This update is a tool to enhance communication between the NCAA national office and the Division III membership, with distribution to athletics directors, senior woman administrators, faculty athletics representatives, presidents, national SAAC, conference commissioners and the National Association of Division III Athletic Administrators listserv. We encourage athletics directors to share this communication with their athletics department members. Please contact Katie Mucci to include an item or share comments, and remember to check out the Division III governance homepage for the latest news and information.
The annual NCAA Convention will be held Jan. 10-13 in Phoenix. NCAA members should register by Wednesday, Oct. 11, to get the lowest registration rate ($325). Key events include the State of College Sports and Awards Presentation on Wednesday, Jan. 10, and the Woman of the Year Awards presentation Thursday, Jan. 11. The Division III Issues Forum will occur the morning of Friday, Jan. 12, while the Division III Business Session will be the morning of Saturday, Jan. 13.
Facts and Figures
Click here to access the updated annual Division III fact sheets, including the 2023-24 budget.
Annual Report
Division III recently released its 2022-23 Annual Report. This report highlights the major events, award recipients, team champions and other notable achievements from the past academic year.
NCAA Directory
As we start a new academic year, it is important to make sure your school and conference information is up to date in the NCAA Directory. NCAA communications are sent to the email addresses in the directory. Click here for instructions on how to update your NCAA Directory information.
Diversity Grant Applications Open
Applications have opened for the Division III diversity grants. The grants provide funding to members committed to enhancing ethnic minority and gender representation in athletics administration and assistant coaching positions. For more information and to apply, visit this website.
2023-24 NCAA Membership Breakdown
NCAA research has released the 2023-24 NCAA Membership Breakdown. This report is produced each year to provide staff and the public with the official count of NCAA schools and conferences for the latest academic year. For 2023-24, the NCAA has 1,242 members (conference and institutions), and Division III has 430 active member institutions, five in the provisional and reclassifying process, and 42 multi-sport conference offices.
Post-Eligibility Injury Insurance
Announced in August, thePost-Eligibility Insurance Program will cover medical expenses for athletically related injuries for up to two years after student-athletes separate from their NCAA member school. The program will become active Aug. 1, 2024, and will cover properly documented injuries that occur on or after this date. The program will be available to all student-athletes at all schools in all divisions. For student-athletes to be eligible for coverage under the policy, injuries must be sustained during participation in an NCAA qualifying intercollegiate sport (including emerging sports), reported and documented at the time of injury, and filed with the athletics department of the school at which the student-athlete participated when the injury occurred. The policy will not cover injuries sustained while participating in club sports. Member schools will be responsible for establishing record-keeping procedures for the program. The policy will have a $90,000 excess limit per injury, with no deductible. Of the $90,000 available, up to $25,000 will be available for mental health services related to an injury. The program will serve as a secondary policy to other NCAA- and school-sponsored insurance policies, as well as any private insurance held by the student-athlete. The NCAA national office will provide additional information leading up to the program’s effective date. To learn more, visit the Post-Eligibility Insurance Program page. You also can review this FAQ documentandoverview.
Division III Webinars
Webinars will be from 1:30 to 2 p.m. Eastern time the first Tuesday of the month on the following dates and topics:
Oct. 3 — Championships Committee (potential budget enhancements beginning with the fiscal year 2025).
Nov. 7 — Updates from Management and Presidents Council meetings.
Dec. 5 — AMA Review of 2024 Convention Legislation.
All past webinar PowerPoints are on the Division III webinar webpage.
Sports Wagering
The NCAA recently released the findings of a survey of campus compliance directors on sports wagering issues they experience.
Branding and Promotions Purchasing Website
Directors of athletics and conference commissioners were sent an email invitation to use a new $350 credit for the Division III Branding & Promotions Purchasing website during 2023-24. In addition to banners, T-shirts and giveaways that can be co-branded, this year’s site also will feature select Division III 50th anniversary items. The link for the purchasing website is ncaadiii.sourceoneordering.com, and funds will be available until Aug. 1, 2024. You also can access the site through MyApps.
Access the site by entering the email address of your school’s director of athletics (or for conferences, the commissioner’s email address) as the username, and then enter the password you created the first time you logged into the site (those logging in for the first time can create a password). Assistance with logging in, updating records to reflect a new athletics director’s email address, delegating login access to another staff member, resetting passwords and placing orders is available from Amy Byrnes at Source One Digital.
Rule of the Month – Eligibility After Completion of Degree Requirements.
