Updated June 2025

The Frequently Asked Questions have been developed in support of published updates to the NCAA Drug-Testing Program. Content is not exhaustive in that it consists of responses to frequently asked questions and is not intended and should not be used as a substitute for the complete information contained in the Drug-Testing Manual, related NCAA forms and legislation, or legal or medical advice. Rather, it is intended as supplemental information for member schools and student-athletes to use in coordination with those resources and other institutional educational tools. Content should be considered accurate as of the date of its last publication, and it remains subject to further revision as the Drug-Testing Manual and related legislation may be revised. 

Who is responsible for testing and educating student-athletes?

The NCAA, its member schools and conferences can conduct drug testing. The NCAA conducts testing year-round on campus in Divisions I and II and at its championships in Divisions I, II and III. In addition, member schools are able to conduct their own institutional testing programs independent of NCAA testing programs. 

Member schools are legislatively required to disseminate and provide education on the list of banned-drug classes to all student-athletes, including student-athletes who transfer midyear, and to educate them about products that might contain banned substances. See NCAA Banned Substances for a list of banned drug classes and examples of substances chemically/pharmacologically related to those classes.

How can a school help prepare its student-athletes for NCAA drug testing?

Schools are required to educate student-athletes about NCAA banned substances and drug-testing policies and should consider doing so at the start of each academic year, periodically throughout the academic year, and as they approach the championship season. Guidance related to drug education can be found in the NCAA Drug-Testing Program materials.

How are student-athletes tested and how long does it take?

Student-athletes are required to provide a urine specimen under observation by a doping control officer authorized by the NCAA-designated drug-testing agency.

The process can be completed in less than 20 minutes, but timing depends on the student-athlete’s ability to provide a specimen of adequate volume and specific gravity (measures specimen diluteness). Provision of a low volume or highly diluted specimen can result in delayed collection times. 

How does consuming large amounts of fluids impact drug-testing procedures and results?

NCAA drug-testing protocols require that the specific gravity of each student-athlete’s urine sample be analyzed onsite prior to sending it to the lab. If the specific gravity reveals that the specimen is too dilute, the student-athlete will be required to remain in the drug-testing collection station until an adequate specimen is collected. This could take several hours. Dilute specimens sometimes result from urine manipulation or diuretics and can negatively impact testing accuracy. A student-athlete who produces multiple diluted samples may be subject to additional follow-up drug tests.

Does a student-athlete have to disclose the use of medications to the doping control officer or the NCAA?

No. The doping control officer will neither ask for nor accept any information about medications that a student-athlete may have taken or is currently taking.

If a student-athlete tests positive and believes it is because of a prescribed medication, the school may request a medical exception as outlined in the NCAA Drug-Testing Medical Exceptions Procedures.

Can student-athletes appeal a positive NCAA drug test?

An NCAA member school may appeal a positive NCAA drug test on behalf of a student-athlete and the outcome of any such appeal may be an upholding, reduction, or elimination of the original penalty. All appeals are submitted to the NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports Drug-Test Appeal Subcommittee for preliminary review. If the drug-test appeal panel’s decision is not unanimous, it will refer the appeal submission for an oral hearing, conducted by teleconference. More information on the appellate process can be found here.

Year-Round Drug Testing

What does the NCAA test for during the year-round program?

• Anabolic Agents.
• Diuretics and masking agents.
• Peptide hormones, growth factors, related substances and mimetics.
• Hormone and metabolic modulators (anti-estrogens).

Note: Student-athletes who have had a previous positive result, or had previous multiple dilute specimens, may be subject to additional follow-up tests and may be tested with an expanded panel that includes all banned-substance classes.

How and when are schools notified of year-round drug testing selection?

The NCAA-designated drug-testing agency will notify the director of athletics, compliance administrator and drug-testing site coordinator via email of its selection for drug testing no earlier than two days before the day of testing. Some test events will include no-notice testing. In most cases, schools will be notified one day before the test day. 

How are student-athletes notified of their selection for participation in year-round drug testing?

The school will provide the NCAA-designated drug-testing agency with the official eligibility or squad list or complete roster (if the first outside competition has not yet occurred) for the sport(s) selected for drug testing. Any student-athlete may be selected for testing and student-athletes may be randomly selected for drug testing or selected on the basis of sport, position, competitive ranking, athletics financial-aid status, playing time, directed testing, or any other approved selection method. A student-athlete, a school, or both may be selected for testing on one or multiple occasions. 

The NCAA-designated drug-testing agency will provide the names of the selected student-athletes to the site coordinator or designee. The site coordinator or designee will notify the selected student-athletes in-person or by direct phone communication of their selection for drug testing.

