Tag Archive for: NCAA Transfer Rules

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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ACC Removes Intra-Conference Transfer Rule

The Atlantic Coast Conference recently announced that they are eliminating the league’s intra-conference transfer rule.

This means that while the standard NCAA DI transfer rules still apply to athletes who transfer to a Division I university, ACC athletes who transfer to another ACC school are no longer bound by additional conference restrictions.

Those Conference restrictions previously mandated that student-athletes who transferred from one ACC school to another must serve a year in residence at the new university. The “year in residence” rule applied to student-athletes who were on an athletic scholarship at the first university as well as student-athletes who were recruited to the first university even if they weren’t on an athletic scholarship.

Why This Decision Is Important for All of Division I

The above action obviously has a direct impact only on student-athletes who transfer within the ACC.

However, I believe this decision has a more wide-ranging impact and sets the stage for all student-athletes to have immediate eligibility one time upon transfer to a Division I program from another four-year university (as long as they satisfy academic requirements).

My belief is based on the statement issued by ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips regarding the action taken by the ACC Board of Directors:

“The time has come for all student-athletes to have the opportunity to transfer and be permitted to compete immediately. This decision is in the best interest of our student-athletes as it allows greater flexibility during their collegiate career.”

Commissioner Phillips is an influential voice as the leader of one of the Power Five conferences. He also has served as a past chairperson of the NCAA Division I Council and the first athletic director to serve on the NCAA’s restructured Board of Directors in 2015.

I’m confident that Division I presidents and athletic directors across the country have taken note of Commissioner Phillips’ statement.

Do You Need Help Navigating the Transfer Process?

To arrange a discussion of the NCAA Division I transfer rules, schedule a confidential Transfer Consult to review the rules that will apply to your student-athlete. You can also contact us by sending an email to rick@informedathlete.com or by calling 913-766-1235.

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NCAA Tabled Votes on New Transfer and Name, Image & Likeness Rules

We’ve recently written to inform you about the new Transfer Rule being proposed by NCAA Division I, as well as the Name, Image, and Likeness proposals in all three NCAA divisions.

https://informedathlete.com/proposed-new-ncaa-di-transfer-rule/

https://informedathlete.com/ncaa-name-image-and-likeness-legislation-update-overview/

These proposals were originally going to be voted on at the annual NCAA Convention.

However, NCAA President Mark Emmert urged the governing bodies of Division I, II, and III to postpone the votes on these proposals.

There are various factors that have contributed to this delay including:

  • A lawsuit advancing to the US Supreme Court regarding whether the NCAA can limit the benefits that college athletes can receive which are related specifically to their education.
  • Increasing concerns are being shared by university and conference administrators regarding the proposal that a third-party administrator will manage student-athlete information about the “deals” (and compensation) the student-athletes might receive regarding name, image, and likeness.To imagine how a third-party administrator for NIL might work, any of you who have interacted with the NCAA Eligibility Center can think about a similar organization to manage Name, Image, and Likeness information for all NCAA student-athletes and ask yourself whether you think that would be efficient for your athlete.
  • Another reason for the postponement of these votes is the introduction in mid-December of two different bills in Congress that impact NCAA student-athletes. In the following segment of this newsletter, I’ll provide a bit of info about those bills.

Do You Have Questions?

If your athlete is considering a transfer and you would like to review and discuss the Transfer rules, you can schedule a confidential Transfer Consult online. You can also send an email to rick@informedathlete.com or call us at 913-766-1235.

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Sooo Many Student-Athletes in the NCAA Transfer Portal!

I recently saw a post from a college football writer that 190 football players have entered the NCAA Transfer Portal in the past 12 days!

Some of these players may leave behind a scholarship at their current school and end up having nowhere to transfer to! It also wouldn’t be surprising to see a similar proportion of athletes in other sports.

When you consider these NCAA athletes who are being granted an additional year of eligibility taking up roster spots that in a normal time would possibly be going to junior college transfers or incoming high school recruits, there will be potential roster “log jams” in many sports across college athletics.

Athletes will need to carefully consider their options BEFORE entering the Transfer Portal.

In a confidential Transfer Consultation, we will:

  • Discuss how the current situation could affect your student-athlete including pros and cons of various transfer options
  • Describe all the steps and rules involved in the transfer process including possible eligibility issues to be aware of

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

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Beware of Voluntary Withdrawal Forms!

Most of you by now have probably heard about the NCAA “Transfer Portal” that is utilized by NCAA Division I programs to let other NCAA colleges know of an athlete’s intent to transfer.

For NCAA Division II and III programs, however, the use of the Transfer Portal is optional. Also, athletes at those programs will need to request permission from their current coaching staff and athletic department to contact other colleges about a possible transfer.

When you tell your coach that you’re planning to transfer and want to contact other colleges, the coach might remove you from the team, but they can’t automatically take your scholarship UNLESS you sign the voluntary withdrawal form!

If your athletic department wants you to sign a “voluntary withdrawal form” as a condition of being granted permission to contact other colleges, our strong recommendation is DON’T sign it!

Signing such a form would give your college the right to immediately cancel your scholarship if they chose to do so.

Do You Need Help Navigating a Transfer?

If you have questions about transferring from one college to another, schedule a confidential Transfer Consult online, call us 913-766-1235 or send an email to rick@informedathlete.com

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How an NCAA DI Transfer Athlete’s GPA Could Derail Immediate Eligibility

When an NCAA DI athlete is considering a transfer to another DI university, there are 2 basic steps in the process.

