Tag Archive for: Student-Athlete GPA

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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.

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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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NCAA Transfers and the Importance of GPA

For NCAA Division I student-athletes, their GPA is increasingly becoming an important factor if they want to transfer to another college or university to continue their college athletic career. This is because a student-athlete leaving a Division I program can cost the program an APR point, which can end up being quite significant.

APR, in NCAA terminology, refers to the Academic Progress Rate. NCAA Division I athletic teams must have a sufficient APR in order to be eligible for postseason play.

To determine each team’s APR, each student-athlete on an athletic scholarship is “worth” two points at the end of each term – the eligibility point and the retention point. If the student-athlete is eligible for the next term, and stays at their school for the next term, they have “earned” two points for their team for that semester. If an athlete is eligible for the next term, but chooses to transfer to another school, their team will lose the retention point.

However, a university can receive an “adjustment” from the NCAA and won’t lose an APR retention point if the athlete transferring to another four-year college has a GPA of at least 2.600.

How is this important to the student-athlete themselves?
Increasingly, I am hearing that some Division I coaches have been denying “permission to contact” for student-athletes who have requested permission to talk to other four-year colleges about a possible transfer unless the student-athlete has a GPA of at least 2.600.

So, a Division I athlete with a 2.500 GPA, for example, could be academically eligible to compete the next season if they were staying at their current school, and could meet the transfer eligibility requirements to be immediately eligible at another four-year college.

But they could be denied permission to speak with coaches and athletic staff at another college about a possible transfer because their GPA is below 2.600 and their current team could lose an APR retention point.

What’s the “takeaway” for Division I student-athletes (and parents) to remember?
Your GPA is obviously important for eligibility and to maintain academic scholarships, but is becoming increasingly important, especially if you want to transfer to another four-year college at some point in the future.

If you are considering a transfer and you would like to discuss your options, contact Rick Allen at 913-766-1235 or rick@informedathlete.com for a private consultation. We’ve helped thousands of athletes and parents to understand the rules and steps in the transfer process. We can help you evaluate your options and navigate the transfer process with complete confidentiality.

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