Your gymnast’s coach says she “needs a 34 to make Regionals”, or that she “qualified for State”. So how does qualifying work, and who decides the numbers?
The short answer: a gymnast qualifies by earning a set all-around score (the total of her four event scores) at sanctioned meets during the season. Some championships use a placing instead. State qualifying scores are set by each state, and Regional rules by each region. The top national meets follow fixed rules in USA Gymnastics’ 2026–2027 Rules & Policies.
This guide covers the two USA Gymnastics women’s programs for the 2026–27 season: the Development Program, Levels 1–10, and Xcel, Bronze to Sapphire. They are separate ladders with separate championships, so a rule for one doesn’t carry over to the other. Men’s programs have their own rulebook.
The Path at a Glance
Not every gymnast’s season ends at the same meet. It depends on her level or division.
| Program and level | Last championship of the season | Who sets the qualifying rule |
|---|---|---|
| Development Program, Levels 1–5 | State Championships, where the state holds one for that level | Your state. Levels 1–5 have no Regionals |
| Development Program, Levels 6–7 | State, or Regionals if your region holds them | State; region for Regionals |
| Development Program, Level 8 | Regionals, if your region holds them | State, then region |
| Development Program, Level 9 | Eastern or Western Championships | State, then region; national rule for Easterns/Westerns |
| Development Program, Level 10 | Development Program National Championships | State, then region; national rule for Nationals |
| Xcel Bronze and Silver | State | Your state. Regionals only if your region adds them |
| Xcel Gold | Regionals, where your region holds them | State, then region |
| Xcel Platinum, Diamond, Sapphire | National Xcelebration (from June 2027) | State, then region; national rule for Xcelebration |
The table follows the Rules & Policies charts and championship sections for Xcel (Ch. 8, pp. 51–55) and the Development Program (Ch. 9, pp. 57 and 62).
Two committees come up again and again. The State Administrative Committee (SAC) runs competition in your state and sets State qualifying scores. The Regional Administrative Committee (RAC) does the same for your region. USA Gymnastics has eight regions.
Where Qualifying Scores Come From
Qualifying scores come from USA Gymnastics sanctioned meets during the current season. A sanctioned meet is one approved by USA Gymnastics and judged by certified judges. The season runs from the first designated qualifying meet to the championship that ends it (Rules & Policies, p. 57).
A few conditions catch families out:
- The score must come at her current level or division. A Level 7 score doesn’t qualify a gymnast to the Level 8 State meet.
- She must already be old enough when she competes. Rules & Policies gives the example of a Level 3 gymnast who turns 6 after the last State qualifier. She can’t qualify to State that season (Ch. 7, pp. 30–31).
- Your state can limit which meets count. New York, for example, requires the score at a New York State Qualifier listed on its state calendar.
Most gymnasts qualify on the all-around (AA), the total of the four event scores at one meet. Some states also let gymnasts qualify on single events as an Individual Event Specialist (IES), in Development Program Levels 6–10 and sometimes in the higher Xcel divisions. Whether a State meet includes IES competition is the state committee’s decision (Ch. 7, p. 28). A gymnast who qualifies this way competes only the events she qualified on (Ch. 9, p. 61).
How to Qualify for State
There is no national State qualifying score. The 2026–27 Rules & Policies charts say State qualification is “to be determined” by each state committee, for both programs (pp. 51 and 57). So the number your gymnast needs depends on where she lives.
Two neighboring states show how much this varies:
| Level or division | New York, 2025–26 season | Pennsylvania (as posted, checked Oct 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Level 2 | 30.00 AA | not listed |
| Levels 3–4 | 32.00 AA | 33.00 AA |
| Level 5 | 32.00 AA | 32.00 AA |
| Levels 6–7 | 33.00 AA | 33.00 AA (Level 7 IES 8.50) |
| Level 8 | 32.00 AA | 33.00 AA (IES 8.50) |
| Levels 9–10 | 32.00 AA | 32.00 AA (IES 8.50) |
| Xcel Bronze | 33.00 AA | not listed |
| Xcel Silver and Gold | 33.00 AA | 35.00 AA |
| Xcel Platinum | 32.00 AA | 35.00 AA (IES 9.00) |
| Xcel Diamond | 32.00 AA | 34.00 AA (IES 8.80) |
| Xcel Sapphire | 32.00 AA | 32.00 AA (IES 8.50) |
The figures come from the New York state qualification scores and Pennsylvania qualifying scores pages. Pennsylvania also says all seniors qualify to their State meet.
