While the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) does not set an official age limit for student-athletes to play college sports, their strict eligibility requirements can limit older students’ ability to play.
Not every high school student attends college immediately after graduation, which means age may be a factor to consider when thinking about playing college sports.
Let’s look at how NCAA eligibility requirements can affect age limits in college sports.
Age-limiting factors
Division 1 and 2
Division 1 (D1) and Division 2 (D2) colleges require high school student-athletes to enroll in college no later than 12 months post-graduation. Upon acceptance, these students have five years to compete in four full years of college sports, as they can opt to redshirt (sit out of competitive gameplay for a season) for one of their four eligible years.
Note: The D1 and D2 eligibility grace periods for ice hockey players and tennis players differ:
Men’s and Women’s Tennis
D1: 6 months
D2: 12 months
Men’s Ice Hockey
D1: 21st birthday
D2: 3 years
All Other Sports
D1 & D2: 12 months
Ice hockey players have until their 21st birthday to enroll in a D1 school and a grace period of three years post-graduation to enroll in a D2 school. Tennis players have a grace period of six months post-graduation to enroll in a D1 school and 12 months to enroll in a D2 school.
Division 3
Division 3 (D3) schools have a semester-based eligibility clock rather than strict grace periods or a five-year eligibility window. D3 student-athletes have 10 semesters to compete in gameplay, and they can drop out of school and return to finish their 10 semesters at any time. This means there are no eligibility-related restrictions that limit the age cap for D3 student-athletes.
Other NCAA eligibility requirements
Along with age-limiting eligibility factors, the NCAA requires student-athletes to meet several other eligibility requirements related to amateurism rules and academic performance.
While student-athletes across all three divisions must meet the NCAA’s definition of an amateur athlete, academic requirements vary. D1 and D2 schools typically have stricter core course and GPA requirements than D3 schools.
Division 1 eligibility requirements
For D1 athletes, academic requirements are stringent. To be eligible to compete, students enrolling in college during the 2022-23 or 2023-24 school years must:
- Graduate high school with a core course grade-point average (GPA) of at least 2.3
- Pass 16 core courses
- Receive a final amateurism certification
Division 2 eligibility requirements
To be eligible to compete in athletics, D2 athletes must:
- Graduate high school with a core course GPA of at least 2.2
- Pass 16 core courses
- Receive a final amateurism certification
Division 3 eligibility requirements
The NCAA doesn’t set initial eligibility requirements for D3 athletes. It’s up to the individual institutions to set those.
Athletes who do not meet the academic requirements may still be able to compete in college if they receive a waiver from the NCAA. View our full breakdown of NCAA eligibility requirements for more information
School-specific requirements
Besides NCAA eligibility requirements, athletes must also meet school-specific requirements. These vary depending on the type of school and sport. For example:
- Some schools have their own academic requirements that athletes must meet to play sports, such as holding a certain GPA.
- Other schools have additional requirements for athletes transferring from another school. These requirements may include sitting out for a certain number of games or completing specific courses.
Keep this in mind as you decide which schools are the best fit for you.
Exceptions
The NCAA’s five-year rule stipulates that a student-athlete cannot compete in any one D1 college sport for more than four seasons. These four seasons must fall within a period of five calendar years. That said, the NCAA can grant exceptions. These include:
- Studying abroad
- Internships
- Military service and/or religious missions
- Pregnancy
- Circ*mstances beyond control
Study abroad
The NCAA may allow student-athletes to study abroad without losing a year of eligibility. Athletes must meet certain academic requirements and get approval from the NCAA to earn this exception.
Internships
Athletes who take part in internships can do so without losing a year of eligibility provided they meet certain requirements. This is valuable for athletes who want to gain work experience in their career field.
Military service and/or religious missions
The NCAA grants exceptions to the five-year rule for students who participate in military service and/or religious missions. Athletes who take this route must complete a certain amount of coursework before they can compete. The specific requirements vary depending on the athlete’s sport.
Pregnancy
Athletes who become pregnant and/or have a child during their college career can receive an exception from the NCAA. These athletes can take a leave of absence from competition to take care of their child. The NCAA grants this exception on a case-by-case basis.
Circ*mstances beyond control
NCAA eligibility requirements include a special exception for athletes kept from competing because of circ*mstances beyond their control. These can include severe injuries or medical conditions, extreme financial hardship, and the effects of natural disasters. The NCAA grants this exception on a case-by-case basis.
Who is the oldest college athlete?
The NCAA does not keep age records, so there’s no straightforward answer to this question. However, notable examples of athletes competing in college athletics at advanced ages include:
- Austin College’s Tom Thompson is believed to the be the oldest football player at the NCAA level. In 2009, Thompson kicked for the D3 school in Sherman, Texas, at the age of 61.
- Alan Moore, who had his college athletic career interrupted by the Vietnam War, kicked an extra point for Faulkner University, a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) school in Montgomery, Alabama, in 2011. He was 61 years old at the time.
- Joe Thomas Sr., a 55-year-old running back, suited up for D1 South Carolina State in 2016. Believed to be the oldest D1 football player ever, he logged one carry for three yards against Savannah State.
- At 63, Debbie Blount played for the Reinhardt University women’s golf team, a National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) program in Waleska, Georgia.
- At 61, Don Byers competed for the men’s golf team at Bellevue University in Nebraska.
- In 2008, 73-year-old Ken Mink saw action for Roane State Community College’s men’s basketball team. He hit two free throws in a game against King College for Roane State, a National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) school located in Harriman, Tennessee.
Conclusion
The NCAA has different rules and regulations for athletes who want to compete in college. These rules can be confusing and overwhelming, but it’s important to understand them.
Age, academic requirements, and graduation grace periods are a few of the things to consider when deciding to play college sports. With so many factors to consider, it is important to do your research.
Check out our recruiting rules page to learn more about the NCAA rules and regulations.
