The mission of the National Collegiate Athletic Association national office is to conduct the business of its more than 1,200 members and to conduct its various national championships. Membership is divided into three divisions with the size ranging from several thousand undergraduate students to campuses with more than 50,000 undergraduates. Divisions I and II offer scholarship aid to student-athletes, but Division III does not. The unifying factor is the commitment to ensure collegiate athletics are integrated into the educational programs and study body of member institutions. The NCAA is a non-profit higher education organization.

The NCAA is a higher education non-profit organization that returns 95 percent of its revenue to its member universities. Its top priority is academic reform. More than 54,000 student-athletes compete in its 88 championships in 23 sports in three divisions. Headquartered in Indianapolis since 1999, it has offices in New York City and Washington, D.C. NCAA rules are made via a governance system with membership introducing and voting on legislation. NCAA members award approximately $1.5 billion worth of scholarship aid annually to student-athletes. The NCAA Eligibility Center is responsible for certifying high school graduate and international students as eligible to compete in Division I and II. Future NCAA student-athletes must be high school graduates, achieve a minimum grade point average in specific high school core courses and present a qualifying score on either the ACT or SAT college entrance examination.