DIII Monthly Update

This email was sent by: NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association 700 W. Washington St. Indianapolis, DIII Monthly Update

DIII Monthly Update

Smart Brevity^® count: 3.5 mins...958 words

👋 Welcome to the Division III December/January newsletter!

🚨 As a reminder:

Register for the Division III webinar on Tues., Dec. 9 at 1:30 p.m. Eastern, to review the 2026 convention proposals.

Apply for a Division III Opportunity Grant by Jan. 30.
- Opportunity Grants provide funding to members committed to enhancing representation in athletics administration and assistant coaching positions.

Now onto the newsletter.

🚨 This Month’s Musts

Division III Health and Safety Survey

The Sport Science Institute health and safety survey is designed to collect information on the administrative and organizational aspects of Division III sports medicine programs.
Results will help schools compare themselves on key athletics health care practices. The NCAA will make the aggregate and institutional survey data available through the Division III Institutional Performance Program.

➡️ What’s Next: The Survey will be sent to Division III athletics health care administrators Dec. 4 and will be open through Feb. 6.

🏆 On the Horizon

2025 NCAA Financial Reporting

Financial reporting is due Jan. 15. Submit financial data or the Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act Certificate of Completion via the Membership Financial Reporting System located within My Apps. For more information, contact Andrea Worlock.

Save the Date ➡️ Institute for Administrative Advancement

The Institute for Administrative Advancement will be held in conjunction with the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics convention in Las Vegas on June 5-7. 
Applications will open Monday, Feb. 2. For more information on the institute, click here.

New Module ➡️ De-escalation Techniques: Promoting Peaceful Resolution

What: Coaches, administrators and game day staff can learn practical techniques to manage conflict and promote respect at athletics events with the new e-learning course De-escalation Techniques: Promoting Peaceful Resolution.
Access in NCAA Learning Portal in the Membership Essentials channel.

➡️ Convention Corner

👉 2026 NCAA Convention

The annual NCAA Convention will be Jan. 13-16 at the National Harbor Gaylord in the Washington, D.C., area.
Check out the Division III convention homepage for resources, including the Official Notice and the 2026 Convention Proposal Question & Answer document.
Reserve time from 6:45 to 8 p.m. Eastern time Wednesday, Jan. 14, to attend the sixth annual LGBTQ of the Year Award ceremony. During the ceremony, we will recognize all the nominees and announce this year’s recipients.

Convention Attendance Requirement

Each active member school must be represented by a delegate who votes at the business session. If you have questions regarding the Convention attendance requirement, contact Eric Hartung.

📰 Member Manual

✏️ Rule of the Month — Eligibility Between Terms

➡️ Enrollment Requirement (Bylaw 14.1.7.1.7.6)

To practice or compete between terms, an athlete must meet one of these:

Registered full time at the end of the previous fall term.
Accepted for full-time enrollment for the upcoming winter/spring term.

➡️ Certification Timeline (Bylaw 14.1.9)

When does eligibility officially kick in? When the school certifies the student-athlete.

Certification doesn’t have to be on the same day for everyone.
It may not be outside of the changing eligibility status time frame.

Changing Eligibility Status Time Frame

If an athlete is becoming eligible: Certification can happen starting the day after the last scheduled exam of the term.
If an athlete is becoming ineligible: Certification must happen no later than the first day of classes of the next term.

👉 Conference Requirements: Conferences may adopt more stringent requirements for their member institutions, so always check for any additional rules that may apply.

👉 NCAA Championships Eligibility: Those eligible to participate at the start of an NCAA championship remain eligible for the entire championship, even if their status changes.

🏈 Official Business

🏈 Women’s Flag Football

Women’s Flag Football has been officially added to the list of recognized sports.
- Schools with existing or upcoming programs should review the EC’s guidance on activating the sport in the Eligibility Center Portal.
What's next: Although amateurism reviews will begin Jan. 1, schools may add the sport now and begin activating international student-athletes to their Women’s Flag Football Institutional Request List to ensure timely processing. If you have any questions, reach out to ecinfo@ncaa.org.

💙 Building Belonging

🧡 Cultural Heritage Months

As we recently celebrated Native American heritage month in November and prepare for Black history month in February, remember that the NCAA aims to celebrate the rich and diverse histories, cultures and contributions of various communities year-round.
👉 Click here  for a resource that highlights cultural heritage months and ways to celebrate.

🤝 NCAA/MOAA Opportunities and Impact Award

What: The Opportunities and Impact Award recognizes one institution, athletics department or conference office per division that elevates student-athlete voices and foster environments of belonging, well-being and collaboration.
How to nominate: Nominate through the NCAA Program Hub now until Dec. 19.

🤍 Special Olympics

Please email stories about the Special Olympics activities taking place on your campus or with your conference to d3specialolympics@ncaa.org and fill out the reporting form.

📲 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 Bryn Mangold.

⏰ Know Before You Go

💻 Webinars will be from 1:30 to 2 p.m. Eastern time on the following dates and topics:

Dec. 9 — Review of 2026 NCAA Convention Legislation. This webinar will be one hour, 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.
Jan. 9 — Tips and Tricks for New Convention Attendees.
Feb. 10 — Recap of SAAC, Management and Presidents Council meetings.

➡️ All past webinar PowerPoints are on the Division III webinar webpage.

📆 Key Dates — December through February

Thanks for reading!

This update is a tool to enhance communication between the NCAA national office and the Division III membership.

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.

This email was sent to members of the NCAA Division III Presidents Council, Management Council, national Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, athletics direct reports, directors of athletics, faculty athletics representatives, senior woman administrators, sports information directors, directors of compliance, commissioners, and assistant/associate commissioners based on contact information in the NCAA directory. This email was sent by: NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association 700 W. Washington St. Indianapolis, IN, 46204, US