| Academic All-America | |
|---|---|
| Awarded for | Outstanding Division I, II and III, NAIA, Canadian university, and two-year college scholar-athlete teams in all championship sports |
| Country | United States |
| Presented by | College Sports Communicators (2019–Present) CoSIDA/Google Cloud (May 2018–2019) CoSIDA/Capital One (January 2011–2018) CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine (2004–September 2010) CoSIDA/Verizon (2000–2004) CoSIDA/GTE (1985–2000) CoSIDA/NCAA (1981) CoSIDA (1952–1985) |
| First awarded | 1952 |
| Last awarded | present |
| Currently held by | Approximately 2000 annually |
| Website | AcademicAllAmerica.com |
The Academic All-America program is a student-athlete recognition program. The program selects an honorary sports team composed of the most outstanding student-athletes of a specific season for positions in various sports—who in turn are given the honorific "Academic All-American". Since 1952, College Sports Communicators (formerly CoSIDA) has bestowed Academic All-American recognition on male and female athletes in Divisions I, II, and III of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as well as athletes in the NAIA, other U.S. four-year schools, two-year colleges, and Canadian universities, covering all championship sports.[1] The award honors student-athletes who have performed well academically and athletically while regularly competing for their institution.
It was sponsored by and presented as the Google Cloud Academic All-America® Award from 2018 to 2019,[2] and was previously sponsored by Capital One (2011–18), ESPN The Magazine (2004–2010), Verizon (2000–04) and GTE (1985–2000), and is administered by the College Sports Communicators (formerly CoSIDA). The phrases "Academic All-America" and "Academic All-American" are protected trademarks of College Sports Communicators.
Prior to 2011, there were two sets of teams chosen: One for Division I and a College Division that included all other divisions including NAIA, two-year colleges and Canadian schools. In 2011–12, the program was expanded to include four sets of honorary teams: one for each of NCAA Divisions I, II and III as well as a "College Division" for NAIA, four-year U.S. schools that are not NCAA or NAIA members, two-year colleges and Canadian schools. The College Division was further split before the 2018–19 school year with the creation of a separate NAIA division and with the College Division now including all two-year colleges, Canadian institutions and any other school not part of the NCAA or NAIA.[3] In each program, Academic All-District honors are given to all student-athletes with a minimum GPA of 3.5 who also are key starters or reserves. The prestigious Academic All-America teams are voted on by College Sports Communicators members.