INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Board of Governors approved a new policy that allows each division to grant membership to schools located in Canada and Mexico, making permanent a 10-year-old pilot program that already had produced the NCAA’s first international member.
That program would have expired this spring and required a decision from the Board of Governors to either extend the pilot or create a permanent policy allowing Canadian and Mexican members. The new policy still requires each division to pass its own legislation allowing international membership in those countries.
“Opening a path for international universities to attain membership in the NCAA will create opportunities for outstanding student-athletes from those countries to compete in intercollegiate athletics while enriching the experience for our current student-athletes,” said Georgia Tech President G.P. “Bud” Peterson, chair of the Board of Governors.
“This policy allows each division to determine for themselves if international membership is appropriate and desirable for their members.”
Under the pilot program, only Division II approved international membership, and only in Canada. One school, Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, British Columbia, has been approved for full active Division II membership.
Over the years, there has been interest by other non-U.S. colleges and universities. Indeed, one school in Mexico, CETYS Universidad, recently expressed interest in Division II membership, even though the division does not now allow members from that country. The California Collegiate Athletic Association, the PacWest, and the Great Northwest Athletic and Lone Star conferences have joined together to form a working group to advise CETYS on the membership process. A membership-sponsored proposal may be offered this summer that would prompt a 2018 NCAA Convention vote by Division II members on whether to allow membership from schools in Mexico.
Release courtesy National Collegiate Athletic Association
