Tag Archive for: NCAA Transfer Rules

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NCAA DIII Convention Actions

Transfer Portal

The NCAA Transfer Portal is currently optional for Division III schools.

However, starting in August 2026, the Transfer Portal will become mandatory for all D3 member universities.

Until then, D3 athletes must follow their school’s chosen process:

  • Transfer Portal notification method or the
  • “Permission to Contact” method.

The option of a D3 athlete’s opportunity to utilize a “self-release” will remain permissible if they are interested in contacting coaches at another D3 program.

Schedule a confidential Transfer Consultation to talk through your athlete’s unique situation, understand available options, and receive guidance on navigating the transfer process.

Season of Eligibility

A proposal that would have charged Division III athletes with a season of eligibility only if they competed in a contest during the season was defeated.

This means Division III athletes will continue to be charged with one of their four permissible seasons of participation even if their involvement during a season is limited to practicing with the team and they never appear in a game.

This also means that if a D3 athlete wants to have an additional season of eligibility, it will be even more important to manage their season by

  • Stepping away from the team before the season begins or
  • Having a clear understanding of the rules and guidelines for a Medical Hardship Waiver to possibly get a season “over again” if they are injured or become ill during a season.

Schedule an Eligibility Consultation online or reach out at rick@informedathlete.com or 913-766-1235 for guidance on how your athlete’s season of eligibility will be counted.

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JUCO Student-Athletes and Academic Eligibility Issues at NCAA Schools

When a Junior College student-athlete is planning to transfer to an NCAA university and there are academic eligibility issues, it can create roadblocks to the transfer.

If the eligibility issue isn’t discovered until AFTER the JUCO transfer athlete has already started attending classes at their NCAA university, the athlete won’t be eligible to compete during their first year of attendance at the university.

Student-athletes who start their college career at a junior college may have differing academic requirements to be eligible in their first year at an NCAA university.

Some of the issues that can derail a junior college student-athlete’s athletic and academic career and end up costing them personally and financially include:

  • Was the junior college student-athlete a “qualifier” or a “non-qualifier” (as defined by the NCAA) based on their high school academic record? The answer to this will affect what a transfer athlete must achieve academically during their time at a junior college to be eligible to compete in their first year at an NCAA university.
  • How many semesters did the junior college student-athlete attend the junior college as a full-time student? (It can be a good thing to take a part-time course load at a junior college in some situations.)
  • Was the junior college student-athlete required to earn their Associates Degree to be academically eligible upon transfer to an NCAA university?
  • If a junior college transfer athlete has not satisfied all necessary NCAA academic requirements BEFORE they begin attending their new university, they won’t be eligible to compete during their first academic year of attendance and also may not be qualified to receive an athletic scholarship!

Knowing your eligibility status ahead of time can allow a student-athlete to make the adjustments that are needed to avoid disappointment and possibly financial problems down the road.

If you are a junior college transfer athlete (or parent of one) and you are uncertain about your NCAA academic eligibility status, Informed Athlete can help:

If you have questions, schedule a confidential Eligibility Issues Consult online, contact Rick Allen at rick@informedathlete.com or call us at 913-766-1235.

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NCAA Division I Grads Can Enter Transfer Portal October 1st

Current NCAA Division I athletes who plan to transfer after graduating from their current university can enter the Transfer Portal to begin having discussions with coaches at other universities starting October 1st.

However, athletes must be aware that if they do that, the odds are good that they will be immediately removed from their team and barred from using athletic facilities.

Also, the athlete must ensure that they WILL graduate from their current school before transferring elsewhere. Otherwise, their eligibility to compete at their next school may be in jeopardy.

If your athlete is thinking about transferring after earning their undergrad degree, schedule a Transfer Consult online or contact us at rick@informedathlete.com or by calling 913-766-1235 for questions about a potential transfer.

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Changes to NCAA Transfer Eligibility

There have obviously been many changes to the NCAA transfer rules over the past few years. Many followers of our service remember that under previous transfer rules, athletes in most cases were required to serve a “year in residence” at their new university if the athlete was transferring a 2nd time to a third four-year university.

