Important Updates, Reminders and Changes for the 2020-21 Academic All-America® Program
College Sports Information Directors of America
Related Content
- Academic All-America Home Page for CoSIDA Members
- 2020-21 Master Calendar
- 2020-21 CoSIDA Membership Purchases
Following are several updates, reminders and changes for the 2020-21 Academic All-America awards program. Remember, only current CoSIDA members are eligible to nominate and vote in the Academic All-America awards program. Go to CoSIDA.com/Profile to confirm your current membership. To purchase a membership, go to CoSIDA.com/Membership.
UPDATE: Career Statistics to Be Used for Basketball, Soccer, Football and Volleyball
Due to the variety in games played across conferences and across divisions in college athletics so far this year, the CoSIDA Academic All-America contests for basketball, football, soccer and volleyball will be based on career statistics for the 2020-21 academic year. A determination on the 2020-21 remaining contests will be made at a later date.The overall charge of the Academic All-America program is to honor the best student-athletes in college athletics. Using career statistics for basketball, football, soccer and volleyball allows for consistency across the board in evaluating student-athletes in a year that features extreme inconsistencies in the number of games played.
Nominate for Academic All-District Honors Beginning in April
The following are nomination windows for the 2020-21 academic year. For institutions not affiliated with the NCAA or NAIA (known as the college division), nominations are only accepted in the men's and women's at-large programs.
- Basketball - April 13-20
- Soccer - May 11-18
- Football - May 18-25
- Volleyball - May 18-25
- Baseball - June 1-8
- Softball - June 1-8
- At-Large (NCAA) - June 8-22
- At-Large (NAIA) - June 8-22
- At-Large (College) - June 8-22
- Track and Field/Cross Country - June 22-29
NEW! Digital Certificate Downloads for First-Team Selections
In 2020-21, student-athletes will receive their All-District certificate via digital download. As the nominating CoSIDA member, you can download the certificate template and add your student-athlete's name and the institution name. You are encouraged to print as many as you need for the student-athlete, their family and coaches and your athletic department.
NEW! NAIA Gets Its Own At-Large Program
To include all NAIA championship sports, a new at-large program will be available for teams in that division. The addition of championships such as competitive cheer and dance along with women's wrestling meant new sport categories for the NAIA. The NCAA and college division programs will continue to accept nominations for sports in which they sponsor championships.
CHANGE: First-team Academic All-America Awards
Academic All-America selections will receive two acrylic plaques. In the past, first-team members would receive an extra desk award. In an effort to better manage program costs, the CoSIDA Executive Board of Directors determined the extra desk award for first-team selections will not be distributed this year. Levy Recognition, the official awards provider for CoSIDA, will provide additional acrylic awards for institutions and student-athletes at cost.
NEW! Promotional Materials to Share with Your Student-Athletes
- Congratulatory letter to your student-athlete from CoSIDA
- Customizable social media graphics for your student-athlete to use on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
- Information for your student-athlete about this prestigious awards program
Academic All-District and All-America Announcement Dates for the 2020-21 Program
Announcement dates for all-district teams and All-America teams for the 2020-21 academic year can be found on the master calendar. Announcements will be made at Noon (ET) for each team.
Membership Reminder
CoSIDA 2020-21 membership dues are required to participate in the Academic All-America program. If you have questions about membership dues, contact Laurie Bollig (lauriebollig@cosida.com).
About the CoSIDA Academic All-America® Awards Program
CoSIDA began the distinguished Academic All-America program in 1952, and since then, has honored thousands of deserving student-athletes from numerous sports across all divisions with these elite Academic All-America scholar-athlete honors.
The NCAA Divisions II and III CoSIDA Academic All-America programs are partially financially supported by the national governance structures to assist CoSIDA with the awards fulfillment aspects for the Divisions II and III Academic All-America programs. The NAIA CoSIDA Academic All-America program is partially financially supported through the NAIA national office.
Learn more about the program here.
