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 email DIIIGovernance@ncaa.org to include an item or share comments, and remember to check out the Division III governance
homepage for the latest news and information.
Click here for a chart that details the Division III annual required forms and actions for schools, and click here for a resource for conference offices that details the 2025-26 annual list of required forms.
Division III Strategic Plan
Each year, the Division III Strategic Planning and Finance Committee updates and approves the division’s strategic plan and budget and forwards it to the Management and Presidents Councils for final approval. The strategic plan begins with the Division III philosophy statement to establish the framework from which the division’s programs, resource allocations and regulatory decisions are made. It summarizes the division’s strategic priorities by outlining what must be accomplished in the current year of the budget triennium for the division to be successful. The plan also highlights all the programs and services offered for the division. Click here to access the 2025-26 strategic plan.
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.
2026 NCAA Convention
The annual NCAA Convention will be Jan. 13-16 at the National Harbor Gaylord in the Washington, D.C., area. Registration opens Wednesday, Sept. 10. NCAA members should register by Friday, Oct. 10, to get the lowest registration rate ($325). Key events include the State of College Sports and NCAA Honors Presentation on Wednesday, Jan. 14. The Division III Issues Forum will occur Thursday morning, Jan. 15, while the Division III Business Session will be Friday morning, Jan. 16.
Division III LGBTQ of the Year Awards
The NCAA Division III LGBTQ of the Year Awards Selection Committee is pleased to announce its 2025 final nominees for the LGBTQ of the Year awards. The nomination period was open from February to June. The selection committee reviewed and evaluated the nominations with the purpose of identifying a standout nominee in each category. The award recipients will be announced and publicly recognized Wednesday, Jan. 14, in conjunction with the 2026 NCAA Convention in the Washington, D.C., area. To view the full list of final nominees, click here.
Application Open: Division III ADR Program
Division III is excited to host a professional development program for new and experienced athletics direct reports, understanding that 70% of Division III athletics directors report to someone other than the president. The application process is available on Program Hub, titled Division III Athletics Direct Report Professional Development Program
and closes at 5 p.m. Eastern time Monday, Sept. 15. The program will occur Jan. 13-14 in conjunction with the NCAA Convention in the Washington, D.C., area. Division III will provide transportation, hotel, Convention registration and an honorarium for 20 new ADRs and a Convention registration fee waiver and honorarium for 20 experienced ADRs.
Deadline Approaching: Division III Student Immersion Program
For the 11th year, Division III will hold the Division III Student Immersion Program. This year’s program will be Jan. 13-16, in conjunction with the NCAA Convention in the Washington, D.C., area. The application process is available on Program Hub, titled “2026 Division III Student Immersion Program,” and closes at 5 p.m. Eastern time Sept. 9
. Students, preferably juniors and seniors, with a strong interest in a career in Division III athletics (coaching and/or administration), are encouraged to apply. Final selections will be announced in early October. In addition to the scheduled Convention programming for Division III, participants will attend welcome and debriefing meetings, participate in a DISC assessment, and be assigned a mentor. Students accepted into the program also will be invited to submit an application to attend the NCAA Career in Sports Forum hosted in late spring. The program’s goal is to build a pipeline of candidates who have an interest in Division III coaching and/or administration.
Applications are now open for the 2025-26 NCAA Postgraduate Internship Program. The deadline to apply is Friday, Sept. 12. The program annually provides on-the-job learning experiences at the national office to college graduates who are passionate in their pursuit of a career in college sports administration. The online application for the NCAA Postgraduate Internship Program is available on Program Hub
.
NCAA Fan Database
Sign up to receive emails about ticket offers, live streaming and much more for all NCAA Championships by entering your information in the NCAA Championship Preference Center. Please also share the link with institutional colleagues, student-athletes, parents and fans. All Division III championship live streams are promoted through the Fan Database.
NCAA Rules Committee Openings
We are seeking nominations for the following Division III rules committees: baseball (two openings); men’s and women’s ice hockey (two); men’s lacrosse (two); men’s and women’s swimming and diving (two); men’s and women’s track and field (two); and men’s wrestling (two). Please forward the nomination link to head coaches and/or administrators (e.g., senior woman administrators, sports information directors) to consider submitting a nomination by the Sept. 17 deadline.
Sexual Violence Attestation
The NCAA’s Campus Sexual Violence Policy requires all member schools to meet the policy’s six provisions each academic year (Aug. 1-July 31). In the fall, each school’s president/chancellor, director of athletics and campus Title IX coordinator must attest to their compliance with the policy for the previous academic year. The attestation period for the 2024-25 academic year will be open in September through the attestation deadline of Friday, Nov. 7. Additional communications regarding the attestation process will be delivered in the coming weeks. For an FAQ, click
here. Please make sure your school’s information in the NCAA Directory is up to date to ensure communication is delivered to the appropriate people.
2025 NCAA Impact Forum
Save the date for the 2025 Impact Forum! Join us Nov. 10-12 in Indianapolis as we embrace humanity and build community. Inspired by previous programming opportunities like the Inclusion Forum, this professional development experience offers educational and engaging sessions for administrators and coaches, centered around creating cultures of belonging and well-being. Registration will open in early September. Visit the Impact Forum webpage for more information.
Charles Whitcomb Institute
The NCAA has selected 19 athletics administrators to take part in the Dr. Charles Whitcomb Leadership Institute, a program that aims to elevate participants’ leadership skills to accelerate their professional growth while enhancing their ability to excel within their current roles. Congratulations to Division III administrators Christina Epps-Chiazor of Swarthmore and Reava Potter of St. Mary's (Maryland) for being accepted into the program, and congratulations to Stephanie Johnson of Goucher and Olivia Winkfield of Rochester Institute of Technology for graduating from the program this summer.
