Collegiate Eligibility Resources

Collegiate teams must submit a completed Eligibility form to USA Archery to apply for Collegiate Eligibility. Forms should be submitted at least 10 business days prior to the registration deadline of the first USA Archery sanctioned event they will be competing in.

Click the Collegiate Eligibility Resources button above to access the Eligibility Form.

Students may apply for Collegiate Eligibility from within their USA Archery Membership Account, however it will go to a Pending Status and the hard copy form must still be submitted to USA Archery. The following requirements are in place to qualify for Collegiate Eligibility:

1. Have a current USA Archery Membership (Temporary, Trial, and Recreational Memberships excluded)
2. Enrolled full-time at a two- or four-year college or university
   • The student must be enrolled full-time in good standing, as defined by the university or college registrar, to be eligible to participate in the Collegiate division.
   • Students completing their last term may compete even if they are not full-time, as long as they are completing their degree that term.
   • Archers that are still attending high school and who have not yet graduated are not eligible to compete in the Collegiate division at USA Archery sanctioned events. If a high school archer has been accepted to a college or university, but they have not yet started classes as a degree-seeking student they will not be eligible to compete in the Collegiate division at USA Archery sanctioned events (even if the archers is enrolled in classes to begin the next term).
3. Member of the existing school Team
   • The school team must have an active USA Archery Collegiate Archery Program membership.
   • In the event where a Collegiate Archery Program exists at the college, individuals MUST belong to that program in order to represent their school in the collegiate division at USA Archery sanctioned events. In the event where a Collegiate Archery Program exists at the college, individuals MUST belong to that program in order to represent their school in the collegiate division at USA Archery sanctioned events. Students must be enrolled in classes at the same university in which they are a member of the Collegiate Archery Program Team.
   • An individual student is eligible to compete on their own if there is not an existing Collegiate Archery Program at the school. However, if there are three or more individuals competing in the Collegiate division in the current academic year, they will be required to form a Collegiate Archery Team to continue to compete.
   • Exceptions to this rule may be made in instances where:
     • *The school does not allow an individual to represent the school in competition;
     • *The school does not allow a Collegiate Archery Team to be formed or;
     • The school only provides a Collegiate Archery Team for a single gender (i.e. women’s team). In this instance an athlete of the opposite gender would be permitted to represent the school and the school would also be permitted to compete in the Mixed team round, if applicable.

*Athletes participating per these exceptions who have received confirmation from USA Archery to participate, will compete as Unaffiliated archers and are not eligible for participation in Mixed Team/Team rounds. 

1. Maintain a minimum GPA of 2.0 for undergraduates and 3.0 for graduate students
   • First year freshman students at the college/university will be considered eligible, but must submit proof of eligibility the next eligibility year to continue participation.
   • Students attending a college/university on the Quarter System may reapply for Eligibility after the Winter Quarter to be eligible to compete in events taking place between April-July. These students will not be eligible for All-Region, All-American and All-American Academic Team honors.
2. Apply within the approved 7 years of eligibility
   • Student has seven years in which he or she may compete a maximum of five years.
   • The seven-year period of eligibility begins the first academic year in which the student registers for a USA Archery sanctioned event in a Collegiate archery division.
   • A student may petition for their first year of eligibility back in the event that they did not compete the initial year they submitted their paperwork. Once one year of eligibility is complete, there are no exemptions or exceptions to this seven-year window of eligibility.
   • Note: Exceptions to these rules may be made in the following instances for students enrolled in a professional program, Graduate Students, and PhD students:
     • When the college/university uses a Pass/Fail system instead of a G.P.A system
     • When the college/university does not offer, or does not recommend a full-time course load. Students must still be in good standing within their program and progressing toward their degree (i.e. teaching undergraduate lab courses, working through an internship, logging hours for thesis research etc.)
   • Contact USA Archery for final approval.

Academic Year

All participants are required to have current Collegiate Eligibility with USA Archery to participate within a USA Archery Sanctioned Collegiate Event.

Eligibility period for the 2023-2024 school year will run August 1, 2023-July 31, 2024. A graduating archer is no longer eligible to compete in the collegiate division at sanctioned events beginning the term after they graduate (example: archers graduating in the fall term are not eligible to participate in the spring term as a collegiate archer).

USA Archery Sanctioned Collegiate Events that require Collegiate Eligibility:

• Regional 3D Collegiate Championships
• U.S. National 3D Collegiate Championships
• U.S. National Indoor Championships
• Regional Collegiate Target Regionals
• U.S. National Collegiate Target Nationals
• U.S. National Field Championships

Archers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic should contact USA Archery for any case-by-case exceptions to the stated rules above.