Don’t read too much into a higher or lower number. Scores run differently from one level or division to the next, so a 33.00 in one row isn’t “harder” than a 32.00 in another. Ask your club or check your state’s website for the current season. These figures can change every year.
If She’s Injured Before State
The Development Program has a national petition process for gymnasts who can’t compete at the last qualifying meets (Rules & Policies Ch. 9, Section V, pp. 59–61):
- The petition goes to the State Administrative Committee Chair, and the state committee decides.
- It must arrive by the Wednesday after the last qualifying meet.
- It needs one sanctioned score from the current season at or above the State qualifying score, plus written confirmation from a licensed medical professional giving a release date. A gymnast who qualified to State or higher at the same level last season can use last season’s scores instead.
- No petitions are accepted when a state qualifies gymnasts by percentage or by a set number per age group.
Xcel families should check their state’s petition rules.
How to Qualify for Regionals
Regionals bring together qualifiers from the states in one region. Results and entries pass from the State meet to Regionals (Ch. 9, p. 62), so for most gymnasts the State meet is also the Regionals qualifier.
Development Program Regionals
Regional Championships must be held for Levels 9 and 10. They take place in April, at least three weeks before the national meets. A region may also hold Regionals for Level 8 and below. Levels 6 and 7 compete up to State “and possibly” Regionals, depending on the region. Level 8’s season is built to finish at Regionals (Ch. 9, pp. 57 and 62).
The Regional qualifying score is set by the region. For Levels 9 and 10 it also needs approval from USA Gymnastics’ national committees (p. 57). As one example, USA Gymnastics New Jersey’s 2026 Region 7 procedures asked for 34.00 AA at the State meet for Levels 9 and 10, 34.00 for Level 8 and 35.00 for Level 7, with 9.0 or more on an event for Level 9–10 specialists.
Two national rules soften the cut:
- A state with no qualifier still sends someone. If nobody from a state reaches the Regional score at a level, its highest all-around finisher at State is invited. This doesn’t apply to IES gymnasts (p. 62).
- Injured gymnasts can petition at Levels 8–10. The gymnast must report the injury by 5 pm local time on the Monday after State and send documents by 5 pm on the Wednesday. She needs a sanctioned score from earlier in the current season at least 1.00 above the Regional qualifying score, plus medical confirmation. Petitions aren’t accepted when a region qualifies by percentage or by a set number (pp. 59–61).
Xcel Regionals
Each region decides which Xcel divisions get a Regional Championship and how gymnasts qualify (Ch. 8, pp. 51 and 53). If too few gymnasts reach the qualifying score, the region can guarantee up to 120 places.
In 2026, Regions 7 and 8 both held Xcel Regionals for Gold, Platinum, Diamond and Sapphire, but qualified gymnasts differently:
- Region 7 set State-meet minimums of 36.00 AA for Gold, 35.00 for Platinum, 34.00 for Diamond and 33.00 for Sapphire, with 9.0 for event specialists (USA Gymnastics New Jersey).
- Region 8 took Gold, Platinum and Diamond gymnasts by percentage of each State meet, and Sapphire gymnasts with 34.00 AA at State (2026 Region 8 Xcel Championships).
Bronze and Silver weren’t included in either region. Our guide to Xcel divisions explains how Bronze to Sapphire differ.
How to Qualify for Nationals
Only the top of each ladder has a national meet: Development Program Levels 9 and 10, and Xcel Platinum, Diamond and Sapphire. Qualification runs through Regionals, and these meets have national rules that every region follows.
| Meet | Who can go | How to qualify |
|---|---|---|
| Level 9 Eastern or Western Championships | Level 9 | Top 7 AA in each of 16 age groups from each region, with at least 34.00 AA at Regionals |
| Development Program National Championships | Level 10 | Top 7 AA in each of 12 age groups (Junior A–F, Senior A–F) from each of the 8 regions, with at least 35.00 AA at Regionals; plus a separate All-Star session |
| National Xcelebration | Xcel Platinum, Diamond, Sapphire | Top 100 Platinum, top 100 Diamond and top 20 Sapphire from each Regional Championship, ranked by AA; no minimum score |
These rules are in Rules & Policies Ch. 9 (pp. 63–66) and Ch. 8 (pp. 54–55).
Level 9: Easterns and Westerns
Level 9 has two “national” meets instead of one. Westerns are for Regions 1–4 and Easterns for Regions 5–8 (2026 Eastern/Western bid information). The seven qualifiers in each age group compete as their region’s team for that age group, as well as for individual titles.
