History

The birth of the USCAA dates back to July 29, 1966, when athletic directors from the Eastern Shore Basketball League and Lake Erie Conference met in Charleston, West Virginia, to discuss a unique athletic proposition for small colleges. The meeting led to the creation of an eight-team national basketball tournament and the chartering of the National Little College Athletic Association (NLCAA). Del Noble, Robert Anderson, and Al Raskin founded the NLCAA and granted membership to the association’s first ten institutions. Noble, the leader and visionary of the movement, became the association’s first Director of the Board and, later, the NLCAA commissioner.

The association’s sole focus on men’s basketball shifted as membership began to grow rapidly. In response to this growth, baseball (1975), wrestling (1976), and soccer (1977) became the NLCAA’s newest sanctioned sports. The NLCAA hosted its first women’s national championship in 1982 (basketball) and its first volleyball tournament in 1983. In 1989, the association hosted its first softball tournament and was renamed the National Small College Athletic Association (NSCAA).

The NSCAA was reorganized and renamed the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) in 2001 with “a clearer vision of providing an association to hold national championships, name All-Americans and scholar-athletes, and to promote USCAA member schools.”

Membership

USCAA membership includes institutions that offer bachelor’s degrees, associate’s degrees, and certificates:

“The USCAA provides a national setting that traditional and nontraditional institutions can strive in. The membership is made up of several types of nationally accredited higher education programs. Member institutions offer four year degrees, associates degrees, and trade opportunities. The USCAA has worked to formulate an association that provides an equal playing field for each type of institution. USCAA members typically have small enrollment figures that range between 500 and 2000. The USCAA is proud of its institutions and their outstanding athletic programs, and wants to provide a place where diverse schools feel welcome and can compete at a national level.” [2]

“To be eligible, colleges must admit student-athletes and non-student-athletes under the same admission standards, and enroll them through the same regular academic procedures. Any institution offering a four- or two-year post-secondary degree/certificate granting program may submit an application to the United States College Athletic Association.” [2]

The association’s governance has discretion in determining which institutions are eligible for membership:

“Colleges in the United States that meet set criteria from the board of directors offering educational quality that meet or exceed criteria that is required to grant the school accreditation.” [2]

“Participation in this association shall be determined by a majority vote of the board of directors upon receiving the membership application. The board of directors shall be nondiscriminatory on the basis of race, religion, or sex when evaluating membership candidates.” [2]

The criteria used to determine an applying institution’s eligibility is as follows:

“Institution is considered a small college. Generally, institutions with fulltime enrollments over 3,000 full-time students will not be considered.” [2]

“Institution has similar resources including but not limited to budget, scholarship monies, human resource, etc. as current member institutions.” [2]

“Institution is on a similar competitive level as other member institutions, as determined by the board of directors.” [2]

USCAA institutions are classified as “Full,” “Provisional,” or “Exploratory” members, depending on their standing with the association and eligibility. Full membership is defined as follows:

“As a full member, institutions will have the opportunity to compete in post-season tournaments, nominate athletes for recognition (Player of the Week, post-season awards, etc.), and attend the National Convention as a voting representative.” [2]

Provisional membership is defined as follows:

“Provisional members will have the same opportunities as Full members within the USCAA without the ability to compete in post-season competition and nominate athletes for All-American awards. Provisional members will have the opportunity to submit athletes for Player of the Week nominations, National All-Academic team, and attend the National Convention as a voting representative. The provisional member institution must submit statistics and eligibility forms to the National Office to remain in compliance with provisional membership status.” [2]

Exploratory membership is defined as follows:

“The Board of Directors will take an academic year to analyze the institution and reevaluate for full or provisional membership to the USCAA. The exploratory institution must submit eligibility forms to the National Office to remain in compliance with exploratory membership status. Exploratory members have the opportunity to access USCAA personnel for consultation and assistance in developing the compliance procedures necessary for full membership.” [2]

USCAA members are not prohibited from joining other governing bodies/organizations, such as the NCAA, NAIA, NJCAA, and NCCAA. USCAA membership provides programs with the opportunity to compete in the postseason, regardless of their dual-affiliation status.

