What Is the NCAA?

Top90 test
Oct 13, 2025
4 min read

Updated: Oct 22, 2025

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is the main governing body for college sports in the United States. It regulates and oversees competition, eligibility, championships, and rules for thousands of student-athletes across the country.

When UK players aim to play soccer (or any sport) in the U.S., understanding the structure and rules of the NCAA is essential — it determines what colleges you can play for, how much financial aid you can receive, and how long you’re eligible to compete.

📚 NCAA Divisions: I, II & III

The NCAA is divided into three main divisions. Each division has different levels of competition, scholarship availability, and commitments.

Division	Level & Competition	Scholarships / Aid	Typical Commitment
Division I (D1)	Most competitive, highest-profile athletic programs	Full scholarships or partial (depending on sport and school)	High — training, travel, strong expectations
Division II (D2)	Competitive, but less demanding than D1	Athletic scholarships + academic aid; fewer in number	Moderate — balance between academics & athletics
Division III (D3)	Emphasis more on student experience; athletics is extracurricular	No athletic scholarships (academic or need-based aid only)	More focus on academics, but still competitive sport

A UK athlete often aims at D1 or D2, depending on their level. D3 sometimes is chosen for academic or cultural fit, but remember — athletic scholarships are not offered there.

🛡️ Eligibility Rules & Requirements

To compete in the NCAA, you must meet academic and amateurism standards, among other rules. Here are the key requirements:

1. Academic Eligibility

You’ll need to satisfy a combination of:

High school GPA (in core courses)
Standardized test scores like the SAT or ACT (though some schools and divisions have test-optional policies)
Completion of approved academic coursework (core classes in math, English, science, etc.)

If you don’t meet eligibility at first, there’s sometimes a “partial qualifier” or “redshirt” year option, but that varies by division.

2. Amateurism & Integrity

You must maintain amateur status — meaning you haven’t taken payment for playing your sport, signed with a professional team, or violated NCAA rules regarding endorsements or agent relationships (though recent changes regarding Name, Image & Likeness — “NIL” — are evolving rapidly).

3. Time & Seasons of Participation

Once enrolled in a college, you typically have 4 seasons of athletic eligibility to use within 5 calendar years (this is known as the “5-year clock” for many sports).Some exceptions or redshirt years may extend or pause the clock, depending on injury or other circumstances.

👥 Roster Sizes & Scholarship / Financial Aid Changes

One of the most significant shifts in NCAA rules is happening now, especially for Division I.

New Roster Limits and Removal of Sport-Specific Scholarship Caps (2025-26)

Starting with the 2025–26 academic year, NCAA D1 is eliminating sport-specific scholarship caps. Schools will no longer be limited to awarding a fixed number of full scholarships in most sports.
Instead, roster limits are introduced. Each team has a cap on how many athletes it can roster (scholarship or not).
For example, men’s and women’s soccer programs will have a limit of 28 roster spots.
Certain schools must “opt in” to these new rules (especially schools in major conferences or those part of the House v. NCAA settlement)
Athletes who were already enrolled before 2025–26 and had remaining eligibility may be “grandfathered” (i.e. exempt from roster limits) as Designated Student-Athletes (DSAs).

So, what does all this mean? Programs have more flexibility to offer scholarships, but must manage which athletes they roster. Walkons or marginal players may face tougher competition for roster spots.

Traditional Scholarship Rules (pre-2025)

Before this change, each sport had a maximum number of scholarship equivalents (full or partial) allowed. For example:

Men’s soccer in D1: up to 9.9 full scholarship equivalencies
Women’s soccer: up to 14.0 equivalencies
Other sports had their own limits across divisions, with “head count” vs “equivalency” models

🔄 Transfer Portal & Flexibility

A relatively new and impactful system is the NCAA Transfer Portal, which allows student-athletes to formally indicate they want to transfer schools. Coaches then can contact them.

With roster limits and changing rules, the transfer portal is becoming more important — many athletes move schools seeking better playing time or fit. For recruits, this means even if you don’t start at your ideal school, there’s a path to move later.

🎯 What It All Means for UK Players

More scholarship flexibility under the new rules might increase chances in D1 programs, depending on how many roster spots open.
Competition for roster spots will tighten, especially for walk-ons or fringe players, as teams manage their total roster caps.
Eligibility and academics are critical — meet GPA, SAT/ACT, and coursework standards from high school.
Transfers are more common now — even if you commit to a college, you may move later via the transfer portal.
Be strategic — work closely with coaches, choose programs where you’ll likely get playing time, and keep academic standards high.