Division II Management Council supports proposal for 5 seasons of competition

The Division II Management Council at its meeting this week recommended the Division II Executive Board sponsor a proposal for the 2026 NCAA Convention to amend the legislation on seasons of competition, notably permitting student-athletes to participate in up to five seasons of competition during their first 10 semesters or 15 quarters of full-time enrollment.

The council also recommended the Executive Board sponsor a Convention proposal that would establish a Division II Women's Bowling Championship. The Executive Board will review the recommendations for Convention proposals at its Aug. 6 meeting. 

Additionally, the Management Council sponsored three Convention proposals, including a pair that would establish National Collegiate Championships in stunt and in acrobatics and tumbling. The other proposal would specify that Division II team sports use the NCAA Power Index for championship selections beginning with the 2026-27 academic year. 

Governance-sponsored proposals

If the Executive Board sponsors the recommended proposals, six governance-sponsored proposals will be voted on at the 2026 Convention, which are highlighted below.

Seasons of competition proposal

Currently, Division II student-athletes have four seasons to participate in competition in any one sport and must complete their four seasons during their first 10 semesters or 15 quarters of full-time enrollment.

If the proposal is adopted, in addition to permitting up to five seasons of competition during a student-athlete's first 10 semesters or 15 quarters of full-time enrollment, it will  also include the following legislative changes:   

1. Specifies that any competition, regardless of timing, counts as a season of competition unless a student-athlete is transferring from a non-Division II school and does not use a season according to the non-Division II school, or is a Division III transfer who is charged a season of participation for practice only under Division III legislation.
2. Eliminates the currently legislated exceptions and waivers associated with the seasons of competition legislation, including current exceptions such as participation during the nonchampionship segment and in an alumni game. 
3. Amends the current waivers and exceptions for the period of eligibility (10 semesters/15 quarters) to permit waivers in extenuating circumstances and the following exceptions: service exception (armed services, religious missions or foreign aid services of the U.S. government); academic study abroad exception; internship or cooperative educational work experience program; pregnancy; injury/illness; and Olympic training.

The Division II Eligibility Review Working Group, formed in early 2025 to perform a comprehensive review of eligibility rules, recommended this proposal after reviewing graduation data and membership feedback on the topic. 

Data from the Division II Academic Performance Census showed a shift over the years that more student-athletes are taking longer to graduate. Of those who earned a degree in 2022-23, 63% did so in four years or less, while 30% needed between four and five years, and 7% took longer. This trend informed the Eligibility Review Working Group's recommendation, which also would reduce the need for waivers and exceptions. 

"This proposal reflects our commitment to modernizing eligibility rules in a way that prioritizes both academic success and student-athlete well-being," said Roberta Page, director of athletics at Slippery Rock. "By aligning our legislation with how long a large percentage of our student-athletes are actually in school, we're giving them more flexibility to compete and complete their degrees." 

Championships-related proposals:

The Management Council sponsored a Convention proposal to use the NCAA Power Index for championships selections in team sports beginning in the 2026-27 academic year. The NPI — already in use for several years in the NCAA ice hockey championships and recently adopted across all Division III team sports — is a data-driven tool designed to objectively apply selection criteria for championship consideration. It incorporates factors such as winning percentage, strength of schedule, home-away multipliers, quality win bonuses and overtime results, when applicable. What makes the NPI flexible is its use of "dials," which allow sport committees to adjust the weighting of these factors, embedding subjectivity into the criteria up front while ensuring the results are applied consistently and objectively.

If the proposal is adopted, the requirement that teams must have a .500 record or higher to be considered for selections would be removed and Regional Advisory Committees would be eliminated. 

The Management Council also recommended the Executive Board sponsor a Convention proposal to establish a Division II Women's Bowling Championship, with a projected first championship in April 2028. 

The recommendation followed strong support in a membership survey for establishing a Division II Women's Bowling Championship from the existing National Collegiate Championship. The recommendation to fund the championship requires approval from the Division II Strategic Planning and Finance Committee, which meets in August. In the 2023-24 academic year, 38 Division II schools sponsored women's bowling, which surpassed the division's 35-school threshold to review whether to create a Division II championship. 

The council sponsored two other proposals for the 2026 Convention to establish two new National Collegiate Championships for stunt and for acrobatics and tumbling. 

In May, the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics recommended that all three divisions sponsor legislation to establish a National Collegiate Championship in both sports. Stunt and acrobatics and tumbling surpassed the legislative threshold of 40 schools sponsoring the sport and meeting the minimum competition and participation requirements. If approved by all three divisions at the 2026 Convention, the first championships for both sports would occur in spring 2027.

Finally, the council sponsored, in legislative form, a proposal to add women's flag football to the Emerging Sports for Women program. The council approved this in concept in April. 

Other championship items

• The Management Council recommended the Executive Board implement a high-cost city per diem rate of $205 for Division II competition conducted at sites located in cities that the NCAA travel staff has identified as high-cost cities.
• The council recommended the Executive Board approve a proposal to expand the Division II Men's Lacrosse Championship bracket from 16 to 18 teams and establish it as an access ratio sport for championship selection purposes.  
• The council recommended the Executive Board approve a recommendation that would sunset the Division II National Championships Festivals after the fall 2026 festival. The recommendation emerged from the results of the Division II membership survey that indicated declining support for the event. If approved by the Executive Board, the Division II Championships Committee will seek feedback from the Division II Student-Athlete Advisory Committee to make recommendations to reallocate the festival budget to enhance the student-athlete experience at all Division II championships.
• The council voted against a recommendation from the Championships Committee to amend the Division II Football Championship date formula, which would have moved the title game to the first week of January, effective for the 2027 season. During its discussion, the council noted lack of support for this change from Division II football student-athletes, as well as the Division II Football Committee.  In addition, the council noted the importance of week zero in providing additional scheduling opportunities that have a positive financial impact, as well as concerns about the length of the season if week zero was maintained and the championship was moved to January. 