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:
Sept. 2 – NCAA Transfer Portal.
Oct. 7 – Review of Division III Noncontroversial Legislation Recent Approvals.
Nov. 4 - Recap of Management and Presidents Council Meetings.
All past webinar PowerPoints are on the Division III webinar webpage.
As you prepare to recruit during the upcoming academic year, it is important to remember the permissible recruitment activities for your currently enrolled student-athletes (Bylaw 13.02.5.1). Permissible recruitment activities for your current student-athletes are limited to the following:
Engaging on social media, so long as the communications are private before Jan. 1 and a financial deposit. Interactions on social media that do not involve recruiting are not held to this restriction.
Participating in virtual recruiting presentations involving multiple prospective student-athletes organized by or involving a member of the school’s athletics department. There are some limitations though to their participation, including:
The virtual presentation may only occur during the regular academic year, and the student-athlete must be eligible to participate per Bylaw 14.1.7.
The student-athlete may not miss class to participate in the virtual presentation.
The student-athlete’s involvement must be voluntary.
During a prospective student-athlete’s official visits to the institution’s campus, acting as a student host.
During a prospective student-athlete’s unofficial visit, hosting an overnight stay in the enrolled student-athlete’s dorm room, provided the housing is available to all visiting prospective students.
Update: Sports Wagering, also known as NC-2026-15
If you have been tracking on the 2026 noncontroversial proposals that will be up for ratification at the Convention in January, you may have noticed NC-2026-15, which would remove the prohibition against betting on professional sports. The proposal is not yet effective, and the plan is for the Division III Management Council to review it again at its October meeting. The membership will be notified as soon as there is an update to the proposal’s status. In the meantime, feel free to check out all of the noncontroversial proposals that will be in the Blue Pages by heading into LSDBi and searching “NC-2026.”
Division III University
To help educate your staff and coaches this academic year, several e-learning modules known as Division III University are still available in the NCAA Learning Portal. These modules were designed to provide basic information on Division III-specific rules and can help supplement your on-campus or conference-wide education efforts. To access the Division III University modules, individuals must have an active NCAA MyApps account and be assigned NCAA Learning Portal access within MyApps. If you have questions regarding the NCAA Learning Portal, contact webhelpdesk@ncaa.org.
2025-26 Rules Test
The 2025-26 Division III Rules Test is live and located on the NCAA Learning Portal. To access the exam, individuals must have an active NCAA MyApps account and be assigned NCAA Learning Portal access within MyApps. Institutional email addresses are preferred, but not required, to create a MyApps account. For more information, the Division III Rules Test page has been updated with several resources to aid you in the transition.
Please remember that, per Bylaw 11.8, your school must administer the NCAA Division III Rules Test to all head coaches and athletics administrators with compliance responsibilities on an annual basis. Failure to administer the test on an annual basis shall be considered an institutional violation per Bylaw 20.15.2. If you have questions regarding the 2025-26 NCAA Division III Rules Test, please contact d3coachesexam@ncaa.org. If you have questions regarding the NCAA Learning Portal, please contact webhelpdesk@ncaa.org.
ATHLETICS COMMUNICATION UPDATES
Share Your Stories
Division III is looking to feature membership stories on social media and through NCAA.com. To share stories for consideration, please email d3identity@ncaa.org.
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.
Last summer, the office of inclusion provided a new resource that offers guidance for international student-athletes. The International Student-Athlete Handbook equips incoming international student-athletes, their families, coaches and administrators with information about their collegiate careers in the United States.
Share the Special Olympics activities taking place on your campus or with your conference by filling out the Special Olympics reporting form here. You can also email stories about activities to d3specialolympics@ncaa.org.
Assigning Permissions for Medical Exception Preapproval and Continued Use Requests
As requested by the membership, additional access options for medical exception preapproval and continued-use requests have been added to the NCAA's Requests/Self-Reports Online. The new options allow schools to limit access to sensitive information by user. Specifically, schools can limit a user’s access to “medical cases only” or prohibit a user’s access to medical cases. Please note, to add access to medical exception cases in RSRO, the single-source sign-on administrator must update settings to provide a specific user with medical case access
. More information, including tutorials for updating access and submitting medical exceptions, can be found here.
Nutrition
Two nutrition fact sheets were revised in coordination with the American Sports and Performance Dietitians Association and the Sports and Human Performance Nutrition organization.
The NCAA Sport Science Institute is thrilled to offer its first postgraduate internship position. This exciting opportunity will provide the intern with broad exposure to health, safety and performance topics that support member schools across all three NCAA divisions. The intern also will contribute to a variety of national-level initiatives within SSI’s three core service lines: health promotion; sports medicine and policy; and education and strategic engagement.
Learn more.
The 2026 and 2027 softball rules changes are available here.
Men's Wrestling
The 2025-26 and 2026-27 men’s wrestling rules changes and Weight Management Program information are available here.
Playing Rules – New Structure FAQ
With the adoption of a new playing rules committee structure, effective Sept. 1, the governance structure is providing this FAQ to outline the changes and address questions that may arise from them.
Playing Rules
Click here for a document that details playing rules changes with a financial impact.
This email was sent to members of the NCAA Division III Presidents Council, Presidents Advisory Group, national Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, Division III athletics direct reports, directors of athletics, faculty athletics representatives, senior woman administrators, sports information directors, directors of compliance, commissioners, assistant/associate commissioners, provisional, reclassifying and exploratory members based on contact information in the NCAA Directory.
National Collegiate Athletic Association, 700 W. Washington St., Indianapolis, IN 46204 US
