The University of Louisville is beginning a campus-wide study of its athletics program as part of the NCAA Division I athletics certification program. The study will cover (1) academic integrity, (2) governance and rules compliance, and (3) commitment to equity, student-athlete welfare, and sportsmanship.

Brief History of the NCAA Athletics Certification Process at U of L

The NCAA initiated the athletics certification program in 1993 to help ensure integrity in institutional athletics programs. The NCAA is a membership organization of colleges and universities that participate in intercollegiate athletics. Its primary purpose is to maintain intercollegiate athletics as an integral part of the education program and the athlete as an integral part of the student body. The NCAA membership formulates rules of play for NCAA sports, conducts national championships, adopts and enforces standards of eligibility, and studies all phases of intercollegiate athletics.  All Division I institutions participate in the certification process. U of L was first certified through the process in 1997 and was re-certified in 2003. U of L is in the Third Certification Cycle (Class 4) which will begin in fall 2011 and conclude in 2013.

The goal of the process is to engage the entire university community in the review of our athletics program.  The self-study process adds to campus awareness and understanding of the important relationships between athletics and our institutional mission.  The self-study process also gets representatives from the entire campus community involved in addressing areas of concern.

The university also will host public forums on the draft self-study report after it is complete. The university will submit the final self-study report to the NCAA in the spring of 2012. A team of NCAA reviewers from other colleges, universities or conference offices then will conduct an on-site evaluation visit on campus in the fall of 2012.

The external team’s report will be forwarded to the NCAA Division I Committee on Athletics Certification, which will determine the institution’s certification status and announce the decision publicly. Institutions that fail to conduct a comprehensive self-study or correct problems face possible sanctions. The three options of certification status are certified, certified with conditions and not certified.

The following information provides additional background on the process:

• Recertification Overview
• Timeline
• Fall 2010 Report to University of Louisville Athletic Association 
• Recertification Committees
• University of Louisville Athletic Office Website

• 2002-2003 NCAA Certification
• 1996 NCAA Certification