Starting this spring, Division II institutions will have to make another copy of the graduation-rate report they submit to the federal government.

At its January 9 meeting, the Division II Management Council agreed to recommend noncontroversial legislation to require Division II members to submit a copy of their federal graduation-rates data (specifically, the Integrated Postsecondary-Education Data System Graduation-Rate Survey) directly to the NCAA office on or before the deadline established by the federal government for submission of its own report.

Historically, the Department of Education has acquired the information from higher education institutions and passed it on to the NCAA in a timely manner. However, because of new legislation pertaining to the use of federal graduation-rate data, continuing with that arrangement would result in delays in NCAA research (for instance, development of the Division II Academic Success Rate).

With that in mind, the Division II Presidents Council voted at its January 10 meeting to require that a copy of the federal report be sent each spring to the national office.