Monday, December 8, 2025

College Hockey Players Continue to Thrive Academically

Men’s, Women’s Student-Athletes Score Well in Latest Graduation Data

College Hockey Players Continue to Thrive Academically
Dartmouth’s 2024-25 graduating seniors (Photo: Rebecca Osowski/Dartmouth Athletics).

The NCAA recently released its annual Graduation Success Rate (GSR) data, and Division I men’s and women’s hockey student-athletes once again fared exceptionally well in the classroom.

Both women’s and men’s hockey ranked among the top five of all sports in this year’s report. Women’s hockey boasted a 97-percent four-cohort GSR, while men’s hockey maintained a 93-percent rate. Both marks tied for fourth-highest among Division I women’s and men’s sports, respectively.

Four-Cohort GSR (Women)
100% – Skiing
99% – Gymnastics
98% – Lacrosse
97% – Ice Hockey, Fencing, Field Hockey, Swimming
90% – Overall DI Women’s GSR

Four-Cohort GSR (Men)
96% – Gymnastics
94% –Rifle, Tennis
93% – Ice Hockey, Golf, Lacrosse, Skiing, Volleyball
92% – Fencing, Swimming
79% – Overall DI Men’s GSR

The report released by the NCAA reflects graduation numbers among student-athletes who entered college in 2018-19.

Nearly two-thirds (21 of 33) of the women’s hockey programs recorded a perfect 100-percent GSR: Bemidji State, Boston College, Boston University, Brown, Colgate, Cornell, Harvard, Holy Cross, Long Island, Mercyhurst, Merrimack, New Hampshire, Northeastern, Penn State, Princeton, Providence, Quinnipiac, Sacred Heart, St. Cloud State, Vermont, and Yale.

Additionally, all but one of those 33 women’s programs had rates of 90 percent or better.

On the men’s side, 18 Division I hockey programs achieved a perfect 100-percent GSR in the most recent data: American International, Army West Point, Bowling Green, Brown, Canisius, Colgate, Cornell, Holy Cross, Lake Superior State, Lindenwood, Long Island, UMass Lowell, Miami, Niagara, Notre Dame, Omaha, Princeton, and Yale.

A total of 38 men’s programs – two-thirds of the teams included in the report – had rates of 90 percent or better.

Many college hockey players continue to work toward graduation after moving on to the professional ranks. In recent years, several active National Hockey Leaguers have completed their undergraduate degrees after having left school early to sign professional contracts, including Thatcher Demko (Boston College), Nic Dowd (St. Cloud State), Jack Johnson (Michigan), Ryan McDonagh (Wisconsin), Drew O’Connor (Dartmouth), and Jake Oettinger (Boston University).

For more information on NCAA Graduation Success Rata data, including the full 2025 report, visit NCAA.org.