20 Division Membership

[20.01 unchanged.]

20.02 Definitions and Applications.

[20.02.1 through 20.02.9 unchanged.]

20.02.10 Single-Sport Conference -- Sports Other Than Basketball and Football. In sports other than basketball and football, a single-sport conference shall satisfy the following requirements:

(a) The conference shall sponsor one sport for one gender in which an NCAA Division I or NCAA national collegiate championship is conducted; and

(b) In sports in which an NCAA Division I championship is conducted, the conference shall be composed of at least six active NCAA members, 75 percent of which must be active Division I members. 

20.02.10.1 Administration of Multiple Single-Sport Conferences. An entity may administer multiple single-sport conferences, either in the same sport for men and women, or for different sports; however, each sport (including different genders in the same sport) requires a separate application, application fee and annual dues.

[20.02.10 renumbered as 20.02.11, unchanged.]

[20.1 through 20.2 unchanged.]

20.3 Member Conference.

[20.3.1 through 20.3.2 unchanged.]

20.3.3 Election Procedures.

20.3.3.1 Application. An athletics conference desiring to become a member conference shall make application on a form available from the national office by June 1 for membership effective August 1 of the following academic year. An athletics conference desiring to become a single-sport conference shall make separate application for each sport, including different genders in the same sport. A check in the appropriate amount for annual dues shall accompany the application.  Should the applicant fail election, the dues paid shall be refunded.

[20.3.3.2 unchanged.]

[20.3.4 through 20.3.6 unchanged.]

[20.4 through 20.9 unchanged.]

31.3.4 Automatic Qualification. Each governing sport committee shall forward annually to the applicable sport oversight committee or the Sports Oversight Committee those conferences that should receive automatic qualification for their teams or individual student-athletes into NCAA championships. Prior to forwarding the list of conferences to receive automatic qualification, a governing sport committee shall ensure that the member conference meets the requirements specified in Bylaws 31.3.4.1 through 31.3.4.6. A member conference may appeal to the applicable sport oversight committee or the Sports Oversight Committee the automatic-qualification review of the sport committee and the committee's decision to find, or not find, a conference qualified for automatic-qualification status. The decision on such appeals will be final.

[31.3.4.1 through 31.3.4.2 unchanged.]

31.3.4.3 Additional Requirements -- Sports Other Than Basketball.

[31.3.4.3.1 unchanged.]

31.3.4.3.2 Single-Sport Conference. To be considered for automatic qualification in a particular sport, a single-sport member conference for a sport sponsored by less than 50 percent of the Division I membership must include six institutions that have conducted conference competition together the preceding two years in the sport in question at the Division I level. In sports other than football, a single-sport conference must be an active member for two years before it is eligible for automatic qualification.

[31.3.4.3.3 unchanged.]

[31.3.4.4 through 31.3.4.6 unchanged.]