Tour Info
Compete in Regionals and Conferences nationwide for a chance to qualify for the National Championship, featuring the top 196 teams in the country. With NCPA’s Team Format and Individual Brackets at every NCPA Tour stop, collegiate pickleball has evolved.
Division 1 / 2 / 3
- Teams of 4–6 (2–3 men / 2–3 women)
- Top 196 Teams — 64 D1 • 64 D2 • 64 D3
There is no cap on the amount of teams that win a bid to Nationals from your university… We want the best.
Individual
- Individual Brackets open to all players from 3.0–5.0+
- Singles, Doubles, and Mixed will be featured at every NCPA Tour event.
Also open to all players at Nationals, no need to qualify.
Unlimited teams for all brackets!
How Bids Work
- 12 bids are awarded at each Regional
After all Regionals conclude, the NCPA Council will seed 196 teams into divisions:
- Top 64 → D1
- Next 64 → D2
- Final 64 → D3
How NCPA Seeds Teams
Seeding is determined based on:
- Regional performance (including strength and size of tournament)
- NCPA player ratings
- Final rosters submitted for Nationals
Total Prize Pool
D1 / D2 / D3
$75,000+
Individual Brackets
$25,000+
Note: (E) indicates equipment prize; $ indicates cash prize.
Nationals
Division 1 — Teams
$15,000 Prize Pool • $15,000 Bounties
Prize Pool
- 1st$4,000
- 2nd$3,000
- 3rd$2,000
- 4th$2,000
- 5th$1,000 (E)
- 6th$1,000 (E)
- 7th$1,000 (E)
- 8th$1,000 (E)
Bounties are $$$ that teams can automatically win by knocking out a top competitor at Regionals and Nationals.
Bounties — $15,000
Division 2 — Teams
$7,500 Prize Pool • $7,500 Bounties
½ of Division 1 prize pool and bounties
Division 3 — Teams
$3,750 Prize Pool • $3,750 Bounties
½ of Division 2 prize pool and bounties
Individual
Singles, Doubles, Mixed — payout for top three in each bracket
3.0
- 1st$100 (E)
- 2nd$50 (E)
- 3rd$25 (E)
3.5
- 1st$150 (E)
- 2nd$100 (E)
- 3rd$50 (E)
4.0
- 1st$250 (E)
- 2nd$200 (E)
- 3rd$100 (E)
4.5
- 1st$300 (E)
- 2nd$250 (E)
- 3rd$200 (E)
5.0+
- 1st$300
- 2nd$200
- 3rd$150
Bounties (5.0+ only)
Regionals — D1 / D2 / D3
Division 1
$2,500 Prize Pool • $2,500 Bounties
Prize Pool
- 1st$1,000
- 2nd$750
- 3rd$500 (E)
- 4th$250 (E)
Bounties
Division 2
$2,500 Prize Pool • $2,500 Bounties
Prize Pool
- 1st$1,000
- 2nd$750
- 3rd$500 (E)
- 4th$250 (E)
Bounties
Division 3
$2,500 Prize Pool • $2,500 Bounties
Prize Pool
- 1st$1,000
- 2nd$750
- 3rd$500 (E)
- 4th$250 (E)
Bounties
Approved Paddles
NCPA recognizes both USAP and UPA approved paddles for competition.
Eligibility
- 12 undergrad, 6 grad.
- Any signed professionals are ineligible (MLP, APP, PPA)
- Players eligible in the fall remain eligible in the spring.
- All players must submit their transcript on their NCPA Profile.
NCPA Format
The NCPA competition structure is divided into two primary formats: D1/D2/D3 Team Format and 3.0-5.0+ Individual brackets featuring singles, doubles, and mixed. This is college pickleball.
Bracket Structure
Pool Play
4 players/teams per pool, all advance to bracket
Single Elimination
Number of games varies by bracket, side-out scoring to 11 (win by 2).
Game Management
Side Switching
Switch sides at 6 points (not a timeout; 30 sec max)
Timeouts
1 timeout per team per game (1 minute max)
Warmup (Very Strict)
2-minute warmup limit before each game
Score Input
Teams after each game must input scores & lineups immediately
Division 1/2/3 Team Format
Match Breakdown: Best of 7 Games
3 Total Categories
2 Mixed Doubles
1 Men's Doubles / 1 Women's Doubles
1 Men's Singles / 1 Women's Singles
Sudden Death (7th game tiebreaker) will be played if the final score is 3–3.
Key Rules
Coin Toss
Winner chooses first category. Whoever loses the coin toss chooses serve/return for every game.
Category Play
Play both games in a category before opposing team chooses next category.
Scoring
Side-out scoring to 11, win by 2
Victory
First to 4 total games wins
D1 Match Scenario: GCU vs. ASU
Gender Doubles
GCU wins coin toss and chooses doubles, ASU chooses gender (men's first), women play next, two games are then complete. ASU chooses next category.
Gender Singles
ASU chooses singles, GCU chooses gender (women's first), men play next, the next two games are then complete (4 total). There is one category left.
Mixed Doubles
The last category is chosen by default. GCU has the advantage. Because "choosing" the last category is not an advantage, they get to "react" which means ASU must put out their team first. The last two games are played (6 total). If the score is 3-3, you go to Sudden Death.
Sudden Death
Sudden Death (when the match is 3-3 overall) is one final game. All 6 previous games are condensed into 1 and each game is worth three points.
Setup
The order of play remains the same as the initial 6 games (for example):
Men’s Doubles → Women’s Doubles → Men’s Singles → Women’s Singles → Mixed → Mixed
Each category plays for 3 total points (not rallies):
- First 3 points → Men’s Doubles
- Next 3 points → Women’s Doubles
- Next 3 points → Men’s Singles, and so on
Key Notes
- Same players from the original games remain in—no substitutions
- Players switch only after 3 points are scored (not after 3 rallies)
- Each new set of players starts on the right side of the court (like a new game)
- When switching from singles to doubles, the serving team starts on second serve (since singles uses only one serve)
- If the game is not over after all match types have played, play resets to the beginning of the rotation
NCPA divisions and rankings are designed specifically for club-level collegiate pickleball competition.
NCPA organizes, hosts, and operates its tournament and ranking system for student-run clubs. We provide competition within our club system—we do not govern pickleball as a whole or all collegiate play nationwide.
Ready to Compete?
Register and view the complete schedule for both National and Regional Championships.