Qualifying Competitions

QUALIFYING COMPETITIONS

The U.S. Figure Skating Qualifying Structure is in place for athletes who want to compete at U.S. Championship events in singles, pairs, ice dance, synchronized, collegiate and adults.

FIND A COMPETITION

COMPETITION INFORMATION

The traditional U.S. Figure Skating Qualifying Structure is in place for athletes who want to compete at the United States Figure Skating Championships® in singles, pairs, ice dance, synchronized, collegiate and adults. Singles, pairs and ice dance athletes who are juvenile, intermediate or novice compete to earn a spot on the National High Performance Development Team. Synchronized Skating and Adult Skating also have their own qualifying structures for those aiming to compete at the U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships and U.S. Adult Figure Skating Championships. The U.S. Collegiate Championships is a stand-alone event.

SINGLES, PAIRS, ICE DANCE

Athletes competing in singles, pairs and ice dance enter the qualifying structure for the chance to earn a spot at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships.

2025-26 NATIONAL QUALIFYING SERIES (NQS)

Resources

Start Of Series Webinars

U.S. Figure Skating Events staff held two webinars on April 8th and 10th, 2025 addressing everything coaches, athletes, and families would need to know for the 2025-26 National Qualifying Series. The same information was shared on both calls. You may watch the recording of the call here. Password is: bS=E!581 (the password must be typed exactly as shown).

SYNCHRONIZED SKATING

Synchronized skating teams from the juvenile level and up can enter the qualifying season for a chance to compete at the U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships.

LEARN MORE ABOUT SYNCHRONIZED SKATING

The U.S. synchronized skating qualifying season begins in January with three Synchronized Skating Sectional Championships, held in the Eastern, Midwestern and Pacific Coast sections. Open to teams at the pre-preliminary level and above, the top performing juvenile through senior, collegiate, adult and masters levels qualify for the U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships.
Click here to find information about the current qualifying competitions.
Aug. 15: Registration opens via EMS under the Qualifying Competitions tab
Oct. 1: Registration closes, no late entries are accepted
Dec. 1: Dead line for roster changes/additions in EMS
2-weeks prior to competition: Deadline for roster substitution requests
NOTE: teams must register by the Oct. 1 deadline with a roster that meets at least the minimum requirements for their team's level.

ADULT SKATING

The U.S. Figure Skating Adult Skating Program offers adults at the championship adult levels the chance to qualify for the U.S. Adult Figure Skating Championships.

LEARN MORE ABOUT ADULT SKATING

The adult sectional championships are held in March in the Eastern, Midwestern and Pacific Coast sections. The top four skaters from each level advance to compete in their corresponding event at the U.S. Adult Championships, held in April.
A nonqualifying competition is held in conjunction with each adult sectional championship. Skaters who want to enter the nonqualifying portion of the adult sectional championships register directly with the Local Organizing Committee. Some adult sectional nonqualifying competitions include young adult events for those 18-20 years of age. Check the announcements for details.
Nonqualifying events are also held annually at the U.S. Adult Championships. These nonqualifying events do not require qualification from the sectional championships. Events and levels offered include:
Free skate (men’s and ladies): masters junior-senior, masters intermediate-novice, adult gold, adult silver and adult bronze
Emotional Performance: masters, adult gold, adult silver and adult bronze
Lyrical Pop/Character/Comedic: masters, adult gold, adult silver and adult bronze
Pairs: masters, centennial, adult gold, adult silver and adult bronze
Dance: masters open, adult gold, adult pre-gold, adult silver, adult pre-silver, adult bronze, adult pre-bronze and adult centennial
Solo Pattern Dance: adult gold, adult pre-gold, adult silver, adult pre-silver and adult bronze
Solo Free Dance: adult gold, adult silver and adult bronze
Free skate, dramatic entertainment, and light entertainment events are further divided by age. Current age classes for these events are as follows:
Class I: 21-35 years
Class II: 36-45 years
Class III: 46-55 years
Class IV: 56-65 years
Class V: 66 and older
Solo Pattern and Solo Free Dance events are further divided by age. Current age classes for these events are as follows:
Class I/II: 21-45 years
Class III/IV/V: 46 and older
The upcoming qualifying competitions are as follows:
2026 Pacific Coast Adult Sectional Championships - Spokane, Washington (March 6-8,2026)
2026 Midwestern Adult Sectional Championships - Livonia, Michigan (March 13-15, 2026)
2026 Eastern Adult Sectional Championships – York, Pennsylvania (March 6-8,2026)
2026 U.S. Adult Figure Skating Championships Presented by Prevagen - Duluth, Georgia (April 8-11, 2026)
Dec. 15: Registration opens via EMS under the Qualifying Competitions tab
Feb. 1: Registration closes, no late registrations are accepted

COLLEGIATE CHAMPIONSHIPS

The U.S. Collegiate Figure Skating Championships are a stand-alone qualifying event. Skaters who are enrolled as a full-time student in the fall semester of the competition year may compete. Skaters at the junior-senior levels are eligible to earn scholarships based on placement.

How To Participate

May 15: Registration opens for the U.S. Collegiate Championships
June 15: Deadline for registration and collegiate verification form

U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone