Last updated: November 11, 2026
Since 2009, the NCAA has quietly honored the athlete with the highest GPA at every championship finals site, and most fans never heard about it. That changes now: the NCAA Elite Scholar-Athlete Award is getting seasonal national honors and a Scholar-Athlete of the Year, and we think it is overdue.
The NCAA announced the expansion on Nov. 10, 2026. Here is what is new, who qualifies and when the first national winners will be named.
Quick summary
- The NCAA is adding Fall, Winter and Spring Elite Scholar-Athlete Awards, plus an annual Elite Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
- Each season, one man and one woman are chosen from that season’s championship-site winners, for six seasonal honorees a year.
- One man and one woman from those six become the Elite Scholar-Athletes of the Year. The first will be named in summer 2027.
- Student-athletes from the national advisory committees in Divisions I, II and III make the selections.
What is the NCAA Elite Scholar-Athlete Award?
The NCAA Elite Scholar-Athlete Award goes to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative GPA at the finals site of each NCAA championship, across Divisions I, II and III. It started in 2009 as the Elite 88, grew to the Elite 89 and then the Elite 90 as championships were added, and took its current name in 2025-26, according to the NCAA.
The name changed because the number no longer fit. The NCAA counts 92 championships this academic year after adding women’s wrestling and splitting fencing into separate men’s and women’s events. More than 1,300 awards have been handed out since 2009, and past winners include NFL quarterback Carson Wentz and basketball Hall of Famer Maya Moore of UConn women’s basketball.
Who qualifies
To win at a championship site, a student-athlete must:
- be at least a sophomore academically;
- be in at least their second year of competition at their current school;
- be an active, eligible member of the roster for that championship;
- be part of the designated squad at the site in sports with squad-size limits.
That last rule matters more than it sounds. In sports such as swimming or track and field, only athletes who made the travel squad count, so the award goes to someone who earned a place at the finals, not just a place on the roster.
What the new national honors add
Until now, each Elite Scholar-Athlete winner was recognized at one finals site and then mostly forgotten. Under the expanded program, the site winners become a national pool:
- Seasonal awards: after the fall, winter and spring championships, one man and one woman are named for that season.
- Elite Scholar-Athlete of the Year: from the six seasonal honorees, one man and one woman are chosen as the year’s national winners, with the first announced in summer 2027.
- Who decides: a cross-divisional group of student-athletes from the Division I Student-Athlete Advocacy Committee and the Division II and III Student-Athlete Advisory Committees, supported by NCAA staff.
- More storytelling: the NCAA says it will spend more on features, digital content and social media about honorees, and schools and conferences can celebrate them locally.
The NCAA has not published a minimum GPA or a formula for the seasonal selections beyond the site-winner pool and the student-athlete panel, so expect the first round of selections to set the tone.
Why we like this change
Most national college sports awards go to the same few sports. The NCAA Elite Scholar-Athlete Award does not work that way: a rifle shooter, a Division III swimmer and a Division I basketball player all start on equal footing, because every championship produces a winner.
That makes this one of the few national honors where Olympic sports and smaller divisions have a real path. The fall pool will come from championship sites like cross country, field hockey, soccer and volleyball. Our NCAA cross country championships preview and college swimming rankings cover two of the Olympic sports that will feed the fall and winter pools.
It also arrives as college sports change fast. With schools now paying athletes directly through revenue sharing, which we explain in who gets paid in college sports, a high-profile academic honor is a useful reminder that most college athletes are students first.
What to watch next
- Fall site winners: they are named at each fall finals site, which builds the pool for the first seasonal honorees.
- Division balance: the panel includes all three divisions, so watch whether Division II and III athletes win seasonal honors.
- Summer 2027: the first two Elite Scholar-Athletes of the Year.
FAQ
What is the NCAA Elite Scholar-Athlete Award?
It honors the student-athlete with the highest cumulative GPA at the finals site of each NCAA championship. It was called the Elite 90 until 2025-26.
What are the new Elite Scholar-Athlete honors?
Fall, Winter and Spring Elite Scholar-Athlete Awards for one man and one woman each season, plus an annual Elite Scholar-Athlete of the Year for one man and one woman.
When will the first Elite Scholar-Athlete of the Year be named?
The NCAA says the first winners will be announced in summer 2027.
Who chooses the winners?
A cross-divisional group of student-athletes from the NCAA’s Division I, II and III student-athlete committees, with NCAA staff support.
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