The House Settlement and College Soccer: What 28-Player Rosters Mean

The House v. NCAA settlement changed Division I college soccer in 2025 by swapping scholarship limits for roster limits: 28 players for men's soccer and 28 for women's soccer at schools that take part. Those schools can now give aid to everyone on the roster, but there are fewer total spots, and walk-on spots are harder to find. If your kid is in the recruiting class of 2026, 2027 or 2028, the questions you ask a college coach need to change.

Key takeaways

• Judge Claudia Wilken gave final approval to the House v. NCAA settlement on June 6, 2025, which lets participating Division I schools share revenue directly with athletes.
• The revenue-sharing cap was $20.5 million per school in 2025-26, and the Associated Press reported it at $21.3 million for 2026-27.
• At participating schools, men's and women's soccer rosters are capped at 28, replacing the old scholarship limits of 9.9 (men) and 14 (women).
• Division II and Division III programs are not subject to the new Division I roster limits, and a roster spot at a D1 school does not guarantee a scholarship.
• Title IX appeals of the back-pay portion and the stalled federal SCORE Act mean parts of this system could still change before 2028.

What did the House settlement actually change?

The House settlement lets Division I schools that opt in pay athletes directly, and it replaced scholarship caps with roster caps. According to Front Office Sports, the settlement got final approval on June 6, 2025, and the first revenue-sharing cap, starting in 2025-26, was $20.5 million per school, with increases each year after that.

The cap went up for the second year. The Associated Press reported that schools can pay up to $21.3 million in revenue sharing to athletes in 2026-27. That number is for the whole athletic department, not per sport, and each school decides how to split it.

Who has to follow these rules? The five defendant conferences (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC) are in, and other Division I schools can choose to participate, per NCSA's roster-limit guide. A new body, the College Sports Commission, now publishes and enforces the roster limits.

How do the new soccer roster limits work?

At participating Division I schools, a men's soccer team can carry 28 players and a women's soccer team can carry 28. The College Sports Commission's roster limits page lists the old NCAA scholarship limits next to them: 9.9 for men's soccer and 14 for women's soccer. It also says NCAA scholarship limits have been removed for participating schools, so they can offer full or partial aid to anyone within the 28.

Here's how it compares:

	Before House (scholarship limit)	After House (roster limit, participating D1)
Men's soccer	9.9 scholarships	28 roster spots
Women's soccer	14 scholarships	28 roster spots

On paper, more players can receive aid than before. In practice, nobody added money just for soccer. A school can fund all 28, but it doesn't have to, and NCSA notes that "a roster spot does not guarantee an athletic scholarship."

What is a Designated Student-Athlete?

In summer 2025, schools named athletes who had lost, or were at risk of losing, their roster spot because of the settlement. These Designated Student-Athletes, or DSAs, do not count against the roster limits, and schools have to flag them when they submit rosters. That exemption covers players already in college at the time. It won't apply to a high schooler being recruited now, but it does mean some current rosters run a little over 28 while those players finish.

What happens to walk-ons?

Walk-on spots still exist, but every walk-on counts toward the 28, so there are fewer of them at participating schools. Front Office Sports reported that hundreds of walk-ons and partial-scholarship athletes lost roster spots after the settlement, and schools weren't required to bring them back.

Under the old system, a team might carry a big roster with a small number of scholarships spread across it. A "preferred walk-on" offer meant your kid had a place on the team and a shot at earning aid later. Now each of those places is one of only 28. Expect coaches to be pickier about who gets one.

So if a coach at a Big Ten or SEC school offers a walk-on spot, ask how many of the 28 are already committed for that class. An offer like that isn't worthless, but it carries more risk than it would have a few years ago.

Where does the money go, and what about back pay?

Most of the money in this settlement was never aimed at soccer. The back-pay part is a $2.8 billion damages fund for past athletes, and Fisher Phillips explains how it's divided: 90% to Power Five football and men's basketball players, 5% to women's basketball players, and 5% to all other athletes, which includes soccer.

The go-forward revenue sharing is a separate pot. Each school decides how to divide its share across sports, and there's no rule saying soccer gets a set amount. Don't assume your kid will be offered revenue-sharing money just because the school participates. Ask.

NIL is a third, separate thing. Deals from outside companies and collectives still exist on top of revenue sharing. Our guide to NIL for soccer players in Illinois covers how that works, including the high school side.

What's still unresolved?

Two big pieces are still open: the Title IX appeals and federal legislation. Rules your kid signs under in 2027 could look different from today's.

The appeals. Several groups appealed the settlement to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The first, filed June 11, 2025 on behalf of female athletes including soccer players, argues the damages formula favors male athletes and violates Title IX. According to Front Office Sports, that appeal paused the back-pay payments but did not stop the forward-looking parts of the settlement, so revenue sharing and roster limits continue while the court decides. Check for a ruling before you rely on any of this.

The SCORE Act. This federal bill would set national rules for college athletes. It hasn't become law. In May 2026, Front Office Sports reported that House leadership had canceled a scheduled floor vote for the second time in less than a year, and that Senate leaders were working on a separate bill. Congress could still change the rules, and nobody can tell you when or how.

The questions to ask a college coach

The single best thing you can do is ask direct questions and get the answers in writing. A coach who's serious about your kid should be able to answer them.

• Does your school participate in the House settlement?
• How many of your 28 roster spots are open for my kid's graduating class?
• Is this offer a roster spot only, or a roster spot with aid?
• If there's aid, is it athletic, academic, revenue sharing, or a mix? How much, and for how many years?
• What happens to the aid if you leave or get fired?
• Do you carry walk-ons? How many made the roster last season, and how many stayed?
• How many players on the current roster play in my kid's position, and what years are they?

Timing matters too. Division I soccer coaches can initiate contact starting June 15 after your kid's sophomore year, per NCSA. Our college soccer recruiting timeline walks through what to do each year.

What this means for your family

• Build a college list that goes past Division I. Division II and III programs are not bound by these roster limits, and they can be a better fit for playing time. Our guide to college soccer scholarships, divisions and odds breaks down each level.
• For every D1 school on the list, find out whether it participates in the settlement. The rules are different if it doesn't.
• Treat a walk-on offer at a participating school as high risk. Ask how many of the 28 spots are already committed.
• Get every offer in writing, including the type of aid, the amount, the length and what happens if the coaching staff changes.
• Don't count on revenue-sharing money for soccer. Ask each school directly how it splits its pool.
• Recheck the rules every year your kid is recruiting. Appeals and federal legislation are still in play.
• Confirm anything about eligibility, aid or NIL with the school's compliance office before your kid signs. This guide isn't legal or financial advice.

The short version

With only 28 spots per team at participating schools, every spot is worth more to a coach than it used to be. For your family, that means asking more questions earlier and spreading your list wider than you might have five years ago. Keep D2, D3 and other options in the mix, and if anyone tells you the money question is settled, check the date on what they're reading.