Butler posted a Graduation Success Rate of 94 percent in the most recent announcement by the NCAA, which came Wednesday, Dec. 6. Figures released reflect graduation numbers among student-athletes who entered college in 2016.

The 94 percent mark is Butler's best annual percentage in the history of the GSR, which began with the cohort of student-athletes who entered college in 1998. The Bulldogs had a GSR of 93 percent in each of the last two years.

"Our student-athletes continue to achieve at an incredibly high level academically, which culminates in earning their degree from Butler University," said Vice President and Director of Athletics Barry Collier. "Our coaches recruit talented students, but also stress the importance of academic success during their time at Butler. A department-wide accomplishment of this magnitude is not possible without the hard work of our dedicated academic support staff, our faculty, and all those on campus who support our student-athletes in a number of ways."

Eight Butler programs -- men's basketball, men's golf, men's tennis, men's cross country/track and field, women's golf, softball, women's swimming, and women's tennis – posted perfect 100 percent GSR for this 2016 cohort.

The GSR formula removes from the rate student-athletes who leave school while academically eligible and includes student-athletes who transfer to a school after initially enrolling elsewhere. This calculation provides a more accurate measure of student-athlete success. The GSR was created by the Division I Board of Directors in 2002.

Nationally, Division I student-athletes continue to graduate at their highest rate in the 20 years the data has been tracked, according to the latest Graduation Success Rate data. The overall single-year rate increased by one point to 91 percent. When the Graduation Success Rate was created more than two decades ago, then-NCAA President Myles Brand set an aspirational goal of 80 percent. Student-athletes first surpassed that goal with the release of the rates in 2011.