DII student-athletes will follow same eligibility rules as Division I

NCAA Division II student/athletes, like those who attend and compete at Slippery Rock University and other Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference schools, will be moving immediately to the age-based eligibility model adopted in Division I under proposed emergency legislation announced this week. The plan will create a five-year period of eligibility, effective for the coming 2026-27 academic year. Under the proposal, an athlete’s eligibility would begin upon initial full-time enrollment or the regular academic year immediately following the student-athlete’s 19th birthday, whichever occurs earlier. The model was approved in Division I last month and would replace the current Division II model giving athletes four seasons of competition to be completed within their first 10 semesters or 15 quarters of full-time enrollment.