Learn how results, opponent strength and sport-specific settings factor into a team’s NPI
In January, Division II members adopted the NCAA Power Index for championship selections in team sports beginning in 2026-27, expanding NPI use from only Division III. This brings the two divisions under a similar selection framework while allowing individual sport committees to establish settings appropriate for their respective sports.
NPI was adopted by Division III for team sports beginning with the 2024-25 academic year. Given the model’s success in Division III, Division II began to explore it as a way to increase transparency and efficiency within its own championship selection process.
Adoption of NPI
Division III’s adoption of NPI in 2024 was based on applying the established criteria consistently throughout the season. The implementation of this selection metric model provided transparency for schools, coaches and student-athletes by allowing teams to follow their ranking throughout the season. As a result, teams were able to better understand how results and strength of schedule affect championship selection.
After reviewing the Division III experience and the consideration of how NPI could work within Division II’s regional championship structure, Division II governance advanced legislation to adopt NPI.
“At its core, the NCAA Power Index is about creating the best possible championship experience for our student-athletes,” said Terry Beattie, Division II Championships Committee chair and West Chester athletics director. “By incorporating both results and strength of schedule, NPI helps provide a fair and transparent framework for evaluating teams, giving student-athletes confidence that their accomplishments throughout the season are being measured in a meaningful and consistent way.”
What is NPI?
NPI is a ranking system used to evaluate a team’s performance based on results and strength of opponents. Each contest contributes to a team’s overall NPI, and that value can change throughout the season as additional games are played and opponents’ NPI values change.
Individual sport committees establish settings, commonly referred to as “dials,” that determine how certain factors are applied within the calculation. This allows the system to account for differences among sports while providing a consistent framework for evaluating teams across all team sports.
The result is a ranking that provides a clearer picture of where teams stand in the championship selection process.
How NPI is used for championship selection
NPI’s primary purpose is to compare teams for NCAA championship ranking and selection.
Once automatic qualifiers have been determined, NPI is used to identify teams available for at-large positions in the championship field. Division II’s process also accounts for the division’s regional allocation structure.
NPI may also be used in aspects of seeding and bracketing, depending on the championship and divisional policies.
Explore NPI in action and follow the rankings
The NCAA has created resources to help coaches, administrators and fans better understand NPI. Visit the NCAA NPI webpage to learn how the system works — including information on NPI calculations, winning percentage, strength of schedule, adjusted records, sport-specific settings and championship selection.
The Division II and Division III NPI sport-specific resources detail how NPI and dials are applied within individual championships.
Teams and fans can also follow along with the current NPI rankings throughout the season as results are posted and rankings are updated.
