Scoring & Rules

How the NCAA Gymnastics Championships Work: Regionals, Semifinals and the Final

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How does the college gymnastics postseason work? It narrows the field in stages. At the end of the regular season, the top 36 women’s teams go to four regionals of nine teams each. The top two from each regional, eight teams in all, go to the national championships, where two semifinals cut the field to four for the final.

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Every round starts from zero: a team’s score from the round before doesn’t carry over. In 2026, Florida won its national semifinal with 197.7875, then finished third in the final as Oklahoma took the title with 198.1625.

Individual gymnasts whose teams don’t qualify can reach the postseason too, in the all-around or on single events. This guide follows the women’s championship, officially the National Collegiate Women’s Gymnastics Championships, which is open to all 84 NCAA programs.

The NCAA Gymnastics Championships at a Glance

StageWho takes partWho moves on2027 dates
SelectionAll teams, ranked by NQSTop 36 teams, plus 12 all-around gymnasts and 64 event specialists from other teamsSelection show 22 March
Regionals4 regionals of 9 teams, on campus sitesTop 2 teams from each; the top all-arounder and top specialist on each event not on those teams31 March to 4 April
National semifinals8 teams in two semifinals of 4, plus 4 all-arounders and 16 specialistsTop 2 teams from each semifinal15 April
National final4 teamsHighest score wins the title17 April

The 2027 nationals are at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, which also hosted the 2026 championships. The four 2027 regionals are at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, the University of Denver, the University of Georgia in Athens and NC State in Raleigh.

How Teams Are Selected

The field is chosen by the National Qualifying Score (NQS), a season average of each team’s meet scores, and the 36 teams with the highest NQS after the conference championships are in. Our guide to how NCAA gymnastics rankings work explains the formula, and the NQS calculator works it out from a team’s meet scores.

The NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Committee seeds the top 16 teams in the bracket and places the other 20 at the four regional sites by geography, nine teams to a site. The NQS at selection is kept for seeding through the rest of the championships. The field is announced in a selection show, on 22 March in 2027.

How a Regional Works

Each regional runs three rounds over four days, on a college campus. In 2026 the four hosts were LSU (Baton Rouge), Oregon State (Corvallis), Kentucky (Lexington) and Arizona State (Tempe).

RoundTeamsWho advances
First round2 teams, head to headThe winner
Second round8 teams, including the first-round winner, in two sessions of 4Top 2 in each session
Regional final4 teamsTop 2 go to nationals

At the 2026 Lexington Regional, Rutgers beat Central Michigan in the first round, 196.200 to 195.700, then finished third in its second-round session behind Oklahoma and Ohio State. Oklahoma won the regional final with 198.350, and Arkansas took the second spot at nationals.

Because only the top two advance from each four-team session, one rough event can end a strong team’s season. Teams count five of six scores on each event, so a single fall can be dropped, but not two. The guide to how gymnastics team scores are calculated explains the counting rule.

Nationals: Two Semifinals and the Final

The eight teams that reach Fort Worth are split into two semifinals of four. In 2026, the teams from the Baton Rouge and Tempe regionals met in the first semifinal, and the teams from Corvallis and Lexington in the second. The top two in each semifinal advance to the final, often called Four on the Floor.

The final is a fresh competition, and the highest team score wins the national title, with five scores counting on each event. The 2026 final:

PlaceTeamFinal scoreSemifinal score
1Oklahoma198.1625198.3000
2LSU198.0750197.4375
3Florida197.6875197.7875
4Minnesota197.3750197.4625

LSU reached the final in second place in its semifinal, behind Florida, then finished ahead of Florida in the final. It was Oklahoma’s second title in a row and the eighth in its history.

How Individual Gymnasts Qualify

A gymnast on a team that misses the top 36 can still compete in the postseason. The committee selects 12 all-around gymnasts and 16 specialists on each event, 64 in all, by individual NQS, and places them at the regionals by geography. They compete alongside the teams in the second round of their regional.

From each regional, the top all-around gymnast and the top specialist on each event who aren’t on an advancing team go to nationals: four all-arounders and 16 event specialists in all. Specialists compete only on the event they qualified on.

The individual national titles are decided in the semifinals. The all-around and event champions are the gymnasts with the highest scores across the two semifinals, whether they compete with a team or as individuals. The final is for the team title only.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Many Teams Make the NCAA Gymnastics Championships?

Thirty-six teams reach regionals, eight reach the national semifinals, and four compete in the final.

Where Are the 2027 NCAA Gymnastics Championships?

The semifinals and final are at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, on 15 and 17 April 2027. Regionals are on four college campuses from 31 March to 4 April.

Do Scores Carry Over From the Semifinals to the Final?

No. The team title goes to the highest score in the final itself. Florida had the best semifinal score in its session in 2026 and finished third in the final.

What Is Four on the Floor?

The common name for the four-team national final, the last round of the championships. It replaced the six-team Super Six final the NCAA used before.

Who Won the 2026 NCAA Gymnastics Championship?

Oklahoma, with 198.1625, ahead of LSU (198.0750), Florida and Minnesota.

Final Takeaway

The NCAA women’s gymnastics postseason runs from 36 teams to one. The top 36 by NQS go to four regionals, the top two from each go to the national semifinals in Fort Worth, and the top two from each semifinal meet in a four-team final.

Every round starts fresh, and gymnasts whose teams don’t qualify can still compete as all-arounders or event specialists, with their own national titles decided in the semifinals.

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