The Team Academic Award was created to recognize student athletes' commitment to excellence in the classroom. This annual award is based on a team's academic performance for the entire academic year.

For a team to be considered, it must have a composite team grade point average of at least 3.25 (on a 4.0 scale) for all team members who appear on the official eligibility roster for the season, and the coach must be a current United Soccer Coaches member.

All players on the roster must be included in the calculation of the team GPA. An official roster must be uploaded with the submission.

Founded in 1941 and based in Kansas City, Mo., United Soccer Coaches has grown into the world's largest soccer coaches' organization that serves members at every level of the game. United Soccer Coaches works every day to inspire coaches and ignite their passion for the game so they pass it on to players and others in the soccer community. United Soccer Coaches is the trusted and unifying voice, advocate, and partner for the development of coaches at all levels of the game. The mission of United Soccer Coaches is to provide programs and services that enhance, contribute to, and advocate for the development and recognition of soccer coaches, players, and the game we love

The team GPA is determined by adding every player's GPA, then dividing by the number of players. This is a weighted GPA.