Scottish FA performance director Malky Mackay has named the eight clubs to attain elite-level status within the new academy structure.
Aberdeen, Celtic, Hamilton, Hearts, Hibernian, Kilmarnock, Motherwell and Rangers successfully met the SFA's Project Brave top-tier criteria.
Fellow top-flight sides Partick Thistle, Ross County and St Johnstone are in the second-tier "Progressive".
Dundee sit in the lowest of the three bands - "Performance".
The Championship's top two clubs, St Mirren and Dundee United, admitted they could not afford to apply for a place in the elite bracket.
| Scotland's new academy structure |
|---|
| Elite: Aberdeen, Celtic, Hamilton Academical, Hearts, Hibernian, Kilmarnock, Motherwell, Rangers. |
| Progressive: Ayr United, Dundee United, Forth Valley, Inverness Caledonian Thistle, Partick Thistle, Ross County, St Mirren, St Johnstone. |
| Performance: Dundee, Fife, Greenock Morton, Queen's Park. |
No place for Queens probably due to financial constraints