Do I need to enter the Transfer Portal if I’ve been cut from the team or withdraw from school?

One of the questions we receive on a regular basis is whether an athlete must be added to the “Transfer Portal” to contact a coach at an NCAA athletic program when the athlete has already been cut from their current team or they have completely withdrawn from their university.

In the majority of cases, that answer is “yes.”

When an athlete at an NCAA university has withdrawn from their university, the NCAA rules state that the athlete can’t be contacted by coaches at other programs unless the athlete has been withdrawn from their previous college for at least one full academic year!

So, even if your athlete left their NCAA school at the end of the Fall semester, or were cut from the team by their coach, they still need to be added to the Transfer Portal to have contact with coaches at other NCAA universities.

If you have other questions about what you should or should not do when considering a transfer, schedule a confidential Transfer Consult online, call us at 913-766-1235 or send an email to rick@informedathlete.com.

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Transfer Portal Dates for NCAA DI Athletes Considering a Transfer

NCAA D1 athletes who hope to transfer to another NCAA program for next year should take note of the following Transfer Portal Dates.

A Division I Fall Sport athlete who wants to be eligible at another Division I program next year must notify their current school that they want to enter the Transfer Portal by May 15. (Note: Division I Football closed on April 30.)

For Division I Winter Sport athletes, those Transfer Portal windows are closed except for a few sports. Those are:

  • Men’s Basketball – May 11
  • Women’s Basketball – May 11
  • Women’s Bowling – May 28
  • Fencing – May 13
  • Men’s Gymnastics – June 3
  • Women’s Gymnastics – May 19
  • Men’s Ice Hockey – May 18

The Transfer Portal Windows for D1 Spring Sports are:

  • Baseball: – May 30 – July 13
  • Women’s Beach Volleyball: May 1 – June 14
  • Men’s Golf: May 4 – June 17
  • Women’s Golf: April 27 – June 10
  • Lacrosse: May 8 – June 21
  • Women’s Rowing: May 17 – June 30
  • Softball: May 15 – June 28
  • Tennis: May 2 – June 15
  • Outdoor Track and Field: May 19 – July 2
  • Men’s Volleyball: April 24 – June 7
  • Women’s Water Polo: May 2 – June 15

(There are exceptions for athletes who will be graduating from their current university and for those who have not had an athletic scholarship at their current university.)

Do You Have Questions About Transfers?

To learn all the steps and rules involved in a transfer and answer any questions you may have, schedule a confidential Transfer Consult online, send an email to rick@informedathlete.com or call our office at 913-766-1235.

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NCAA DI Winter Sport Transfer Portal Dates

With Winter sports approaching the end of the regular season, here are the opening and closing Transfer Portal dates for NCAA Division I Winter sport athletes:

  • Men’s Basketball: March 13-May 11
  • Women’s Basketball: March 14-May 12
  • Women’s Bowling: March 30-May 28
  • Fencing: March 15-May 13
  • Men’s Gymnastics: April 5-June 3
  • Women’s Gymnastics: March 21-May 19
  • Men’s Ice Hockey: March 20-May 18
  • Women’s Ice Hockey: March 6-May 4
  • Rifle: Feb. 22-April 22
  • Skiing: March 1-April 29
  • Men’s Swimming/Diving: March 9-May 7
  • Women’s Swimming/Diving: March 2-April 30
  • Indoor Track and Field: March 1-April 29
  • Men’s Wrestling: March 9-May 7

Exceptions:

  • There are exceptions for Division I student-athletes who will be transferring as a postgraduate student and for those who are transferring as a non-scholarship athlete.
  • There is also a 30-day Transfer Window available for Division I student-athletes immediately following their coach being fired or leaving to take another job.

Do You Have Questions About Your Student-Athlete?

Schedule a confidential consultation online for an explanation of the steps, rules and academic requirements to be eligible as a transferring student-athlete, or by calling us at 913-766-1235 or writing to rick@informedathlete.com

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Summary of 2023 NCAA Convention Rule Changes

The annual NCAA Convention was recently held in San Antonio The following is a summary of the official rule changes or resolutions in each Division that will have the most direct impact on student-athletes.

