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Student Eligibility Policy

This policy sets the student eligibility and team size requirements for each competition program, and the rules teams and students follow.

Student Eligibility

A student's age for eligibility is their age on June 1 of the year the season ends. For example, for the 2026–2027 season, eligibility is based on the student's age on June 1, 2027.

Competition Program (and Level) Student Eligibility Team Size
VEX IQ (Elementary School) 12 years old or younger 2+
VEX IQ (Middle School) 15 years old or younger 2+
VEX V5 (Middle School) 15 years old or younger 1+
VEX V5 (High School)

19 years old or younger.
Not graduated from secondary school.

JROTC-affiliated teams are in the United States only.
JROTC dictates enrollment requirements for those affiliated teams.

 1+
VEX AI Post-secondary school or younger. 1+
VEX U

Graduated from secondary school.
In post-secondary school.

A student who graduates from their post-secondary institution during the season remains eligible to compete on the team they were on at the time of graduation, for the remainder of that season, including at the VEX Robotics World Championship. Eligibility under this provision ends at the close of the season in which the student graduated.

 2+

Team Rules

  1. A team competes in one level at a time. A team may compete in multiple programs if they meet all other eligibility requirements.
  2. A team can be organized as a school, a community group, a youth organization, or a group of neighborhood students.
  3. VEX U is the only exception: a VEX U team represents one post-secondary institution, but may include students from more than one.

Student Rules

  1. Every student on a team must meet the eligibility shown for that team's program and level.
  2. A student may compete on only one team in each program and level, but may compete in more than one program, provided they meet the eligibility requirements for each.
  3. A student may change teams during the season if the change is reported to their Program Support Team and is not made for strategic purposes. Students who do not know their Program Support Team can reach them through events.vex.com/support.
  4. A student who delayed their schooling by a year or more may compete in a program even if they are older than that program's age limit based on circumstances. See the Event Accessibility and Accommodations Policy to learn more.

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