By Riley Overend on SwimSwam
Lawyers in the landmark House v. NCAA lawsuit filed detailed settlement terms on Friday that revealed the new roster limits replacing scholarship caps across all college sports starting in the 2025-26 season.
Whereas swimming and diving programs were previously allotted 14 scholarships for women and 9.9 for men, they will soon be permitted to offer up to 30 scholarships for both men and women. Nearly 800 new scholarships are being made available total among the 40-plus NCAA sports listed in the settlement, but schools are not required to distribute scholarships to each player.
“We can work with this number,” one Power Five swim coach told SwimSwam.
Division I swimming and diving programs that do not belong to a Power Five conference can opt out of the roster limits if they choose not to share revenue with their athletes. The House v. NCAA settlement terms outlined how the NCAA and its Division I member schools will pay $277 million annually over a decade to cover the $2.78 billion in back damages to former Division I athletes dating back to 2016.
That’s on top of a 10-year revenue-sharing agreement that gives athletic departments the ability to distribute money directly to college athletes, likely at least $20 million total per school. A salary cap of sorts, that figure is expected to grow to almost $33 million by 2036.
Earlier this week, we reported how the SEC and Big Ten were discussing roster limits of 23 men and 35 women. The cost of new scholarships, revenue sharing, and backpay for lost name, image, and likeness (NIL) opportunities is expected to be upwards of $30 million a year for some top-tier programs.
Notably, it appears that the NCAA will not be the leading authority enforcing these settlement terms. Instead, the court will appoint a “special master” to resolve any disputes related to the new rules. Athletes and schools can also appeal punishments under a new arbitration process.
Judge Claudia Wilken will review the proposed settlement terms and deliver her decision by early September. In the meantime, former Arizona State swimmer Grant House and the other plaintiffs are working on a website that will allow athletes to calculate how much money they might be entitled to from the pool of damages.
NCAA Scholarship Limits Per Sport
| Sport | Gender | Old limit | New limit | Increase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tumbling | Women | 14 | 55 | 41 |
| Baseball | Men | 11.7 | 34 | 22.3 |
| Basketball | Men | 13 | 15 | 2 |
| Basketball | Women | 15 | 15 | 0 |
| Beach volleyball | Women | 6 | 19 | 13 |
| Bowling | Women | 5 | 11 | 6 |
| Cross country | Men | 5 | 17 | 12 |
| Cross country | Women | 6 | 17 | 11 |
| Equestrian | Women | 15 | 50 | 35 |
| Fencing | Men | 4.5 | 24 | 19.5 |
| Fencing | Women | 5 | 24 | 19 |
| Field hockey | Women | 12 | 27 | 15 |
| Football | Men | 85 | 105 | 20 |
| Golf | Men | 4.5 | 9 | 4.5 |
| Golf | Women | 6 | 9 | 3 |
| Gym | Men | 6.3 | 20 | 13.7 |
| Gym | Women | 12 | 20 | 8 |
| Ice hockey | Men | 18 | 26 | 8 |
| Ice hockey | Women | 18 | 26 | 8 |
| Track | Men | 12.6 | 45 | 35.4 |
| Track | Women | 18 | 45 | 27 |
| Lacrosse | Men | 12.6 | 48 | 35.4 |
| Lacrosse | Women | 12 | 38 | 26 |
| Rifle | Both | 3.6 | 12 | 8.4 |
| Rowing | Women | 20 | 68 | 48 |
| Skiing | Men | 6.3 | 16 | 9.7 |
| Skiing | Women | 7 | 16 | 9 |
| Soccer | Men | 9.9 | 28 | 18.1 |
| Soccer | Women | 14 | 28 | 14 |
| Softball | Women | 12 | 25 | 13 |
| Stunt | Both | 14 | 65 | 51 |
| Swim | Men | 9.9 | 30 | 20.1 |
| Swim | Women | 14 | 30 | 16 |
| Tennis | Men | 4.5 | 10 | 5.5 |
| Tennis | Women | 8 | 10 | 2 |
| Triathlon | Women | 6.5 | 14 | 7.5 |
| Volleyball | Men | 4.5 | 18 | 13.5 |
| Volleyball | Women | 12 | 18 | 6 |
| Water polo | Men | 4.5 | 24 | 19.5 |
| Water polo | Women | 8 | 24 | 16 |
| Wrestling | Men | 9.9 | 30 | 20.1 |
| Wrestling | Women | 10 | 30 | 20 |
Read the full story on SwimSwam: House Settlement Terms Reveal New Division I Roster Limit of 30 Swimmers and Divers Per Team