Structure

The USCAA is organized by divisions and conferences. For eligible sports, each institution is assigned to one of two divisions. Institutions also have the option of joining a conference but are not required to do so. Football does not have divisions or sponsoring conferences, however, because it is not an association-sanctioned sport.

Divisions

Divisions are established on a per-sport basis (instead of being association-wide). The key distinction between the two is how competitive its members are and how athletes are directly compensated by institutions:

“Division I shall consist of colleges that give athletic grants/scholarships and/or are dual affiliated with the NCAA/NAIA or choose to be Division I.” [2]

“Division II colleges shall grant no athletic scholarship to any student-athletes and shall not grant any special financial aid or scholarships to student-athletes unless offered equally to other members of the student body.” [2]

Conferences

Every USCAA member is permitted, but not obligated, to join a conference of their choosing. There are several conferences within the association; none sponsor football.

Governance

Authority

The USCAA is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Organizations with this designation are tax-exempt, as outlined by 26 U.S. Code § 501 [3]:

“An organization described in subsection (c) or (d) or section 401(a) shall be exempt from taxation under this subtitle unless such exemption is denied under section 502 or 503.” [3]

“The following [exempt] organizations are referred to in subsection (a): Corporations, and any community chest, fund, or foundation, organized and operated exclusively for religious, charitable, scientific, testing for public safety, literary, or educational purposes, or to foster national or international amateur sports competition (but only if no part of its activities involve the provision of athletic facilities or equipment), or for the prevention of cruelty to children or animals, no part of the net earnings of which inures to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual, no substantial part of the activities of which is carrying on propaganda, or otherwise attempting, to influence legislation (except as otherwise provided in subsection (h)), and which does not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distributing of statements), any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office.” [3]

The highest authority in the USCAA is the Board of Directors (the Board):

“The board of directors shall be the official governing board of the association.” [2]

Structure

The Board of Directors consists of no less than five and no greater than nine members, including three officers, three to six directors, and numerous ex-officio members, as follows:

“An Executive Council comprised of the President, Vice President, and Immediate Past President.” [2]

“Three to six additional Board of Directors.” [2]

“The board may also seat ex officio board members to serve in an advisory role and provide council in special areas including but not limited to the legal and medical disciplines. Ex officio members shall not hold voting rights, nor count against the board member limit of nine.” [2]

“The board shall consist of no more than two individuals from any recognized conference.” [2]

The Board is granted sweeping authority over the association’s various committees and bodies, including the National Office. Powers and responsibilities of the Board include but are not limited to:

“The property and business of the association shall be managed by the board of directors. In addition to the powers and authority expressly conferred on it by the Articles of Incorporation (State of Pennsylvania) and these Bylaws, the board of directors may exercise all such powers of the association and do all such lawful acts and things as are not prohibited by law, by the Articles of Incorporation, or by these Bylaws.” [2]

Executive Council officers are nominated and elected by both the Board and member institutions:

“The officers of the board of directors shall consist of a duly elected [President, Executive Vice-President, & Immediate Past President].” [2]

“The terms of Vice President, President, and Immediate Past President shall be four-year terms, with natural succession from Vice President to President and President to Immediate Past President. Once selected as an Executive Council member, the person shall serve out their four years as Vice President, President, and Immediate Past President regardless of previous years served.” [2]

“Candidates for election will be nominated by the board of directors and/or member athletic directors and are elected by a majority vote from member institutions. Elections for board of directors shall be held at the USCAA National Convention and the newly elected officers shall assume their positions on the first day of the association’s next fiscal year.” [2]

The Executive Council and directors of the Board work without compensation:

“The board of directors shall serve without compensation, other than reimbursing minimal meeting expenses. This excludes the Executive Director and staff approved by the board of directors. This excludes ex-officio board members who may be compensated for services rendered.” [2]

The President is the most prominent figure on the Board (chair) and, among other duties, is expected to do as follows:

“Preside at all meetings of participating colleges.” [2]

“Be a member of the board of directors.” [2]

“Be an ex officio member of all committees.” [2]

“Represent the USCAA at the meetings of any national athletic or educational organization.” [2]

“Perform such other duties as may be incidental to the office.” [2]

The Executive Vice President is next in the natural line of succession to become the President of the Board and has the following duties:

“Perform the duties of the President or of the Executive Director in the event of his/her absence, resignation, refusal to act, or inability to act.” [2]

“Be a member of the board of directors.” [2]

“Perform such other duties as may be required by the board of directors or incidental to the office.” [2]

“Oversee USCAA financials including review of financial statements and any necessary audits.” [2]

The Immediate Past President is the most recent President or, in the case of a vacancy, the most recent Past President. The Immediate Past President serves on the Executive Council and:

“[Serves] as advisor to the USCAA President.” [2]

“[Oversees] USCAA Board of Director meetings in the absence of the President and Vice President.” [2]

“[Reports] out USCAA matters to the Past Presidents’ Committee.” [2]

“[Has] no voting power on the Board of Directors.” [2]

The National Office conducts the daily operations of the association and works closely with the Board. The Office consists of:

1. Executive Director
2. Associate Director
3. External Accountant
4. Statistician
5. Eligibility Chairman

The powers and duties of the Executive Director are granted by the Board and include but are not limited to:

“Appoint the association’s administrative staff with majority approval from the board of directors.” [2]

“Appoint the members of all committees unless these Bylaws provide otherwise for their selection.” [2]

“Be an ex officio member of all committees.” [2]

“Prepare the agenda for all meetings of the board of directors.” [2]

“Work with the Vice President of Finance to prepare annual budgets, monthly reports and additional budgets as needed of expense for the approval of the board.” [2]

“Be authorized to incur expenses in accordance with the approved budget or as directed by the Board.” [2]

“Report the work and affairs of the association to the President and the board of directors at the annual and other meetings.” [2]

“Represent the USCAA on all fundraising calls as available.” [2]

Scheduling

Regular Season

As stated prior, the USCAA does not recognize football as a sanctioned sport of the association. For member institutions with football teams, this means that USCAA membership is more of a formality than a practical affiliation. The association, therefore, has no say in who or how a team schedules its opponents. This responsibility is deferred to the members and any organizations, and their respective sub-organizations, that they are also affiliated with.

Postseason

The USCAA champions its ability to offer members opportunities to compete for national championships. Sanctioned sports, such as basketball and soccer, have qualifying procedures for playoff tournaments/events. There are no postseason opportunities for football teams due to the sport’s unsanctioned status.

Media Rights

The USCAA does not govern how members broadcast their games or distribute their media rights. Member institutions independently control their own media rights arrangements.

Recruitment

The association maintains general guidelines for permissible recruiting practices, including contact, tryouts, reimbursement, and more:

“The student-athletes should be protected in maintaining normal academic progress while still in high school or junior college.” [2]

“Recruitment should be coordinated with the overall policies that affect enrollment of new students of the institution.” [2]

“The obvious cons of tryouts should be avoided that conflict with the aim of making the intercollegiate program an integral part of the total scholastic program.” [2]

“Individual or group tryouts may be conducted for the purpose of assisting in the assessment of athletic promise, if tryouts are a part of the general institutional policy in the procurement of students with special talents.” [2]

“No reimbursement shall be made of any part of the travel expense of prospective student-athletes who visit with the participating college either in the form of reimbursement by the participating college or by any individual or organization unless the practice is part of the general college policy in the recruiting of all students and not just limited to student-athletes.” [2]