Membership-sponsored proposals

The council referred the 11 membership-sponsored proposals for the 2026 Convention to committees in the governance structure for them to take formal positions. The Management Council will review these positions at its October meeting and determine a council position.

The membership-sponsored proposals include the following changes: 

• In football, specify the following as recruiting dead periods: Dec. 22-Jan. 1, the Monday through Wednesday during the week of the annual convention of the American Football Coaches Association, and the Saturday prior to Memorial Day through Memorial Day. This proposal was referred to the NCAA Division II Football Committee and NCAA Division II Legislation Committee. 
• Permit schools to provide retroactive athletics aid during an academic year. It was referred to the Division II Legislation Committee.
• In baseball, limit a student-athlete's participation in countable athletically related activities to a maximum of four hours per day and 18 hours per week during the nonchampionship segment. The proposal would also permit an intrasquad scrimmage to exceed the four-hour daily limit, provided a baseball student-athlete does not exceed the limit of 18 hours per week. This proposal was referred to the NCAA Division II Baseball Committee, NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports, and Division II Legislation Committee.
• In baseball, increase the school and student-athlete playing season maximum limitation to 52 contests (games and scrimmages). It was referred to the Division II Baseball Committee, Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports, and Division II Legislation Committee.
• In basketball, specify that a school's first contest (game or scrimmage) with outside competition cannot occur prior to the Monday that is 17 weeks before the Division II men's and women's championship selection dates. It was referred to the NCAA Division II Men's and Women's Basketball Committees, Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports, and Division II Legislation Committee.
• In basketball, permit contests against an out-of-region opponent from a contiguous state to be exempted as part of a region challenge event. This proposal was referred to the Division II Men's and Women's Basketball Committees and Division II Legislation Committee.
• In golf, increase the school and student-athlete playing season maximum limitation to 24 dates of competition and specify that a school may participate in no more than 10 regular-season events. This proposal was referred to the NCAA Division II Men's and Women's Golf Committees and Division II Legislation Committee.
• In soccer, specify that preseason practice shall begin with a four-day acclimatization period for both first-time participants and continuing student-athletes. Additionally, the proposal specifies that schools cannot begin practice sessions any sooner than 21 days before the first permissible contest or nine days before the school's first day of classes, whichever is earlier. This proposal was referred to the Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports, Division II Legislation Committee, and NCAA Division II Men's and Women's Soccer Committees.
• In softball, specify that a school or student-athlete's playing season is limited to 56 contests (games and scrimmages) during the segment that concludes with the NCAA championship and four dates of competition (games and scrimmages) during the nonchampionship segment. This proposal was referred to the Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports, Division II Legislation Committee and NCAA Division II Softball Committee.
• Exempt women's field hockey and women's rowing from maintaining the minimum number of sponsoring schools required to maintain a Division II championship. This proposal was referred to the NCAA Division II Championships Committee, NCAA Division II Women's Field Hockey Committee, and NCAA Division II Women's Rowing Committee.
• Permit conferences to count schools in the final year of the membership process toward the minimum of six schools needed to satisfy the sponsorship requirement for automatic qualification. This proposal was referred to the Division II Championships Committee.

Playing rules structure and process

The council approved in concept noncontroversial legislation, effective Sept. 1, to establish a new playing rules structure and process for Division II, pending Division I changing its governance structure. The legislation includes creating a joint Division II and Division III Playing Rules Oversight Panel that would provide final approval on rules changes, as well as joint sport-specific rules committees that the panel oversees. The panel would comprise 12 people — six from each division. 

Each division's Management Council will continue to oversee playing rules, and rules changes will typically remain on a two-year cycle. 

Management Council/Student-Athlete Advisory Committee Summit

Over the weekend, members of the Division II Management Council and NCAA Division II Student-Athlete Advisory Committee joined select staff from the national office for a one-day virtual summit. The summit provides an opportunity each year for the two groups to discuss key issues in Division II, ensuring the student-athlete voice is well represented in the governance process. 

At this year's meeting, the two groups reviewed proposed legislation for the 2026 Convention, engaged in professional development, discussed SAAC goals for the upcoming academic year, and discussed key legislation and priorities for the division. 

Sports betting 

The Management Council discussed the latest in NCAA sports betting legislation, which is a common provision — meaning that any changes must be adopted by all three divisions to become effective. The council and other divisional committees have voiced support for deregulating the sports betting legislation, as well as concepts to provide safe harbor, limited immunity or reduced penalties for student-athletes who engage in prohibited sports betting but seek help for problem gambling. 

In June, the Division I Council introduced a proposal that, if adopted in October, would change sports betting rules to permit student-athletes and staff members to bet on professional sports and refocus the Association's enforcement efforts on college sports betting and behaviors that directly impact game integrity. If adopted, the change will be implemented only if Divisions II and III also vote to allow betting on pro sports. 

The Division II Management Council plans to revisit the issue at its October meeting. 

In the meantime, the Management Council approved a recommendation from the NCAA Division II Student-Athlete Reinstatement Committee to amend the sports wagering guidelines specific to wagering on professional sports to provide relief that no longer includes mandatory withholding from competition or repayment.

Mental health hardship waiver pilot

The council approved extending the mental health hardship waiver pilot for the 2025-26 academic year to better support student-athletes who have asserted that mental health concerns were the reason they competed limitedly.