NCAA Injury Surveillance Program Data Requests

The ISP Data Requests process provides de-identified injury surveillance data to researchers affiliated with academic institutions. The re-launch of the ISP data requests process, formerly the Datalys Injury Statistics Clearinghouse (DISC) process, acknowledges the scientific value of the dissemination of sport injury surveillance data to further understanding of health and safety initiatives for collegiate student-athletes.

Data requests are limited to scientific inquiries and are reviewed by an advisory panel for:

Redundancy to determine if the same data has already been provided to another researcher.
Scientific merit (i.e. sound research question).
Relevance and alignment with areas of emphasis and values of the Association.
Potential to contribute to the body of knowledge.

The NCAA will accept submissions of letters of intent, the first stage in the data requests process, for a limited time beginning on January 16, 2026 via an online web form that will be located on this page.

Researchers may request subsets of deidentified data. (e.g., injury diagnosis, body part injured, exposure event types, etc.) The full list of data variables is available.

While requests can be made for all injury topics from 2009-10 through 2018-19, the following areas of emphasis have been established by CSMAS for research proposals submitted during this cycle:

Elbow injuries.
Non-contact injuries.
Lower-leg injuries in NCAA sports.

The three areas of emphasis were selected based on review of published research using ISP data, frequency of requests by membership or NCAA committees, feasibility, and availability of data to produce actionable outcomes.

Application FAQ

Can more than one letter of intent be submitted?

Yes.

What information is required in the letter of intent?

The letter of intent should demonstrate clarity and specificity regarding the proposed project. Applicants should clearly articulate the research questions driving the request, describe how those questions will be addressed using the ISP data and outline the statistical or analytical approaches being considered to answer them. Additionally, inclusion of key analytical personnel (e.g., statistician, epidemiologist or methodologist) is encouraged when applicable.

What could statistical modeling look like?

To help guide the preparation of submissions, consider reviewing prior methodological and epidemiological publications (see below) that illustrate how ISP data have been analyzed in previous studies.

Chandran A, Moffit RE, DeJong Lempke AF, et al. Epidemiology of Lateral Ligament Complex Tears of the Ankle in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Sports: 2014-15 Through 2018-19. The American Journal of Sports Medicine. 2023;51(1):169-178. doi:10.1177/03635465221138281

Chandran, A., Lambert, B. Bayesian methods for estimating injury rates in sport injury epidemiology. Inj. Epidemiol. 12, 31 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40621-025-00583-z

Chandran, Avinash, DiPietro, Loretta, Young, Heather and Elmi, Angelo. "Modeling time loss from sports-related injuries using random effects models: an illustration using soccer-related injury observations" Journal of Quantitative Analysis in Sports, vol. 16, no. 3, 2020, pp. 221-235. https://doi.org/10.1515/jqas-2019-0030

What happens after submission of a letter of intent?

Upon the closing of the submission window, an advisory panel review will occur with the completion time dependent on the submission volume. Submission of a full application is by invitation only. All advisory panel decisions are final.

What happens after approval for submitting a full application?

The advisory panel will once again review the full application. The panel feedback will be shared with the CSMAS Research Subcommittee. The Research Subcommittee will review the recommendations from the advisory panel. The researcher will then receive a decision letter on the outcome.

Approved projects will receive the requested data in two separate data frames: one containing injury data and the other containing exposure data. Data will be released only after the advisory panel has received documentation of Institutional Review Board approval or exemption.

If selected, how long is data released?

Data will be released after a successfully executed data use agreement for a 12-month period. During that time, researchers will be expected to submit a progress report to the advisory panel not later than six months after data is released and before they submit a pre-publication preview. Researchers will be required to submit a pre-publication preview to the advisory panel ahead of any publication submissions, poster presentations, etc.

Stay Informed

Sign up to receive notifications about upcoming cycles of NCAA ISP Data Requests, including when letters of intent will be accepted or future areas of emphasis.

This page will continue to be updated with additional details regarding areas of emphasis to guide submissions and further, detailed instructions about the process.

Contact SSI@ncaa.org for any remaining questions.