At the 2026 NCAA Convention in the Washington, D.C., area, the Division II Executive Board voted Wednesday to ask the Division II membership to support a motion to refer a proposal to the Executive Board for further review. The proposal would permit student-athletes to compete in up to five seasons during their first 10 semesters or 15 quarters of full-time enrollment.
The referral recommendation requires approval by a simple majority at Friday's Division II business session. If the measure is approved, the Executive Board is expected to report back to the membership in time for sponsorship of legislation for the 2028 NCAA Convention.
"The national Division II Student-Athlete Advisory Committee has voiced clear opposition," said Colleen Perry Keith, president of Goldey-Beacom and chair of the Division II Executive Board. "A referral allows a more complete review and ensures those concerns expressed by national SAAC on behalf of their peers are fully considered before any change moves forward."
Budget surplus, supplemental distribution
The Division II Management Council and Executive Board approved an allocation of nearly $12 million in surplus funds from the 2024-25 fiscal year.
This included $4.1 million in a supplemental distribution to Division II schools. Eligible schools will receive roughly $15,000 as part of the distribution. The allocation also included nearly $7 million to the division's reserve to be used for future initiatives.
Most of the remaining surplus funds were allocated to joint championships ($344,914), membership-facing programming ($284,165) and streaming preliminary round championships ($200,000).
2027 Convention proposal
The Management Council approved in legislative form a proposal for the 2027 NCAA Convention that would eliminate the limit of 60 total awards in all men's sports other than football and basketball in any academic year. This proposal would not change team equivalency limits, and schools would remain responsible for adhering to Title IX requirements.
Other actions
- Denisha Hendricks, director of athletics at Johnson C. Smith, was elected to fill the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association vacancy on the Division II Management Council, effective immediately. Hendricks' term will run through the end of the 2030 NCAA Convention.
- The Management Council, effective immediately, adopted noncontroversial legislation to eliminate the June 15 deadline for when student-athletes must provide their school with written notification of their intent to transfer.
- The Management Council also approved, in concept, noncontroversial legislation in basketball to permit any contests against an out-of-region opponent that count as in-region for championship selection to be exempted as part of a region challenge event. If approved in legislative form in April, the proposal would be effective Aug. 1.
Make It Yours campaign
Division II staff highlighted the division's fall marketing campaign, which launched Oct. 3 and focused on the Make It Yours brand. The campaign included a targeted paid media strategy among prospective student-athletes and parents that aimed at strengthening the perception and understanding of Division II nationally by increasing awareness that the division offers balance between athletics, academics and community engagement.
Division II used paid media on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok; paid search; video on YouTube and over-the-top streaming services; and geofences around select high school competitions to promote the division to prospective student-athletes and their parents.
The efforts generated 35 million impressions and nearly 280,000 link clicks, while driving almost 2,000 new followers to the division's Instagram account.
Graduation rates
The Management Council and Executive Board reviewed the most recent NCAA graduation rates. Division II graduation rates, broadly and within several distinct groups, remained at all-time highs. More details are available in the 2025 Division II Academic Success Rate Trends Report.