The end of the fall term will be here soon, and if you have any midyear graduates on your teams, it’s important to brush up on Bylaw 14.1.7.1.7.7. To continue to participate in athletics after completing their degree requirements, student-athletes must meet one of the exceptions outlined in the bylaw.
To qualify for the part (a) exception, a postseason event in the student-athlete's sport must begin within a 60-day window of the end of the term in which the student-athlete graduated. This exception does not mean that every student-athlete gets 60 days after graduation to continue to participate. Instead, the student-athlete triggers the exception if and only if the postseason event begins within that 60-day window. Please note that conference championships are not considered to be postseason events.
To qualify for the part (b) exception, a student-athlete who graduates in fewer than four consecutive years from initial collegiate enrollment is eligible to continue practicing and competing through the conclusion of the season, provided the student-athlete has been charged with a season of participation for that year before the completion of degree requirements. This is true even if the end of the season is more than 60 days past the end of term. Please note that to use this exception, the student-athlete’s graduation must be “early” in terms of calendar years and not just graduation in fewer than eight semesters/12 quarters.
Finally, per the part (c) exception, student-athletes may continue to participate by being enrolled full time in an established graduate or postbaccalaureate program. Or, if student-athletes have not previously taken advantage of any COVID-related full-time enrollment relief, they may consider enrolling in a minimum of six credits during the 2024 spring term in any classes that further their academic and/or career goals.
New Interpretations and Educational Columns.
Staff Interpretation: Application of Seasons of Participation Legislation to Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field (III). The academic and membership affairs staff confirmed that for student-athletes to participate in indoor track and field and avoid the use of an outdoor track and field season in the same academic year, they cannot continue to practice with the institution’s team after their last indoor date of competition (e.g., indoor conference championship, last-chance meet, NCAA Division III Men’s and Women’s Indoor Track and Field Championships). A student-athlete may avoid the use of a season of participation in indoor track and field while using a season of participation in outdoor track and field, provided the student-athlete begins practice for outdoor track and field no earlier than the practice that represents the last 114 days of the team’s combined 144-day season.
Staff Interpretation: Application of outside competition legislation for track and field (III). The academic and membership affairs staff determined that outside competition is prohibited in the sports of indoor and outdoor track and field from the first date of competition to the final date of competition, regardless of if the institution sponsors one or both sports.
Staff Interpretation: Use of Days at NCAA Regionals for Wrestling (III). In the sport of wrestling, the academic and membership affairs staff determined that all practices before the NCAA regional meet count toward the 114-day limit. Participation at the meet does not count toward the days limit, as the regional meets are part of the NCAA championship and both the competition and days are exempted.
Educational Column: Playing and Practice Seasons – Lingering Questions about the Playing Seasons Model for Sports Other Than Football. A new educational column has been issued to provide further information regarding the application of the new playing seasons model and a recent editorial revision that reorganized the postseason activities legislation.
Updated Educational Column.
NCAA Division III Subcommittee for Legislative Relief Previously Approved Waivers Checklist (III). Includes an addition to the checklist that waives the normal application of the camps and clinics legislation to permit Division III coaches to work at invite-only events with prospective student-athletes when those events are sponsored and conducted by the NCAA (e.g., the NCAA College Basketball Academy).
BLANKET WAIVER: 2024 Olympic Trials for Swimming.
The Division III Subcommittee for Legislative Relief recently approved a blanket legislative relief waiver request to permit Division III swimming student-athletes who have either achieved or are within a specific percentage of the qualifying standards for the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials for swimming to continue to train with their institutional coach outside of the declared playing season after the 2024 NCAA championships. The blanket relief also applies to international and paralympic student-athletes on an equivalent basis. More information can be found here.
DUE NOV. 3: Campus Sexual Violence Attestation.
All Division III institution must complete the campus sexual violence attestation by Friday, Nov. 3. As a reminder, the campus sexual violence attestation requires members to attest they complied with the policy for the 2022-23 academic year. For administrators to complete the attestations, they need their school’s NCAA MyApps administrator to assign the courses to them in the NCAA Learning Portal. Questions about the attestation processes can be sent to webhelpdesk@ncaa.org.
IMPORTANT: Regional Rules Seminar.
At least once every three years, an active member school must be represented by at least one institutional staff member at the NCAA Regional Rules Seminar. Unsure if you need to attend the upcoming seminar? Please reference the Division III Institutions Required To Attend the 2024 NCAA Regional Rules Seminar List. The 2024 in-person seminar is June 12-14 in Las Vegas. If you have attendance requirement questions, contact Eric Hartung at ehartung@ncaa.org.
