The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA; ) is an athletic association of ten private colleges and universities in Metro Manila, Philippines. Established in 1924, it is the oldest collegiate athletic association in the country. The league is not affiliated with the NCAA of the United States, as such its referred to as NCAA Philippines.
History
Early years (1924–1959) The NCAA was founded in 1924 on the initiative of Regino R. Ylanan, a physical education professor of the University of the Philippines (UP). The original members were Ateneo de Manila, De La Salle College, the Institute of Accounts (now known as Far Eastern University), National University (NU), San Beda College (SBC; now known as San Beda University), the University of Manila, University of the Philippines Manila, and the University of Santo Tomas (UST).
The decision of the board of directors to file papers of incorporation with the then Bureau of Commerce in 1930 led to protests from the University of the Philippines, which was the only public institution among member schools, saying that it would lead to commercialization. National University and the University of Santo Tomas sided with the University of the Philippines on the matter. This led into the formation, via an Article of Agreement, of a triangular meet among NU, UP and UST, with the Board of Control's condition that NCAA events should take precedence. The league established came to be known as the "Big Three," and in 1932, the Article of Agreement was renewed.
In 1936, UP Manila, NU, and UST withdrew permanently from the NCAA and continued with their own league, while FEU withdrew on its own. Six schools remained in the league and became known as the "old-timer six: Ateneo, Colegio de San Juan de Letran, De La Salle, José Rizal College, Mapúa Institute of Technology and San Beda. Also in 1936, league's basketball games were transferred to the newly completed Rizal Memorial Coliseum, owing to its accessibility among the schools, since most schools were in Manila.
The NCAA experienced a golden age during the postwar years. The Loyola Center at the Ateneo campus became the new home of the association. Due to the home court advantage of the Ateneo, Blue Eagles' games were held at Rizal Memorial.
An era of turbulence (1960–1983) By the 1960s, the league experienced problems such as eligibility of players and interscholastic hooliganism. This led to disagreements among member schools, and as a result the 1962–63 season was suspended, and the following two seasons were held in a loose conference format, where the home and away system was used. San Sebastian College – Recoletos joined the league in 1969. Trinity College of Quezon City (now Trinity University of Asia) also joined in 1974, the league's golden anniversary, according to newspapers and other publications of that year.
After the riotous games of the late 1970s, several of the founding members left the league. Ateneo left the league in 1978, which also marred a championship series with San Beda, while La Salle left after a riotous game with Letran in 1980. Both schools were later admitted into the rival University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) in 1978 and 1984, respectively. San Beda also left in 1983 to put more focus on its intraschool activities.NCAA: An Endless Saga The Bedan. June 2005 issue
Due to Ateneo's move to the UAAP, NCAA games returned to the old Rizal Memorial and to the PhilSports Arena. Also with the withdrawal of the three founding members, most daily publications tagged the NCAA as "an ironic journey from sports to violence."
The first expansion era (1984–2008) As the league was reduced to four members, new membership was actively pursued. Perpetual Help College of Rizal (now known as University of Perpetual Help System DALTA) was accepted as a member in 1984,NCAA: Proud and True at 82 University of Perpetual Help System DALTA official website. July 9, 2006 whle San Beda returned in 1986 after a three-year hiatus. On the other hand, Trinity was not able to meet league requirements and left in 1986. The additions of Philippine Christian University (PCU) and De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) in the late 1990s brought the league membership to eight schools. During this time, measures were taken to prevent major brawls from starting such as the patrolling by the respective faculties of the member schools, to control the behavior of the crowd were implemented as part of the remedy to ensure the security during the NCAA games.
