The NCAA has approved a major change to eligibility rules for Division Two student-athletes.
The NCAA Division II Executive Board has adopted a new age-based eligibility model that will take effect for the 2026-27 academic year. The change mirrors a similar rule already adopted in Division I.
Under the new system, student-athletes will have a five-year eligibility window that begins either when they enroll full time in college or at the start of the academic year following their 19th birthday, whichever comes first.
NCAA officials say the new model replaces the current system of four seasons of competition spread across ten semesters or fifteen quarters and is designed to simplify eligibility rules.
Student-athletes who have already exhausted their eligibility under the previous rules will not receive additional seasons of competition. However, current athletes with eligibility remaining will be evaluated under both systems and allowed to use whichever model is most favorable.
The NCAA says exceptions will be available for pregnancy, active-duty military service, and official religious missions.