Selected student-athletes will be required to sign the NCAA Student-Athlete Notification Form and report to drug testing at the designated testing facility on the date and time designated by the site coordinator.

What if a student-athlete has a previously scheduled conflict with the designated year-round testing day/time?

The site coordinator or designee may notify the NCAA-designated drug-testing agency or the doping control officer and request to reschedule the test in the event of a conflict with an academic obligation or competition event, sickness, injury, or any other reason previously approved by the NCAA-designated testing agency. 

What if a student-athlete has trouble providing an adequate specimen during year-round testing? Can the student-athlete leave and come back later?

The student-athlete cannot be released from drug testing until a specimen of adequate volume and specific gravity is provided. In the event a student-athlete must leave the collection station, it must be approved and documented by the doping control officer who may, in their discretion, discard any partial specimen and require that a new specimen be collected.

When and how are year-round test results communicated?

Year-round drug-testing results are typically available 15-20 business days after the drug test. Negative results are communicated to the director of athletics, compliance administrator and drug-testing site coordinator via email. Positive results are also communicated via email, but only to the director of athletics and the individual designated by the school as the positive results designee.

What happens if a student-athlete tests positive during year-round drug testing?

The NCAA-designated drug-testing agency will provide the director of athletics or their designee the name of any student-athlete who tested positive and the identity of any banned substance found in their urine sample.  

All specimens that result in a positive test are re-tested using a second sample from the same specimen. The student-athlete has the option to be present at the lab for the opening of the second sample, or to designate a representative or allow the lab to designate a representative. If the second sample also produces a positive result, the NCAA-designated drug-testing agency will notify the director of athletics or their designee, and the school will be responsible for declaring the student-athlete ineligible.

If the student-athlete tested positive for a substance for which a medical exception is warranted, the school may request a medical exception. The NCAA-designated drug-testing agency will assist with the medical exception process. Additional information can be found in the medical exception procedures.

What is the penalty for failing a school-administered drug test?

Each NCAA member school has the discretion to establish an institutional drug-testing program and determine related penalties. If a testing program is established by a member school, the school is obligated to enforce related penalties and failure to do so can lead to NCAA sanctions.

Championship Drug-Testing 

Which drug classes are tested for during championship events?

• Stimulants.
• Anabolic Agents.
• Beta blockers (banned for golf and rifle).
• Diuretics and masking agents.
• Narcotics.
• Peptide hormones, growth factors, related substances and mimetics.
• Hormone and metabolic modulators.
• Beta-2 agonists.

Note: Student-athletes who have had a previous positive result, an atypical result, or had previous multiple diluted samples may be subject to additional follow-up tests. 

When is drug testing conducted at an NCAA championship event?

Drug testing can occur at any phase and more than once during an NCAA championship (e.g., first round, second round, quarterfinals, semi-finals, or finals).

Participating schools and student-athletes are not given advance notice that drug testing will be conducted at the championship event.

When are student-athletes notified of their selection for championship drug-testing?

At team championships, immediately after any NCAA-established postgame cool-down period, student-athletes selected for drug testing will be notified by a doping control officer or their designee. 

At individual/team championships, official drug-testing couriers will notify student-athletes of their selection for drug testing and the doping control officer or their designee will direct the selected student-athlete to test immediately, to defer testing until the completion of their final event of that session/day, or to defer testing until the completion of their final event of the championship.

What if a student-athlete has trouble providing an adequate specimen at a championship? Can the student-athlete leave and come back later? 

The student-athlete cannot be released from drug testing until a specimen of adequate volume and specific gravity is provided. 

If a student-athlete has produced a partial urine sample during individual championships events and must leave the collection station for a reason approved by the doping control officer, the doping control officer may temporarily defer the student-athlete’s collection until they return.

What if the team has to depart the championship site while the student-athlete is still participating in drug testing?

If the student-athlete’s team must depart the championship site prior to a student-athlete completing drug testing, a school representative must stay with the student-athlete.

Some championship events begin late at night, which means drug testing will start late as well. What is the NCAA policy on late-night drug testing?

The late-night testing policy pertains to team championship events only.

At any NCAA team championship event other than a final round, when competition begins at 10 p.m. or later (local time), a school may defer testing for all selected student-athletes until the next morning, provided the decision is communicated to the doping control officer immediately after the event and testing begins for all selected student-athletes no later than noon (local time) the following day at the testing facility previously assigned. A school representative must be present at the collection site the next morning to identify selected student-athletes.