Step 1:

Submit a written request to be entered into the Transfer Portal.

Prior to the establishment of the NCAA DI Transfer Portal last year, a student-athlete was required to get the permission of his/her coach for a request to speak to other schools. The coach could deny an athlete’s request for permission to speak with all other schools. The coach could also restrict an athlete from talking to particular schools.

This changed in October 2018. Now a student-athlete is required to submit a written request to their compliance office asking to be entered into the Transfer Portal. However, they should inform their coach before contacting the compliance office.

Step 2:

The school the athlete is leaving may be able to object to the student-athlete being immediately eligible at their next school. The student-athlete will then need to sit out a year of competition unless an appeal or a waiver is approved.

Why does a school do this?

There are several reasons that the original school can object. One of the reasons is when the student-athlete’s GPA is under 2.60.

When a transferring athlete has a GPA of 2.60 or higher, their team can receive an APR (Academic Progress Rate) “adjustment” so that they won’t lose the retention point for that athlete. As a result, that team’s APR won’t be negatively impacted by the athlete’s transfer.

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 transfer athlete have any options?

If the school to which the athlete is transferring agrees to file for a NCAA waiver, they have the potential to be ruled immediately eligible depending on whether the NCAA approves it.

Do you need help?

If your athlete is considering a transfer and their GPA is a concern or you have other questions, we can discuss your specific situation and help you develop a plan to navigate through the process.  Schedule a confidential consult online or call our office at 913-766-1235.

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Consider Consequences Before Transferring from an NCAA Program

Social media and media outlets continue to speculate and report on college athletes who they think might be considering a transfer.  This past week, some student-athletes learned that they weren’t going to be the starter at their position and decided that the “grass is greener” at another university.

This time of year, we get many calls regarding potential transfers.  We’re always glad when a student-athlete or their parents call us before they take action because making the wrong decision can have huge negative consequences financially and personally long after the social media outlets stop talking about it. 

Here are a few things to think about before taking action:  

FIRST AND FOREMOST: Is your athlete CERTAIN that transferring is the best decision for them and that they definitely want to leave their current university??

Media reports indicate that there are more than 1000 athletes in the NCAA Transfer Portal (across all sports) and it’s unlikely that all of them will find another college team to transfer to.

Once an athlete submits their name for the NCAA Transfer Portal, it’s possible that they will be removed from their team and will lose their scholarship at the end of the semester. They could lose that opportunity and not find a new one.

Other important considerations:

Participating in organized practices before classes start, even if a student-athlete leaves and withdraws from the school before attending classes, will make them a transfer athlete under the NCAA rules and subject to transfer rules and requirements.

If an athlete has already started attending classes for this semester and is registered as a full-time student, it is rarely a good idea for them to withdraw from classes in the middle of the semester or quarter to transfer elsewhere. Encourage them to at least finish out this current term of attendance.

NCAA Division I athletes should inform their athletic department compliance office in writing or via email that they want to be entered into the NCAA Transfer Portal. Also, while not a specific requirement, it is always best to show the coach the courtesy and respect of informing them of your intentions before sending an email to the compliance office.

Also for Division I athletes, remember that once you tell your school you want to be entered in the Transfer Portal, they have the right to cancel your scholarship at the end of the semester or quarter, even if you were planning to finish out the current school year.  If you are at a Division I program that hasn’t started classes yet for this year (mostly west coast universities), telling them now that you want to be entered in the Transfer Portal before classes begin could mean that you won’t have your scholarship for this upcoming semester or quarter.

Unlike NCAA Division I athletes, NCAA Division II athletes must receive permission from their current coaching staff and athletic department before coaches at other NCAA colleges can speak with them about a possible transfer.

If your coach tells you to sign a “voluntary withdrawal form” as a condition of obtaining permission to contact other schools, remember that signing that form gives your school the right to immediately cancel your scholarship.

Athletes at NAIA athletic programs do not have to request permission from their current coach or school before they inquire with other schools about a transfer opportunity. HOWEVER, those other schools will be required to inform the athlete’s current school that they have been contacted by that athlete. When that happens, the athlete will probably be removed from their current team immediately.

Do You Need Advice?

We have helped thousands of athletes navigate the transfer process to another college. Schedule a transfer consult online or by calling our office at 913-766-1235.

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What happens when an athlete files an NCAA Intent to Transfer Notification

Last Fall, NCAA Division I changed their transfer procedures.  A DI student-athlete previously had to ask for “permission to transfer” before they were allowed to contact other colleges.

Now, student-athletes can file a written “Intent to Transfer” request.   After an “Intent to Transfer” request is submitted, the school is required to enter their name and contact info in the NCAA Transfer Portal within 2 business days.  Other DI schools can then review and contact the student-athlete.

Many student-athletes are eager to voice their plans to transfer earlier than they otherwise would have in the past.  However, some athletes are experiencing difficulties once they file an intent to transfer notification.  In many cases, they are barred from the locker room and can no longer use the athletic facilities.

Most transfers are stressful and made even worse if not navigated properly.  If you or your athlete is considering a transfer to another school, we can advise, guide, and support you through the process.  Schedule a confidential transfer consult online, by calling us at 913-766-1235 or sending an email to rick@informedathlete.com.

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