NCAA Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee Frequently Asked Questions
Transfer Rules
Q: How do I contact another institution about transferring?
A student-athlete (or his or her parents) may not be contacted by another institution's athletics department staff member without first obtaining written permission from the student-athlete's current athletics director. This written permission usually is sent directly to the other institution, and is not given to the student-athlete. However, a student-athlete may write a letter to another institution expressing his or her interest in transferring. The original institution must provide the student-athlete with the opportunity for a hearing before a committee outside the athletics department (e.g., office of student affairs) if written per-mission to contact the second institution is not granted. The other institution shall not en-courage the student-athlete to transfer, and may not provide the student-athlete with financial aid until he or she has attended the institution for one academic year if the release is not granted.
Q: If I transfer to another four-year institution, will I immediately be eligible?
The general rule for all student-athletes transferring from one four-year institution to another four-year institution is that they must spend one academic year in residence at the school to which they transfer before they may be eligible for competition. However, you may be eligible immediately upon transfer if you meet one of several transfer exceptions. [Note: During a student-athlete's initial year of collegiate enrollment, he or she only may use a transfer exception if they have been certified by the NCAA Eligibility Center as a qualifier.]
The most common transfer exception is the One-Time Transfer Exception. To be eligible to use this exception: (a) a student-athlete must be transferring to another four-year institution to participate in a sport other than Division I baseball, Division I basketball, Division I men's ice hockey and Division I bowl subdivision football (A participant in championship subdivision football at the institution to which the student is transferring may use this exception only if the participant transferred to the certifying institution from an institution that sponsors bowl subdivision football and has two or more seasons of competition remaining in football or the participant transfers from a football championship subdivision institution that offers athletically related financial aid in football to a football championship subdivision institution that does not offer athletically related financial aid in football); (b) the student-athlete's first transfer from one four-year college to another four-year college; (c) the student-athlete must have been eligible academically had he or she remained at their previous institution; and (d) the student-athlete must obtain a written release from the current institution stating that they have no objection to the student-athlete's use of the exception.
Q: If my coach leaves, can I transfer and immediately be eligible?
No. Contrary to popular belief, the departure of a coaching staff member does not grant a student-athlete relief from the residence requirement on transferring.
However, there is a transfer exception for student-athletes transferring from institutions that discontinue a sport, never sponsored the sport while the student-athlete was in attendance, or reclassified the sport from NCAA Division I to Division III.
There also are other transfer exceptions (e.g., nonrecruited student exception, return to original institution without participation exception, two-year nonparticipation exception, military service/church mission exception, etc.) that student-athletes may qualify for and should consult their institution's compliance coordinator or call the NCAA academic and membership affairs staff for more information.
Q: If I ask for a release to transfer, will my scholarship be taken away immediately?
During the term of a student-athlete's financial aid award (usually the academic year), an institution may not reduce or cancel a student-athlete's financial aid simply because he or she asked for a written release to transfer. Institutional aid only may be reduced or can-celled during the term of the award if the student-athlete becomes ineligible for intercollegiate competition, provides fraudulent information on any applications or letters of intent, engages in serious misconduct that warrants disciplinary penalty by the institution's regular disciplinary authority (e.g., not the head coach) or voluntarily withdraws from the team.
Q: Can I transfer to a two-year college for a semester/quarter then transfer to a four-year college and be immediately eligible?
No. As a "4-2-4" transfer, a student-athlete must make a certain amount of academic progress while at the two-year college to be eligible on transferring to the second four-year college. The student-athlete must earn 24 semester/36 quarter hours of credit (with a 2.000 grade-point average) at the two-year college that may be transferred to a degree at the four-year college. One calendar year must pass since the student-athlete left the first four-year college before the student-athlete competes at the second four-year college. The student-athlete also must graduate from the two-year college. Please note that there are some exceptions to this transfer regulation that a student-athlete may qualify for and should consult their institution's compliance coordinator of call the NCAA academic and membership affairs staff for more information.
Q: Can I transfer to a Division III institution and immediately be eligible to compete?
A student-athlete immediately will be eligible to compete if he or she transfers to a Division III institution without ever previously participating (e.g., practice or competition) in intercollegiate athletics. A student-athlete must have been academically and athletically eligible had they remained at the previous four-year institution if the student-athlete ever participated in intercollegiate athletics. As a "4-2-4" transfer to a Division III institution, a student-athlete must have been academically and athletically eligible had he or she remained at the previous four-year college, or he or she must have earned 24 semester/36 quarter hours while enrolled full-time at a two-year college for two semesters/three quarters.
Q: Can I enroll at another institution part-time without it being considered a transfer?
Generally, a student-athlete only enrolled in a part-time program of studies will not be considered a transfer student. However, the student-athlete will have triggered transfer if he or she enrolls full-time and attends just one class as a full-time student (even if he or she later drops down to part-time status). A student-athlete also will be considered a transfer student if he or she practices or competes at an institution or receives institutional financial aid during the academic year or summer.
Q: Can I transfer midyear and compete at the next institution?
In NCAA Division I and Division II, a student-athlete who receives a transfer exception to the residence requirement and transfers midyear is not eligible to compete during the segment that concludes with the NCAA championship at the next institution if he or she competed during that same segment during the same academic year at the previous four-year institution.
Q: What should a student-athlete do if it appears that some of these rules are being violated?
In the event that there appears to be actions contrary to the aforementioned information, a student-athlete should inform an athletics department administrator. A student-athlete may wish to contact his or her institution's athletics director, associate athletics director, senior woman administrator, compliance coordinator or faculty athletics representative for assistance. A student-athlete also may call the NCAA academic and membership affairs staff at 317/917-6222 if he or she needs clarification on any NCAA regulations.
