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NCAA Research Studies

Explore the surveys NCAA Research conducts to understand the experiences of student-athletes, coaches, and member institutions. Each study below includes published reports, survey instruments, and related resources. Use the navigation tiles below to jump to a specific study, or browse the full list. For questions about any study, contact research@ncaa.org.

Looking for Health & Wellness?

Read the full Student-Athlete Health and Wellness Study. Findings, methodology, and downloadable reports on mental health, substance use, weight and body image, and overall well-being — from a 2022–23 survey of about 23,000 student-athletes.

Read the Study
Coach Well-Being Study
Divisional Surveys
FAR Survey
Gallup Study
GOALS Study
SNAP Study
Social Environments Study
Sports Betting Studies
Student-Athlete Well-Being Study

NCAA Research Studies

Conducted in spring 2022, the NCAA Coach Well-Being Study examined how coaches were handling the unique stresses related to the COVID-19 pandemic and recent rule changes within college athletics. Coach support for student-athlete mental health was also assessed in this survey, which included responses from over 6,000 coaches across the three divisions.

Survey Results & Reports

NCAA Research is committed to understanding the student-athlete experience across all member divisions. The studies below provide insights into each division, its member institutions, and their student-athletes through division-specific initiatives.

Division II Membership Survey

Division III Membership Survey

Each NCAA member institution appoints a Faculty Athletics Representative (FAR) — a member of the faculty or administrative staff who may not hold a position in the athletics department. The most recent FAR Survey was conducted in 2025, building on previous surveys in 2011, 2005, and 1996. The 2025 survey provides a comprehensive contemporary look at the FAR experience.

2025 FAR Study Materials

In partnership with the NCAA, Gallup examined the long-term outcomes of NCAA student-athletes who graduated from college between 1975 and 2019 through the Gallup Alumni Survey, the largest national study of U.S. college graduates. The 2020 study compared nearly 5,000 former Division I, II and III student-athletes with more than 69,000 nonathlete graduates enrolled at the same schools.

The study found that NCAA student-athletes engaged in key undergraduate experiences at higher rates than nonathletes and were more likely to be thriving across several measures of post-college well-being.

Explore the Data

Full Report & Division Highlights

The Growth, Opportunities, Aspirations and Learning of Students in College Study — known as GOALS — is a nationally representative NCAA study of the experiences and well-being of current student-athletes. Conducted regularly since 2006, GOALS covers college academic, athletic, and social experiences; coach-athlete relationships; recruitment and college choice; time commitments; on-campus support; and finances.

2025 GOALS Study

2019 GOALS Study

The Student-Athlete Needs, Aspirations and Perspectives (SNAP) Study is a partnership between NCAA Research and Teamworks for quickly gathering student-athlete perspectives on pressing issues in college sports. SNAP surveys take about three minutes, are administered four to six times a year on student-athletes’ phones, and contain no more than 20 questions.

SNAP surveys provide the NCAA national office and high-level committees with rapid student-athlete feedback on issues of critical importance. New findings are added to this page as they become available.

The 2025–26 SNAP surveys focus on Division I student-athletes, with plans to expand to Divisions II and III in the future.

April 2026 SNAP Study

February 2026 SNAP Study

October 2025 SNAP Study

Conducted regularly since 2012, the NCAA Social Environments Study examines how student-athletes interact with on-campus and community groups, their comfort and trust within the campus community, and the expectations and education provided by coaches and others around the issues that arise in a student-athlete’s social environment.

Presentations

Survey Instruments

To protect student-athletes and the integrity of competition as sports gambling legalization expands, the NCAA conducts ongoing research on sports betting. National surveys of student-athlete gambling attitudes and behaviors have been conducted regularly since 2004, alongside additional studies on social media abuse during championships, sports betting among young adults, and senior compliance administrator perspectives.

Study of Social Media Abuse During Division I Championships (Signify)

Study of Sports Betting Among Young Adults (Opinion Diagnostics, 2023)

Sports Betting Compliance & Education

Additional Resources

The NCAA Student-Athlete Well-Being Study examined the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the physical and mental well-being of student-athletes during spring 2020, fall 2020, and fall 2021. NCAA Research collaborated with the NCAA Sport Science Institute and the Division I, II, and III Student-Athlete Advisory Committees to design and distribute the surveys. The three surveys generated over 70,000 student-athlete responses across all divisions, sports, and athletics conferences.

Fall 2021 Survey

Fall 2020 Survey

Spring 2020 Survey

Additional Resources

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