“No visits of prospective student-athletes shall involve loss of school time for them except where visitation occurs as part of a normal visitation program of the college and is approved by administration of both the college and the visiting prospective student-athlete’s institution.” [2]

“No coach or other representative of a member institution shall contact a student-athlete who has matriculated at another college.” [2]

Compensation For Athletes

Scholarships

Current/prospective student-athletes of an USCAA institution may be eligible to receive athletic scholarships depending on their institution’s classification. Each division has regulations that outline what forms of institutional aid a student-athlete can receive. Division I institutions are permitted to offer scholarships to student-athletes based on their athletic merit, meaning athletes are permitted to receive all forms of countable and non-countable aid. Student-athletes at Division II institutions are strictly prohibited from receiving any form of financial aid based on their athletic capabilities/associations. These athletes are still permitted to receive all forms of non-countable aid but can only receive some forms of countable aid.

Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL)

Student-athletes in the association are permitted to leverage their Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) for financial gain. This right was first extended to student-athletes with the passing of legislation during the 2022 Annual Convention:

“During the 2022 USCAA Annual Convention, the membership voted to approve the following NIL Policy and amendments to the Amateurism policy.” [4]

This legislation enables athletes to seek partnerships and agreements with organizations that compensate them for promoting products or services. Student-athletes are permitted to utilize professional service providers to represent them for NIL purposes only and engage in all of the following:

“Student-athletes can engage in NIL activities that are consistent with Federal, State, and Local laws and USCAA policies where the school is located.” [2]

“Student-athletes must report all NIL activities in accordance with all date and time requirements consistent with state law and all conference and/or institutional guidelines. (i.e. 7 days prior to execution in the state of Pennsylvania).” [2]

“Student-athletes who attend a school in a state without an NIL law must abide by all Federal and USCAA NIL policies.” [2]

“Student-Athletes are encouraged to enlist the guidance of a licensed professional service provider, in accordance with state law, if applicable, for NIL activities.” [2]

“Student-athletes may not earn compensation as a result of the use of their name, image or likeness in connection with a person, company or organization related to or associated with the development, production, distribution, wholesaling or retailing of any of the following: Adult entertainment products and services; Alcohol products; Casinos and gambling, including sports betting, the lottery and betting in connection with online games and mobile devices; Tobacco and electronic smoking products and devices; A controlled dangerous substance; State and federally restricted categories (i.e. firearms, pharmaceuticals, etc.).” [2]

While institutions cannot prohibit athletes from earning, they are granted specific rights by the USCAA to regulate players’ NIL activities:

“Institutions must develop reporting procedures (required in most states) for student-athletes to report any NIL appearances and/or contracts.” [2]

This legislation works in conjunction with the pre-existing structure for financial compensation. Athletes cannot be compensated conditionally based on their performance or designated as employees of their school such that they operate within a “pay-for-play” environment. Should a student-athlete engage in any of the following activities, he/she will no longer be considered an “amateur” and lose eligibility:

“Accept payment, promise of payment, or reimbursement (direct or indirect) outside of NIL policy (Federal, State, Local, USCAA) that exceed expenses of travel, meals, and lodging.” [2]

“Receive payment for any public appearance or promotion of product/business without following all federal, state and institutional NIL guidelines.” [2]

“Participate in any event where a cash prize is awarded AND accept any prize monies that exceed the cost of event registration.” [2]

“Sign a contract of commitment of any kind to play professional athletics, even if no pay or compensation for expenses are received, without prior approval from the USCAA, including competition on National Teams.” [2]

“Enter into an agreement of any kind with an individual or group of individuals (“sports agent”) authorized to represent the athlete with a professional sports organization for marketing and/or to seek a professional contract.” [2]

“Enter into a professional draft.” [2]

References

1. USCAA Marketing Packet (2011)
2. USCAA Constitution and Bylaws (2025-2026)
3. United States Code
4. NIL Resource Center
5. USCAA Policy & Procedure Manual (2025-2026)
6. USCAA Marketing Packet (2023)