NCPA Tour
Compete in Regionals and Conferences nationwide for a chance to qualify for the National Championship, featuring the top 192 teams in the country. With NCPA’s Team Bracket and Individual Brackets at every NCPA Tour stop, collegiate pickleball has evolved.
Team Bracket (D1 / D2 / D3)
- 192 Teams Qualify
- You can have multiple teams win a bid from your university.
- Your school earns the bid — not the specific players who won it. You can bring a different lineup to Nationals than the one that qualified.
- Unlimited teams for all brackets…
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.
How Bids Work
Each Regional awards 12 bids to Nationals. Your team’s finish determines which division bracket you enter:
- 1st–4th place → D1 bid
- 5th–8th place → D2 bid
- 9th–12th place → D3 bid
Additional bids may be awarded at larger regionals, at the discretion of the NCPA.
At Nationals
D1, D2, and D3 each have a separate 64-team bracket — 192 teams total. All teams compete together at Regionals; at Nationals, you are placed into the division bracket that matches the bid you earned.
Total Prize Pool
Team Bracket
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. See the USAP approved paddle list and UPA approved paddles.
Eligibility Requirements
Eligibility Summary
- High school diploma (or equivalent)
- Enrolled in college/university
- NCPA Profile + transcript uploaded
- No PPA / APP / MLP pro contract
- Former pros: 1-year cooldown
Academic Eligibility
- Undergrad: min 12 credits (degree program)
- Graduate: min 6 credits (degree program)
- Credits can’t be electives only
- Must be enrolled at the school you represent
- Eligible at qualification = eligible all season
Seasons & Player Clock
- 4 seasons within 5 years
- Season: Sept–Apr (summer separates seasons)
- One game in an NCPA event = 1 season
- Events: Nationals, Internationals, Regionals, Conferences, Showcases
- Player clock in effect starting ’26–’27 season
Amateur Status
- Sponsorships / endorsements / NIL: allowed
- Pro contracts = ineligible
- Prize money does not affect eligibility
Redshirt & Medical Redshirt
- Redshirt (practice only, no games): season doesn’t count
- Medical redshirt (injury + <30% play): season doesn’t count
- Must apply and be approved by NCPA
We do accept appeals and occasionally grant them depending on the context. Send any appeals to info@ncpaofficial.com and include all information and any relevant documentation relating to your appeal (transcripts, special exemptions, etc.).
NCPA Format
The NCPA competition structure is divided into two primary formats: D1/D2/D3 Team Bracket and 3.0-5.0+ Individual Brackets featuring singles, doubles, and mixed. This is college pickleball.
Bracket Structure
Pool Play
4 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
Team Bracket
D1 / D2 / D3
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 & Sudden Death. There is no sudden death in pool play.
Victory
First to 4 total games wins
Team 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. If doubles or singles were last, they would get to choose the gender that plays 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 of the previous games is worth 3 points.
Setup
The order of games and the players that competed in each game stays the same (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