The NCAA awards postgraduate scholarships annually to student-athletes who excel academically and athletically and who are at least in their final year of intercollegiate athletics competition. The scholarships are awarded three times a year corresponding to each sport season. Each sports season there are 21 scholarships available for men and 21 scholarships available for women for use in an accredited graduate program. All former student-athletes who earned an undergraduate degree from an NCAA member school are eligible to be nominated by that school for an NCAA graduate degree scholarship, regardless of when they received their undergraduate degree. Applicants must be student-athletes at an active NCAA member institution who must be in the final season of NCAA athletics eligibility or must have completed athletic eligibility; must be in the final year of undergraduate academic work or received an undergraduate degree; have performed with distinction as a varsity team member in the sport in which they are being nominated; must enroll in a graduate degree granting program at an academically accredited graduate or degree-granting professional school; must be enrolled in a graduate degree granting program within one-year after the academic year the scholarship was awarded; and are outstanding citizens and excellent role models for the institution and intercollegiate athletics. The student-athletes may apply themselves or they may also be nominated. The nomination is submitted by the undergraduate institution's faculty athletics representative (FAR) or by a FAR designee. Applicants must submit three letters of recommendation from three different people: coach or someone in the position to assess the student-athlete's contribution to intercollegiate athletics; someone in the position to speak to the applicant's community service and leadership; and a professor teaching in the discipline of the student-athlete's baccalaureate degree. There are three nomination or application periods each academic year based on sport seasons. In the Fall, the application opens on September 16, 2024 and the deadline is on January 10, 2025. In Winter, the application opens on January 10, 2025 and the deadline is on March 21, 2025. In Spring, the application opens on March 14, 2025 and the deadline is on May 23, 2025. Please visit the scholarship's website or contact the National Collegiate Athletic Association for more information.