Note: This site will shut down at the end of 2026: Due to the dismantling of the US Department of Education, many of the data collection and reporting functions that the department historically conducted are either being severely impacted or discontinued entirely. While we source and integrate data from a number of sources, the data historically provided by the Department is / was a key component in our compilation process. The data currently on this site will remain available during 2026 but will not be updated.
Information on playing College Sports & Athletic Scholarships:
New NCAA I Athletic Scholarship Limits 2025-26:
As part of the House v NCAA settlement, scholarship restrictions on all NCAA I sports will be eliminated and roster limits will apply instead. This will result in a substantial increase in athletic scholarships especially in non-revenue sports. For example, the scholarship limit in women’s rowing will increase from 20 to 68, softball from 12 to 25, baseball from 11.7 to 34 and track & field from 12.6 to 62:
| Scholarship Limits per Sport 2025-26 | Team | Old limit | New limit |
|---|---|---|---|
 | | | |
| Men's NCAA I Sports | |||
| Baseball | M | 11.7 | 34 |
| Basketball | M | 13 | 15 |
| Fencing | M | 4.5 | 24 |
| Football | M | 85 | 105 |
| Golf | M | 4.5 | 9 |
| Gymnastics | M | 6.3 | 20 |
| Hockey | M | 18 | 26 |
| Lacrosse | M | 12.6 | 48 |
| Skiing | M | 6.3 | 16 |
| Soccer | M | 9.9 | 28 |
| Swimming | M | 9.9 | 30 |
| Tennis | M | 4.5 | 10 |
| Track / X-C | M | 12.6 | 62 |
| Volleyball | M | 4.5 | 18 |
| Water polo | M | 4.5 | 24 |
| Wrestling | M | 9.9 | 30 |
| Women's NCAA I Sports | |||
| Basketball | W | 15 | 15 |
| Beach Volleyball | W | 6 | 19 |
| Bowling | W | 5 | 11 |
| Equestrian | W | 15 | 50 |
| Fencing | W | 5 | 24 |
| Field hockey | W | 12 | 27 |
| Golf | W | 6 | 9 |
| Gymnastics | W | 12 | 20 |
| Hockey | W | 18 | 26 |
| Lacrosse | W | 12 | 38 |
| Rowing | W | 20 | 68 |
| Rugby | W | 12 | 36 |
| Skiing | W | 7 | 16 |
| Soccer | W | 14 | 28 |
| Softball | W | 12 | 25 |
| Swimming | W | 14 | 30 |
| Tennis | W | 8 | 10 |
| Track / X-C | W | 18 | 62 |
| Triathlon | W | 6.5 | 14 |
| Acrobatics | W | 14 | 55 |
| Volleyball | W | 12 | 18 |
| Water polo | W | 8 | 24 |
| Wrestling | W | 10 | 30 |
| Mixed / Coed Sports | |||
| Rifle | Mix | 3.6 | 12 |
| Stunt | Mix | 14 | 65 |
The potential impact of these additional awards is massive. Under our calculations, NCAA I schools could potentially award over 80,000 additional “full-ride” scholarships annually. This could result in around $ 3 billion in additional scholarship awards per year – substantially more than the estimated $ 1.8 billion in revenue sharing payments projected for 2025-26.
But the actual increase is likely going to be substantially less than $ 3 billion. Scholarships awards are optional – a school can fully fund a sport or make awards less than the maximum allowed. Many schools already operate with roster sizes less than the NCAA limit, and they will have a new financial incentive to operate with even smaller teams.
And sadly, we’re likely to see cuts to non-revenue sports at many schools. Athletic directors are looking at a new reality where the costs of sponsoring a non-revenue sport are likely to increase significantly, while the historical offsetting subsidy from sports such as football is being substantially decreased due to new revenue sharing obligations – $ 20.5 million annually for virtually all Power Conference Schools. There are likely going to be painful decisions to make about non-revenue sports at many schools.
See our sister site NIL-NCAA.com for more information on NIL and Revenue Sharing.
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Statistics compiled & edited by Patrick O’Rourke CPA, Washington, DC
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