NCAA DI Transfer Athlete’s GPA and Immediate Eligibility at a New School

When an NCAA D1 student-athlete is considering a transfer to another D1 university, there are two key steps in the process.

Step 1:

Submit written notice to the compliance office at your current university that you want your name entered into the Transfer Portal. The Transfer Portal eliminates the need to first obtain permission from your university to speak with coaches at other programs. However, it is still best practice to inform your coach of your plans to transfer before notifying your compliance office.

Step 2:

The university you’re leaving may choose to object to your opportunity to be immediately eligible in your first year at the new university. Such an objection could force you to sit out from competition in your first year of attendance unless an appeal or waiver is granted by the NCAA.

Why would a university state an objection?

There are a few different reasons that an athlete’s original university may object to the athlete being immediately eligible in their first year.

One reason can be when an athlete is following a former coach to a new job at another university.

Another primary reason is when the student-athlete’s GPA is under 2.60.

When a Division I scholarship athlete transfers,, the school’s team that they are transferring from will lose that athlete’s “retention point” for APR (Academic Progress Rate).

However:

• When a transfer athlete has a GPA at or above 2.60, their original team can receive an “adjustment” and will be able to receive the retention point.

• An athlete with a GPA below 2.60 won’t qualify for the adjustment and that will cause their original team to lose the retention point.

To learn more about how the APR can affect an athlete’s transfer, here’s a link to an article on our website: https://informedathlete.com/how-the-academic-progress-rate-apr-can-affect-an-athletes-ncaa-transfer/

Does the transferring athlete have any options?

• The athlete may be able to take a summer course to raise their GPA above 2.60. However, where they take that summer course and when the grade is posted to their transcript can impact whether that will resolve the issue.

• Also, if the university to which the athlete is transferring agrees to file for an NCAA waiver, the athlete has the potential to be ruled immediately eligible if the waiver is approved.

Do you need help?

If your student-athlete is considering a transfer at this point in the year and their GPA is a concern, or if you have other transfer questions, we can discuss the athlete’s options and help develop a plan to navigate through the process.

Schedule a confidential Transfer Consult online, or contact us at 913-766-1235.