For a list of the 2023-24 championships sport managers, click here.
Officiating
Click here for the latest NCAA officiating initiatives.
PROP financial chart
To view future playing rules changes with a potential financial impact, click here.
ATHLETICS COMMUNICATION UPDATES
DEADLINE APPROACHING: NCAA and D3SIDA Recognition Award
The NCAA Division III and D3SIDA recognition award seeks to honor the best work — including news releases, feature articles, videos, blogs and other materials — produced by Division III campus and conference athletics communication offices. Each top honoree will receive a $1,500 credit to attend Division III Day at the annual College Sports Communicators convention. The next submission deadline is Oct. 15. For more information, click here.
DEADLINE APPROACHING: Submit Basketball Schedules
The deadline for submitting basketball schedules is Tuesday, Oct. 3. Even if you auto-upload a schedule, you MUST log into the system to add neutral-site locations and fully submit your schedule. Your schedule WILL NOT be considered complete until this has been done. Please see the Presto or Sidearm directions for additional help.
Exhibitions can be included within your schedule submission if you plan on using NCAA LiveStats to keep statistics for those contests. For closed scrimmages, we recommend scoring the game manually versus using a game key in NCAA LiveStats. This will prevent data from populating scoreboards on ncaa.com and ncaa.org.
Rosters: The roster form should be updated before each team’s first contest (including exhibitions). Please review the instructions for more information, including how to add returning student-athletes back onto the roster and how to link up transfers.
Please review the instructions for more information, including how to add returning student-athletes back onto the roster and how to link up transfers
Media Coordination/Statistics Staff Contacts
To find information about whom to contact at the NCAA for media coordination and statistics, the 2023-24 assignments can be found here.
Fall Selection Shows
Find more information on the Division III fall championship selections here.
The sixth annual Diversity and Inclusion Social Media Campaign, presented by the NCAA Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee and the national Student-Athlete Advisory Committees, is less than three weeks away. The campaign, planned for Oct. 17-19, is a prime opportunity for student-athletes, administrators, coaches and fans across the country to use their platform to create a dialogue surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion and to communicate the need for and importance of developing inclusive environments to enhance the student-athlete experience.
Diversity Spotlight Initiative
The Diversity Spotlight Initiative recognizes and promotes outstanding diversity development projects, programming and initiatives occurring on Division III campuses and in conference offices. Each month an institution or conference is identified by the selection committee to be featured on the DIII webpage and in the DIII Monthly Update. In addition, the featured institution or conference office receives $500 toward its next diversity initiative. Click here for more information.
2022-23 Division III Participation and Contributions.
Three conference offices and 12 schools reported Division III Special Olympics activities during the 2022-23 year involving approximately 1,530 Division III student-athletes and 2,600 Special Olympics athletes. The division dedicated just over 5,680 volunteer hours and raised a total of $22,350 because of these activities. The division also donated additional funds to Special Olympics generated from Division III Week initiatives ($10,000) and fines collected ($41,235). Thank you to all the student-athletes, schools and conference offices that participated in this accomplishment.
Special Olympics Spotlight
The NCAA Division III Special Olympics Spotlight Poll is a storytelling initiative on ncaa.org/D3SpecialOlympics. It features new stories each month that highlight a Division III and Special Olympics joint activity or event. That school or conference receives $500 to use for its next Special Olympics event. Written and digital submissions both are accepted. Featured stories are selected based on inclusion of the student-athlete perspective and Division III messaging. To submit a story for consideration, email d3specialolympics@ncaa.org.
RefQuest Reminder: All commissioners, Division I conference sport administrators, conference coordinators/assignors and head coaches listed in the NCAA Directory will have complimentary access to the applicable sport-specific central hub(s). Those listed previously will be added to the central hub(s) when registration opens and will not need to register, but they will receive an email from RQ+ inviting them to join the central hub(s) and create a password. Once they have joined the central hub(s), they will have access to all content related to rules, updates, clarifications, interpretations, etc., from the NCAA national coordinator of officials and secretary-rules editor.
Conference Coordinators of Officials Positions Added to NCAA Directory. Sport-specific coordinator of officials positions have been added to the NCAA Directory for all sports and divisions. Conferences should add contact information for their coordinators of officials through the steps here. By adding this contact information to the NCAA Directory, the NCAA will be able to enhance communication efforts with all conferences, including copying conference coordinators on important communications involving ejections and suspensions of student-athletes/coaches within their conference and championship, officiating and playing rules updates throughout the season.
