Guide · Coach · Updated
What counts as CARA hours
NCAA Division I daily and weekly CARA limits, what counts toward them and what doesn't, and how Snack counts time on what you assign.
CARA stands for countable athletically related activities: the time a coach can require of athletes. NCAA Division I limits it by the day and by the week.
This page is a summary for coaches. Your compliance office and the current NCAA Division I Manual (Bylaw 17) have the final word, and some sports have their own rules.
The Division I limits
| When | Daily limit | Weekly limit | Days off |
|---|---|---|---|
| In season | 4 hours | 20 hours | At least 1 a week |
| Out of season, during the academic year | 8 hours | At least 2 a week |
A day with a game counts as 3 hours, however long the game runs. Out of season, every sport but basketball can spend no more than 4 of the 8 hours on skill-related instruction, which includes film review. Football has its own out-of-season rules.
Divisions II and III, the NAIA, the NJCAA and high school associations set their own rules. Check yours before you set limits in Snack.
What usually counts
- Practice
- Games and scrimmages
- Required weight training and conditioning
- Film and video review a coach requires
- Skill instruction
- Meetings a coach calls about the sport
What usually doesn't
- Travel to and from games
- Compliance and academic meetings
- Treatment, rehab and medical appointments
- Study hall and tutoring
- Activities that are truly voluntary: the athlete chose to do them, nobody takes attendance, and nothing happens to an athlete who skips them
If you require it, track it, or reward it, assume it counts.
How Snack counts it
Snacks (video lessons) you assign are required work, so Snack counts the time athletes spend watching them, up to each video's length, as CARA hours. Content athletes open on their own counts as Non-CARA hours. Athletes don't log anything.
Snack counts only what happens in Snack. Practices, games and meetings outside it still go on your own log.
Set your limits
CARA Reports starts with In season hours of 20 and Out of season hours of 8, the Division I weekly limits. Owners and admins can change them under Weekly limits when they set the season calendar. Snack doesn't check daily limits or days off.