But under recent rule changes, athletes will have the chance to be immediately eligible at their new four-year university as long as they are meeting the academic requirements to be eligible – regardless of how many times they have previously transferred.

However, if a transferring athlete does not meet academic requirements to be immediately eligible at their new university it will be possible for them to regain their eligibility after one term of full-time attendance at their university.

In that case, the athlete will need to work closely with academic advisors at the new university to make up any deficiency in their academic status before the start of their second term of attendance at the university.

Do You Have Questions?

If you have questions about the academic eligibility requirements for your athlete to be eligible as a transfer student, schedule a confidential transfer consultation online, contact us at 913-766-1235 or send an email to rick@informedathlete.com

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NCAA Division I & II Year-in-Residency Transfer Rule Changes

Both NCAA Division I and II governing boards recently took action to eliminate the “year in residence” requirement for student-athletes who transfer more than one time between four-year universities. This is a rule that had been in place for many years.

The Division I and DII Councils unanimously adopted a rule change that will permit a student-athlete transferring from a four-year university to an NCAA DI or DII institution to be immediately eligible regardless of how many times the athlete may have transferred previously. This rule change has been ratified by both Division I and Division II Board of Directors and is now effective.

In order for a NCAA DI student-athlete to be eligible:

  • The student-athlete must be in good academic standing at their time of transfer and the university they are leaving must be able to indicate that the athlete would be eligible if they were staying at that university rather than transferring.
  • This includes the requirement to earn at least 6 academic credits each semester, at least 18 hours during the regular academic year, and satisfy the “percentage of degree completion” requirement.

For a NCAA DII student-athlete to be eligible:

  • The key academic requirement is that an athlete must be earning at least 9 credit hours each semester to be eligible the following semester.

If an athlete is not academically eligible for their very first term of attendance at their new university under this new rule, they will have the opportunity to regain eligibility after they have completed one term of full-time enrollment and have satisfied all academic eligibility requirements.

For both Divisions I and II:

One exception is that Division I baseball athletes who are not eligible at the start of the Fall term will not be eligible until the following academic year.

Do You Need Help Navigating the Transfer Process

We specialize in explaining all of the rules and academic requirements for an athlete to be eligible as a transfer to a new college. Schedule a confidential Transfer Consultation online, contact us at rick@informedathlete.com or by call 913-766-1235.

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NCAA DI Transfer Portal Windows Closing Soon

Division I Transfer Portal Windows are closing soon for the 2023 Spring sports listed below:

  • Women’s Beach Volleyball: June 14
  • Men’s Golf: June 17
  • Lacrosse: June 21
  • Tennis: June 15
  • Women’s Water Polo: June 15

To learn and understand how all the steps and rules involved in a transfer will impact your student-athlete, schedule a confidentialTransfer Consult online.

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Why June 15th is an Important Date for College Athletes and High School Recruits

For current college athletes including:

  • Student-Athletes who hope to transfer from any four-year college to an NCAA Division II athletic program,
  • Current junior college athletes who were signed to an NJCAA Letter of Intent during the 2022-23 school year.

4-4 Transfers hoping to transfer to an NCAA D2 program:

For athletes currently at an NCAA school and who want to be eligible this Fall upon transfer to an NCAA D2 program:

  • June 15 is the deadline that the athlete must provide written notification to their current school that they want to be entered into the NCAA Transfer Portal.
  • If the student-athlete misses the June 15 deadline, they will lose out on the opportunity to be eligible for competition in their first year at an NCAA Division II program (unless a waiver is approved for the athlete to be eligible).

For 4-year college athletes who don’t have access to the NCAA Transfer Portal (such as current NAIA athletes):

  • Student-athletes should make sure they request written permission from their current school to be allowed to contact NCAA Division II programs about a possible transfer no later than June 15. The request should be sent to their current athletic department via email so that the request date can be verified if it becomes an issue.