NCAA Division I Changes

Transfer Waiver Guidelines Change For 4-4-4 transfer athletes who transfer a second time to a Division I university as an undergraduate:

When an athlete transfers to their third university (4-4-4 transfer) and wants to be eligible in their first year, they can no longer use the following arguments in a waiver application:

  • No Participation Opportunity
  • Financial Hardship
  • Misinformation From a Staff Member

The NCAA Division I Council voted unanimously that going forward, each waiver request will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

One of the following criteria must be satisfied to receive a waiver:

  • A demonstrated physical injury or illness or mental health condition that necessitated the student’s transfer (supporting documentation, care plans and proximity of the student’s support system will be considered), or
  • Exigent circumstances that clearly necessitate a student-athlete’s immediate departure from the previous school (e.g., physical assault or abuse, sexual assault) unrelated to the student-athlete’s athletics participation.”

Transfer Exceptions are not the same as Transfer Waivers and will still be available.

The most common Transfer Exception for a 4-4-4 transfer to be eligible in their first year at a Division I university is the Non-Scholarship or Non-Recruited Transfer Exception.

Student-athletes who qualify to use one of the Transfer Exceptions (other than the One-Time Transfer Exception), will now be allowed to enter the Transfer Portal at any time instead of having to wait for the Transfer Portal schedule for their sport.

Softball Athletes – Midyear Transfer Rule Change

A midyear transfer to a Division I softball program – whether from a two-year or four-year college – will no longer be immediately eligible in their first softball season unless they are transferring as a postgraduate student.

This rule takes effect on August 1 of this year and will impact the 2024 softball season.

NCAA Division II

Effective August 1, 2023, NCAA Division II Football student-athletes will be allowed to participate in up to three games during their initial year of enrollment at a Division II institution without being charged with one of their four seasons of playing eligibility.

In addition, Division II football teams will be permitted to scrimmage against another four-year college team as one of the three permissible scrimmage sessions that are allowed during Spring practice.

Student-athletes participating in this scrimmage will not trigger the use of a season of playing eligibility AS LONG AS the athlete was academically eligible during the preceding Fall term.

NCAA Division III

A resolution was approved (but not an actual rule change at this time) directing Division III governing committees to work with member schools and conferences to “…establish a hardship waiver process specific for mental health…”

The intention of this resolution is to establish a hardship waiver process for Mental Health that is separate from that of a Physical Injury Waiver.

The formal resolution also noted that the requirement for a Mental Health Hardship Waiver should allow for appropriate flexibility in supporting documentation since individuals “…suffering with a mental health condition often do not seek immediate support.”

Do You Have Questions?

If you have questions about these changes or any other questions about specific issues that impact you or your athlete regarding college athletics eligibility, scholarships, waivers or transfers, we invite you to schedule a confidential consult by calling us at 913-766-1235 or sending an email to rick@informedathlete.com.

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NCAA Division I Eliminates “No Participation Opportunity” Argument for Transfer Waivers

The NCAA Division I is no longer accepting the argument of “No Participation Opportunity” as the basis for waiver relief. This means an athlete will be required to sit out their first year at a new university if they can’t benefit from a Transfer Exception.

Limited waiver opportunities may still be available. However, robust documentation of the circumstances will be required.

Schedule a Waivers and Appeals Consult online if you have questions and want to discuss your athlete’s situation and possible opportunities for a transfer exception.

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NCAA DI Transfer Portal Window Updates For Fall 2022 Sports

Only one Division I Fall sports still has days remaining in their standard “midyear” Transfer Portal Window:

  • FBS Football: Through Jan. 18

Exceptions:

There is an exception for Division I student-athletes who will be transferring as a postgraduate student.

There is also a 30-day Transfer Window available for Division I student-athletes immediately following their coach being fired or leaving to take another job.

Transfer Windows for Division I student-athletes who participate in Winter sports will open beginning in late February or early March depending upon the sport.

Also, if you’re an NCAA Division II or III athlete who’s hoping to transfer to a Division I program, you can enter the Transfer Portal whenever you’re ready to do so. Keep in mind that you will probably be removed from your current team when you do that.

Schedule a confidential consultation online for the steps, rules and academic requirements to be eligible as a transferring student-athlete, or by calling us at 913-766-1235

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Can Your Athletic Scholarship Be Cancelled at Mid-Year?

We’ve consulted recently with families regarding situations in which their athlete has been dismissed or suspended from a team with little to no explanation as to why they were removed from their team.

While these situations are certainly unfortunate and appear unfair, decisions as to who a coach keeps on their roster are left to the discretion of the coach by most athletic directors. If a coach removes an athlete from their team, the athlete may have no choice but to transfer to another school.

However, if an athlete is receiving an athletic scholarship, the NCAA rules limit the ability of a coach or athletic department to cancel the scholarship in the middle of the academic year.

