BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Convention wrapped up on Saturday, January 20, with some changes for member institutions in Division II & III.
- Division II, the only division in the NCAA with a Canadian member, is opening its doors to another North American country. Delegates voting at the NCAA Convention’s Division II business session in Indianapolis overwhelmingly passed legislation that will allow schools in Mexico to apply for Division II membership.The legislation is effective immediately, providing the opportunity for Mexican colleges and universities to meet this year’s February 1 deadline for Division II membership applications. Mexican schools applying for membership will need to meet the same standards as schools in the U.S., which includes having accreditation from a U.S. accrediting agency and completing the minimum three-year membership process. The Division II Membership Committee vets all applicant schools and determines those which will be accepted into the division.
- Division III graduate and postbaccalaureate students with remaining eligibility will now be permitted to participate in college athletics at the Division III institution of their choice. During Saturday’s Division III business session at the 2018 NCAA Convention in Indianapolis, delegates voted to adopt a proposal that permits those who have graduated from Division III schools and have remaining athletics eligibility to compete at another Division III school. Students must be seeking a second baccalaureate or graduate degree, and participation must occur within the legislated 10-semester/15-quarter period. The change is effective immediately. The previous rule permitted Division III graduate student-athletes with remaining eligibility to compete only at the school from which they received their undergraduate degree. The proposal was adopted after a similar proposal was defeated last year. Last year’s proposal would have allowed graduate students with remaining eligibility who competed in any NCAA division to participate at the Division III institution of their choice. This year’s iteration limits such transfers to students who received their degree from a Division III school.