Both conditions apply. A gymnast who finishes eighth with 36.00 doesn’t qualify on her score alone, and one who finishes fourth with 33.90 doesn’t make it either. There are no petitions to Easterns or Westerns. Each region names alternates, who can replace an injured qualifier from the same region and age group up to the start of competition (pp. 62–64).
If a region can’t fill all seven places in an age group, the places go to the eighth-placed gymnasts from the regions whose teams placed first and second the year before. A squad that includes another region’s gymnast competes as an All-Star team (p. 63).
Level 10: Development Program Nationals
Level 10 uses the same model with a 35.00 minimum. On top of the regional teams, there is a separate All-Star session that isn’t split by age group. Each region can send up to 22 more gymnasts, starting with the top two all-arounders in each age group who scored at least 35.00 but missed their regional team (pp. 65–66). There are no petitions to Nationals or to the All-Star session.
A new rule for 2026–27 helps when a region is short of qualifiers. If a Level 9 or 10 gymnast finishes Regionals within 0.10 of the 34.00 or 35.00 minimum, her coach may file an inquiry on her lowest-scoring event. This applies only when her region can’t fill all its team places, and it can’t move her ahead of anyone who reached the minimum outright (2026–27 Development Program Update).
Xcel: National Xcelebration
Xcel had no national championship until USA Gymnastics announced National Xcelebration in August 2025. The first one is on June 10–13, 2027, at the Minneapolis Convention Center. USA Gymnastics calls it the first national competition for the Xcel program.
It is open to Platinum, Diamond and Sapphire only, and the only route in is the gymnast’s own Regional Championship. Every region gets the same number of places (Rules & Policies Ch. 8, Section VIII, pp. 54–55):
- Platinum: top 100 per region (800 in all)
- Diamond: top 100 per region (800 in all)
- Sapphire: top 20 per region (160 in all)
Gymnasts are ranked on their all-around score at Regionals, whatever their age group, and anyone tied for the last place goes too. There is no minimum score, no petition route and no injury replacement. Places a region doesn’t use are shared out among the other regions. The 2026–27 Xcel Program Update lists the event with the same rule: qualify through the Regional Championship.
A Qualifying Score Is Not a Mobility Score
Families often mix up these two numbers, because both are all-around scores and some look alike.
A qualifying score gets a gymnast into a championship this season. A mobility score lets her move up to the next level or division. In the Development Program, for example, moving from Level 8 to Level 9 takes 34.00 AA at Level 8, or 8.50 on an event (Rules & Policies, p. 58). In Xcel, moving up to Platinum, Diamond or Sapphire takes 32.00 AA in the division below, or 8.50 on an event. Bronze, Silver and Gold have no mobility score (Xcel Code of Points, General/Judges-2).
Reaching one doesn’t give her the other. A gymnast can earn her mobility score and still miss State, or qualify for State without moving up. Mobility scores also count only from live sanctioned meets. Our guide to USAG mobility scores lists every one.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there one State qualifying score for the whole country?
No. Each state sets its own for each level and division, and it can change from season to season. Your club or your state’s USA Gymnastics website will have the current figure.
Do Xcel gymnasts have a Nationals?
Yes, starting in 2027. Platinum, Diamond and Sapphire gymnasts can qualify from Regionals to National Xcelebration, first held in June 2027. Bronze, Silver and Gold have no national meet.
Can a gymnast qualify on one event?
Sometimes, for State and Regionals. It depends on whether her state or region offers individual-event qualifying. The national meets work differently. Easterns/Westerns and Development Program Nationals take the top all-around finishers, and National Xcelebration ranks gymnasts by all-around total.
What if she misses the Easterns or Nationals score by a little?
The 34.00 and 35.00 minimums are firm, and there are no petitions to those meets. The one exception, new for 2026–27, is the 0.10 inquiry. It applies only when her region has unfilled team places.
Is Level 10 Nationals the same as the elite U.S. Championships?
No. Development Program Nationals is the top meet of the Level 10 season. Elite gymnastics is a separate pathway with its own qualifying rules.
The Short Version
A gymnast qualifies by earning a score at sanctioned meets during the season. Her state sets the score for State, and her region sets the rules for Regionals. From there, the top Level 9s go to Easterns or Westerns (top 7 and 34.00 AA), the top Level 10s go to Nationals (top 7 and 35.00 AA), and from June 2027 the top Platinum, Diamond and Sapphire gymnasts go to National Xcelebration. Check your own state and region’s procedures each season, because the local numbers change.