Mid-year cancellation of a scholarship is only possible if an athlete:

  • Is ruled ineligible for competition,
  • Provides fraudulent information on an application, letter of intent, or financial aid agreement,
  • Engages in serious misconduct that rises to the level of being disciplined by the university’s regular student disciplinary board,
  • Voluntarily quits their team,
  • Violates an athletic department or team rule or policy.

Also, an NCAA Division I athlete entering the Transfer Portal could possibly lose their scholarship at midyear.

My advice to athletes and parents:

Review very carefully any athletic department or university rules and policies that spell out the non-athletic reasons that can be cited for the cancellation of an athletic scholarship.

If your athlete is concerned about their scholarship being taken away mid-year, schedule a confidential scholarship consultation online with me to discuss the situation and options your athlete may have.

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How Can College Athletes Transfer Multiple Times With No Issues?

That’s a question I’m frequently asked. It can be surprising how many times some athletes transfer from one school to another.

When an athlete can’t use the One-Time Transfer Exception to be immediately eligible at a new school, how are they able to be eligible as a multiple time transfer?

While we don’t know the specific circumstances of each athlete’s situation that you might hear or read about, here are some possible explanations as to how they may be able to transfer multiple times and not be required to serve a “year in residence” at their new university.

  • Second transfer could be the use of the Non-Scholarship Transfer Exception.
  • Second (or third) transfer could be using the “No Participation Opportunity” Waiver to be eligible at the next college.
  • 2nd or 3rd transfer could be transferring as a grad student and getting a waiver to be eligible as a grad transfer if they are pursuing a degree that wasn’t offered at their previous college.
  • Any of the above could also have been a possible option AFTER a 4-2-4 transfer from the first four-year college to a JUCO then back to another four-year college and then possibly using any of the options listed above.

Do You Need Advice?

If your athlete is thinking about a transfer, whether from one four-year college to another or from a junior college, we can provide a confidential consultation to explain the steps, rules and academic requirements to be eligible at the new college. Schedule a confidential Transfer Consultation online, contact us at rick@informedathlete.com or call our office at 913-766-1235.

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What College Athletes Considering a Mid-Year Transfer Should Know BEFORE Taking Action!

Transferring to another school at any time of the year has its challenges. However, mid-year transfers to a new university can be especially difficult because a student-athlete often has a short window of time to find a new school and then enroll for classes that start in January.

In addition:

  • There can be specific rules that determine whether a mid-year transfer athlete will have immediate eligibility.
  • There are also specific academic requirements that the student-athlete must satisfy in the Fall to order to be eligible to compete in the Spring.

Before your student-athlete takes action, make sure they know where they stand and what options they have so they don’t make mistakes that could cause them to lose eligibility or add a financial burden to the family.

  • As an example, an NCAA Division I student-athlete entering the Transfer Portal could possibly lose their scholarship at mid-year.
  • There are also certain sports in which a mid-year transfer athlete can’t be eligible to compete in the Spring even if they satisfy all of the academic requirements to be eligible at the next university.

Do you have questions?

If your or your student-athlete has questions and needs advice on how to successfully navigate through a mid-year transfer, schedule a confidential Transfer Consult session online, send an email to rick@informedathlete.com or call 913-766-1235

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Junior College Athletes – Make Sure You’re Eligible Before You Transfer to an NCAA University!

We recently consulted with a student-athlete who transferred to an NCAA Division II university only to learn that she would not be academically eligible for competition even though she earned her Associates Degree at her junior college during the summer.

She thought that the completion of her Associates Degree at the two-year college was all that she needed to be eligible as a transfer and did not know that there are also multiple NCAA academic requirements that also need to be satisfied.

In this situation, this athlete wasn’t informed that she was also required to earn at least 9 credit hours of transferable degree credit during her last semester at the junior college. Because she didn’t have enough academic credit hours that were accepted as transfer credit, she wasn’t eligible to compete for the Division II university.

In fact, any NCAA Division II athlete – even a continuing student-athlete at their same university or one transferring from another four-year college – must earn at least 9 credit hours (or 8 hours if their college is on the quarter system) in the preceding term of full-time attendance to be eligible the following term. For a transfer athlete, those credit hours must be acceptable for transfer credit at the college the athlete is transferring to.

If you are have questions about your student-athlete’s situation, we can help.

Schedule a confidential Eligibility Consult online, call us at 913-766-1235 or send an email to rick@informedathlete.com

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