Conference Administrators Positions Added to NCAA Directory. Sport-specific conference administrator positions have been added to the NCAA Directory for all sports and divisions. Conferences should add contact information for these positions through the steps here. By adding this contact information to the NCAA Directory, the NCAA will be able to enhance communication efforts with all conferences, including copying these administrators on important communications involving ejections and suspensions of student-athletes/coaches within their conference, and championship, officiating and playing rules updates throughout the season.
Learning Portal Module Available: The NCAA has partnered with Officially Human to develop a learning module, Elevate Respect, to improve student-athlete, coach and fan behavior directed at officials. This course is available on the NCAA Learning Portal. To access the course, log in to the Learning Portal on MyApps through ncaa.org. In the search feature at the top of the main page, enter “Elevate Respect,” enroll in the course and begin learning. This course is a great opportunity to engage with student-athletes before the season starts to emphasize positive sportsmanship and engagement with officials during competition or as a remediation tool during the season.
RefReps: The NCAA has entered an alliance with RefReps (refreps.com) to provide comprehensive Sports Officiating Education curriculum, training materials and resources for 15 different sports. This curriculum is designed for sports officiating to be taught in the collegiate classroom. For institutions already offering sports officiating courses, we believe these materials would positively enhance your programs and streamline your efforts to develop and procure resources. For institutions not currently offering a sports officiating course, these materials are academically rigorous enough to serve as the entire foundation for one. Please check out refreps.com and contact Kyle Armstrong and team at hype@refreps.com to learn more about the opportunity to join this NCAA-supported initiative to help address the national shortage of sports officials.
Sports Ejection Reporting Depository: The NCAA ejection/disqualification reporting system has been expanded to include the fall sports of field hockey, football, men’s and women’s soccer, women’s volleyball, and men’s water polo. It is anticipated selected winter and spring sports also will be added to this system. This system replaces the NCAA Soccer Red Card Depository and Water Polo Incident Depository.
Officials in these sports are required to submit ejection/disqualification reports through forms on the RQ+ central hubs. When an official submits a report of an ejection/disqualification issued to a player/coach in your conference, the NCAA Sports Ejection Reporting System will send an automated email notification to you, the coordinator/assignor of officials and the conference sport administrator (if applicable), as well as the director of athletics and head coach of the offender’s institution.
Contact information for the automated email notification is pulled directly from the NCAA Directory. Please ensure all contact information, including the conference sport administrator and conference coordinators/assignors, is updated for the 2023-24 academic year.
Men’s and Women’s Soccer
The 2023 playing rules Points of Emphasis, Preseason Reminders and Questions/Interpretations, Volumes 1, 2 and 3, are available here under Updates and on the Center Circle website.
The Men’s and Women’s Soccer Rules Committee is now accepting your rules change proposals. Please use this link to record your proposal and rationale. All proposals must be received by Oct. 6.
Softball
The 2024 and 2025 approved playing rules changes and interpretations/clarifications are available here under Updates.
REMINDER:Beginning Jan. 1, all softballs used in competition must meet the new ball specifications, which includes a maximum compression of 275-375 pounds. This rules change was approved in summer 2021 to standardize ball specifications with NFHS and USA Softball.
Wrestling
The 2023-24/2024-25 Wrestling Case Book has been updated and should be used in conjunction with the 2023-24/2024-25 Wrestling Rules Book. Both books are available here under Rules of the Game
Men’s Lacrosse
The Men’s Lacrosse Rules Committee was asked to clarify the rules around goal nets, as historically it has been largely silent. Provided that the mesh of the net does not exceed 1½ inches, it may be of varying shapes (square, hexagon, octagon, etc.). In addition, advertising on goal nets has become a challenge for officials to see if the ball has crossed the goal line or entered the goal. Only institutional, commercial and memorial logos are permitted to be affixed to the back center of the goal nets no higher than 3 feet.
DEADLINE APPROACHING: NCAA/MOAA Award for Diversity and Inclusion
The nomination process for the annual NCAA/MOAA Award for Diversity and Inclusion is now open. Nominations will be accepted via Program Hub until Saturday, Oct. 7. Self-nominations are welcome, and two letters of support are required for all nominations. One letter must come from a program/initiative participant and the other from a campus or community partner. This award signifies a partnership formed by the NCAA and the Minority Opportunities Athletic Association to recognize and celebrate the initiatives, policies and practices of athletics departments and conference offices that embrace diversity and inclusion across the intercollegiate athletics community. The 2024 award honoree will be recognized in January at the 2024 NCAA Convention and participate in the MOAA Symposium, to be held in conjunction with the NACDA Convention in June. Questions and requests for additional information can be sent to the office of inclusion.