In 1998, the affiliated schools in the Calabarzon region and southern Metro Manila established NCAA South, an offshoot of the league.PSC Pledge Support for NCAA South 7th Season [www.ncaa.org.ph NCAA Philippines Official Website]. May 6, 2006 The NCAA has also set plans for a Division II, which would be composed of newly admitted schools. The league has already visited and issued invitations to schools such as Arellano University, Emilio Aguinaldo College and the Lyceum of the Philippines University.After Letran as host, Benilde will continue hosting duties. The LANCE . March 2006 issueCayetano bares athletic program The Lyceum Independent Sentinel . September–October 2005 issue
The return of a Mapúa Juniors team, which took a leave of absence beginning Season 81 (2005–06) was scheduled in Season 83 (2007–08). Malayan High School would represent the Mapúa Institute of Technology in the Juniors Division of the NCAA. This newly established high school would only be fully operational by school year 2007–08.Letran hosts 81st season , The LANCE . June 2005 issue However, the scheduled return of the Mapua Junior varsity team did not materialize and instead it resumed participation in Season 84 (2008–09).MIT jrs back after 'vacation'
The second expansion era (2009–2023) After it was revealed that several players of the PCU juniors' basketball team enrolled with spurious documents, PCU's seniors and juniors teams were suspended for the 2007–08 season. The seniors teams were permitted to participate in the 2008–09 season, but all PCU teams subsequently took an indefinite leave of absence beginning with the 2009–10 season.
In place of PCU, the Management Committee invited guest teams to fill out the league roster. Angeles University Foundation (AUF), Arellano University (AU), and Emilio Aguinaldo College (EAC) were brought in as guest teams eligible to win championships. In Season 86, AU's and EAC's status were upgraded to probationary membership. Lyceum of the Philippines University (LPU), which had earlier sought membership, joined as a guest team in Season 87 (2011–12). Arellano became a regular member in Season 89 (2013–14) after meeting the league requirements, followed by EAC and Lyceum in Season 91 (2015–16). The association now had ten full member schools, its largest in history.
The second century (2024–present) The NCAA entered its second century with Season 100, held during the 2024–25 academic year. The centennial season was hosted by Lyceum of the Philippines University and carried the theme “Siglo Uno: Inspiring Legacies." The season officially opened on September 7, 2024, at the Mall of Asia Arena and featured the league’s ten member schools. The centennial celebrations included activities commemorating the history of the association and recognizing notable athletes and contributors to the league.
In men’s basketball, Mapúa University won the Season 100 championship, defeating De La Salle–College of Saint Benilde in the finals. The championship was Mapúa’s sixth in men’s basketball and its first since 1991, ending a 33-year championship drought. The victory also marked the first time since 2009 that a team other than San Beda University or Colegio de San Juan de Letran won the men’s basketball championship.
Season 100 continued the NCAA’s competitions across its established sporting events and further developed its esports program. The centennial season also marked the transition from the league’s first 100 seasons to its second century of collegiate competition.
NCAA Season 101, held during the 2025–26 academic year, was hosted by Mapúa University and carried the theme “Building Greatness.” The season opened on October 1, 2025, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, with the ten member schools participating. Season 101 introduced a new tournament format for men’s basketball and volleyball. The ten schools were divided into two groups of five teams. Each team played the other teams in its own group twice and the teams in the opposing group once. The fourth- and fifth-placed teams in each group then competed in a play-in, while the top two teams in each group received a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals. The semifinals and finals were played as best-of-three series.
In men’s basketball, San Beda University won the Season 101 championship, defeating Letran in the finals. San Beda won the series in two games, giving the Red Lions their 24th NCAA men’s basketball championship, the most in league history. Bryan Sajonia was named Finals MVP. Season 101 also saw Letran win the women’s volleyball championship, while San Beda won both the men’s and women’s beach volleyball championships.
Ahead of Season 101, the association also introduced changes to its visual identity. A logo making contest was held by the NCAA, with the winning design submitted by Jeffrey Salut.
NCAA Season 102, held during the 2026–27 academic year, is hosted by San Beda University. The season opened on September 13, 2026, at the Mall of Asia Arena, with San Beda entering as the defending men’s basketball champion. The league retained its ten-school membership and continued the group-stage format introduced in Season 101.
For Season 102, the basketball tournament format was modified to give the fourth-placed team in each group a twice-to-beat advantage over the fifth-placed team in the play-in round. The group stage retained its three-phase structure, with teams first playing within their respective groups, crossing over to the other group, and then returning to their original group. The change modified the Season 101 format, in which the fourth- and fifth-placed teams played a single knockout game without an advantage.
Season 102 continues the NCAA’s development during the early years of its second century, following the centennial celebrations of Season 100 and the tournament-format changes introduced in Season 101. The association continues to operate with ten member schools while maintaining and modifying its collegiate sports competitions.
Member schools The number and composition of NCAA members has changed over the years. The association is currently composed of the following schools, with their corresponding team names, affiliation, and year of admission.