The NCAA Division I Degree Completion Award Program was established in 1989 to assist student-athletes with financial assistance to complete their education during their five-year eligibility period. Applicants must be student-athletes who have exhausted their athletics eligibility. The award consists of tuition, fees, and an allowance for textbooks and other expenses.
There is no limit to how long its been since you’ve exhausted athletics eligibility to be nominated for the Degree Completion award.
To date, the program has awarded over $30 million to over 2,900 deserving student-athletes.90 percent have successfully received their undergraduate degree using this program.
Requirements for the Award
The applicant must be a student-athlete who:
- Has exhausted athletics eligibility at an NCAA Division I member institution.
- Is entering at least their sixth year of post-secondary education and shall have exhausted athletic eligibility (five years) for competition.
- HBCU and limited resource institutions must have exhausted athletics eligibility for competition.
- Is within 30 semester hours (45 quarter hours) of completing their first undergraduate degree. Students enrolled in programs that extend beyond the baccalaureate degree or enrolled in graduate programs are not eligible (e.g. PharmD).
- Has received athletics-related financial aid.
How to Apply
The following materials are required to complete the application process.
- Nomination can be initiated by the FAR, Athletics Director, SWA or other athletics administrator.
- The nominee must include a personal statement detailing why you have not completed your degree, how the scholarship will benefit you and how you plan to use the degree.
- An official transcript from the institution where the student-athlete exhausted his or her athletics eligibility must be included. Applications must also include official transcripts from all institutions the student-athlete previously attended. Official transcripts can be scanned and uploaded to the system as a .pdf document.
- Academic information from a, faculty advisor or head of the department responsible for the applicant’s academic program.
- Athletics information from an athletic department representative.
- Financial aid information from the financial aid office.
We begin accepting applications April 1, for the fall term and August 1, for the winter/spring/summer term each year.
Selection Process
Applications are reviewed by a committee comprised of representatives from seven Division I member institutions and are from varying positions, such as directors of athletics, financial aid administrators, and faculty athletics representatives.
The following links will provide you more information regarding this program.
For more information, contact Lori Thomas at the NCAA national office at 317-917-6683 or by email at lthomas@ncaa.org.
