide a big enough sample.
 
The NCAA developed the GSR because the Federal Graduation Rate (FGR) does not credit institutions with student athletes who leave in good academic standing and go on to graduate, or transfers into the school who graduate. Siena recorded a 79% cohort FGR rate with four programs – men's cross country/track, men's golf, men's tennis, and women's tennis – recording perfect 100% cohort FGR's. The FGR is based on a comparison of the number of students who entered a college or university and the number of those who graduated within six years. For example, for every 100 Siena student athletes entering school from 2009-12, 79 graduate from Siena within six years.