NJCAA Letter of Intent signees:

For athletes who attended an NJCAA two-year college during the 2022-23 academic year as a Letter of Intent signee:

  • June 15 is the date by which notification of renewal of the athlete’s Letter of Intent for the 2023-24 academic year is supposed to be provided by their college.
  • An NJCAA athlete who isn’t signed to a second-year scholarship by June 15 (which is supposed to be in the form of a new Letter of Intent) becomes recruitable by any other NJCAA college starting on June 16.

High School Recruits

NCAA Division I

June 15th is the first date when most coaches at NCAA Division I programs can place recruiting phone calls and send emails/messages to athletes who have just completed their sophomore year of high school.

The following Division I sports are the only ones that have a date other than June 15 as the earliest date for placing recruiting calls and sending emails/messages to prospects:

  • Baseball – Sept. 1 of junior year
  • Women’s Basketball – June 1 at conclusion of sophomore year
  • Football – Sept. 1 of senior year except for one call from 4/15 to 5/31 of junior year
  • Men’s Ice Hockey – Jan. 1 of sophomore year
  • Lacrosse – Sept. 1 of junior year
  • Softball – Sept. 1 of junior year

Football has an exception to the above date regarding emails sent to prospects. Those can be sent to prospects beginning September 1 of a prospect’s junior year in high school.

NCAA Division II

June 15th is the date when NCAA DII coaches in ALL sports can start to contact recruits who have completed their sophomore year of HS via phone, email, or direct messaging.

Division II coaches in all sports can also accept incoming calls and talk to prospects who call them at any time.

NOTE about the June 15 recruiting date: For any of you who may have requested and viewed our recruiting calendars for June and July, you’ll see change from June 14 to June 15 as to the classes of high school recruits who will be able to receive recruiting phone calls from NCAA Division I and Division II coaches.

Do you have questions or need objective advice?

For specific questions about the NCAA transfer or recruiting rules, or scholarship agreements and letters of intent, contact us by calling 913-766-1235 or send an email to rick@informedathlete.com.

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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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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 Proposed Rule Changes: Official Visits, Transfers, Eligibility

It’s the time of year when the NCAA is starting to publicize proposed rule changes that will be voted on at the annual NCAA Convention in January. I’ll highlight those that will likely be of most interest to student-athletes and families.

Division I

The Division I Council has introduced a proposal to reduce the number of official visits a men’s basketball recruit can take to a Division I university from five to three during each of three periods:

  • Junior year of high school.
  • Senior year of high school.
  • After high school graduation (for a transfer or during a prep school year for example).

The proposal would also reduce the length of official visits in men’s basketball to 36 hours from 48. Members of the Council believe many student-athletes are taking official visits simply because they can and not because they intend to attend a school.

Division II

If approved, the Division II transfer rules will be revised to more closely align with the Division I transfer rules. Perhaps the most important revision would be that a Division II coach or athletic department would not be able to object to a student-athlete’s opportunity to be eligible in their first year at their new university.

The Division II transfer rules would be revised to:

  • Require a transferring student-athlete to view an NCAA-produced educational video before an institution may enter the student-athlete’s information into the NCAA Transfer Portal;
  • Eliminate the previous institution’s ability to object to use of the one-time transfer exception;
  • Require the new head coach and the student-athlete to certify in writing that they had no direct or indirect contact about a possible transfer prior to the student-athlete entering the Transfer Portal;
  • Establish June 15 as the date by which a student-athlete must enter the Transfer Portal to utilize the one-time transfer exception (not applicable to midyear transfers); and
  • Permit institutions to reduce or cancel an athletics aid agreement previously signed for the next academic year.

Division III

The Division III Presidents Council is supporting a proposal that would change the current “season of participation” rule to specify that only actual competition against another institution would trigger the use of a season.

  • A student-athlete would be charged with the use of a season of eligibility if the student-athlete competes at any point during the traditional season in their sport.

Please note that these rule changes are not currently planned to take effect until next June. We will be updating you and confirming the approval of these proposals when that occurs.

In the meantime, if you have questions about any of these proposals, contact us at rick@informedathlete.com or by calling 913-766-1235.

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