Upcoming Leadership Development Programs
All of the following fall applications will open at 8 a.m. Eastern time Oct. 2 and will close at 5 p.m. Eastern time Nov. 10.
NCAA and NFL Coaches Academy: The NCAA and NFL Coaches Academy provides current, full-time college football coaches at NCAA member schools an educational opportunity to build connections and develop leadership acumen to pursue their career aspirations.
NCAA Emerging Leaders Seminar: This professional development event provides leadership, educational and transitional programming for current graduate assistants and interns from NCAA member schools, conference offices and affiliate organizations. The three-day virtual program educates, develops and connects selected participants and equips attending young professionals with the skills necessary to accelerate their career progression in college sports.
Foundations of Fundraising: With a focus on women and ethnic minorities, Foundations of Fundraising is a collaborative effort between the NCAA and the National Association of Athletic Development Directors designed to educate future leaders (interns, graduate assistants, development associates, etc.) in the field of development in intercollegiate athletics.
NCAA Career in Sports Forum Facilitators: Facilitators for the Career in Sports Forum work closely with participants to provide an engaging programming experience. Facilitators are assigned to lead teams in open dialogue about career exploration, interpersonal skills and more. Facilitators at the Career in Sports Forum play an integral role in the learner's experience, and taking part provides an impactful opportunity to grow as a professional in collegiate athletics.
Student-Athlete Leadership Forum Facilitators: Facilitators for the Student-Athlete Leadership Forum work closely with participants to provide an engaging programming experience. Facilitators are assigned to lead teams in open dialogue about a wide variety of topics to instill and emphasize themes of personal leadership development. Facilitators at the forum play an integral role in the participant experience, and taking part provides an impactful opportunity to grow as a professional with collegiate athletics.
Student-Athlete Leadership Forum
The nomination period for the spring 2024 Student-Athlete Leadership Forum will open at 8 a.m. Eastern time Oct. 2 and will close at 5 p.m. Eastern time Oct. 20. Visit our website to see who is eligible to be a nominator and who is eligible for nomination during this period.
Eligibility Center Updates
Starting Oct. 1, international students initially enrolling in the winter/spring 2024 term can request final amateurism certificationin their Eligibility Center account. Before making this request, students must first verify their enrollment period accurately reflects the initial term of full-time enrollment at any NCAA institution and review and complete the sports participation questionnaire in their account. For questions regarding international students, schools may use the Contact Us button within the Eligibility Center portal or call the Eligibility Center’s customer service line at 877-544-2950 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern time Monday through Friday. Please encourage Division III administrators to subscribe to the Eligibility Center’s Division III Membership Newsletterfor ongoing updates, recommendations and best practices.
Joint meeting of Presidents Advisory Group and Presidents Council
Indianapolis
Oct. 25
Presidents Council
Indianapolis
Oct. 26
Nominating Committee
Virtual
Nov. 8
Interpretations and Legislation Committee
Virtual
Nov. 12-13
Student-Athlete Advisory Committee
Indianapolis
Nov. 15-16
Financial Aid Committee
Virtual
Nov. 16
Membership Committee
Virtual
Nov. 17-19
Field Hockey Championship
Newport News, Virginia
Nov. 18
Cross Country Championships
Newville, Pennsylvania
Nov. 21
Championships Committee
Virtual
Nov. 29-Dec. 2
Women’s Volleyball Championship
Claremont, California
Nov. 30-Dec. 2
Women’s Soccer Championship
Salem, Virginia
Dec. 1-3
Men’s Soccer Championship
Salem, Virginia
Dec. 12
Championships Committee
Virtual
Dec. 12
Convention Planning Subcommittee
Virtual
Dec. 15
Football Championship
Salem, Virginia
Dec. 21
Membership Committee
Virtual
This email was sent to NCAA Division III presidents and chancellors, athletics direct reports, directors of athletics, faculty athletics representatives, senior woman administrators, sports information directors, directors of compliance, commissioners, assistant/associate commissioners, national Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, provisional, reclassifying and exploratory members based on contact information in the NCAA Directory.
