THE NCAA
info adopted from NCAA.org
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is the principal governing organization for intercollegiate athletics in the United States, including college soccer. It oversees competition, sets rules, promotes athlete welfare, and strives to balance education and athletics.
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NCAA soccer provides a competitive and exciting environment for student athletes to compete and grow. With rigorous standards and a commitment to excellence, the NCAA is proud to offer an unparalleled soccer experience.
The NCAA is a membership‑driven body with three divisions (I, II, and III). Today, there are 1,073 active member institutions (355 in Division I, 293 in Division II, 425 in Division III), and total membership including provisional and exploratory members reached 1,237. The NCAA comprises 97 primary conferences plus additional single‑sport and multi‑divisional conferences, totaling 138 conferences.
Student‑athlete participation continues to grow! In 2024–25, 554,298 athletes competed in NCAA championship sports — a record high. As the NCAA continues to grow, the health and safety of its student athletes remain a central focus. To address these issues, the NCAA Division I board adopted a streamlined structure of 30 Division I committees, reducing redundancy and enhancing student‑athlete representation (doubling their voting seats).
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The NCAA Board of Governors is the highest governing body and supervises association-wide issues, such as determining where to allocate funds and upholding equal opportunity measures. Primarily composed of chancellors and presidents, the Board of Governors can implement policies that must be followed by all member schools across divisions.
PLAYER ELIGIBILITY IN THE NCAA
College‑bound and continuing student‑athletes must meet academic standards to participate in NCAA sports. For incoming freshmen at schools in Divisions I and II, the following apply:
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• They must complete at least 16 NCAA‑approved core courses in high school, covering subject areas such as English, mathematics (Algebra I or higher), natural/physical science (including a lab if offered), social science, and additional academic courses (for example, foreign language, comparative religion or philosophy).
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• For Division I: At least 10 of those 16 core courses must be completed before the start of the student’s seventh semester (senior year) of high school, and at least seven of those 10 must be in English, math or science.
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• The core‑course GPA must meet the specified Division I or II minimum — Division I: 2.3 GPA in core courses; Division II: 2.2 GPA in core courses
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• Important update: On August 1, 2023, the NCAA removed the requirement to submit a standardized test score (SAT or ACT) for initial eligibility in Divisions I and II for full-time students.
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• For Division III institutions, academic eligibility standards, including core‑course requirements, test‑score expectations, and GPA standards, are determined by each individual institution rather than a uniform national standard set by the NCAA.