Inside
Contents
3 What Should You Consider Before Transferring?
4 Focus on Your Degree
4 Learn as Much as You Can
5 Transfer Checklist
6 How Do Transfer Rules Apply to You?
8
10
12
1
3
Information
Visit
eligibilitycenter.org
ncaa.org/transfer
Follow
Twitter @NCAAEC
YouTube @NCAAEC
Facebook @NCAAEC
Instagram @playcollegesports
Contact
NCAA legislative line:
317-917-6008, Monday-Friday
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern time
Have a question about
transferring?
» Read this guide.
» Search frequently asked questions at
ncaa.org/studentfaq.
» Visit ncaa.org/transfer.
» Contact the NCAA.
Other Resources
» National Association
of Intercollegiate Athletics
» NCAA Division I
» NCAA Division II
» NCAA Division III
NCAA and Make It Yours are trademarks of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
All other trademarks are property of their respective holders. November 2023.
Our Three Divisions
When Can Recruiting Begin with New Schools?
Transfer Eligibility
Eligibility Clock
Important NCAA Terms
1
4
2
2023-24 FOUR-YEAR TRANSFER GUIDE
What Should You Consider
Before Transferring?
Student-athlete success on the field, in the classroom and in life is at the heart of the NCAA’s mission. Your college experience
gives you the opportunity to receive a quality education and take your place among the student-athletes who have attended
college, played sports, received their degrees and gone on to make important contributions to society.
The decision to transfer to another school involves important and sometimes difficult choices. Make sure you understand the
rules, the options and the potential consequences of your decision. You do not want to risk your education or your chance to
play NCAA sports.
This guide is for student-athletes transferring from a four-year school to a different four-year school. Students currently
attending a two-year school should refer to the Guide for Two-Year Transfers, available at ncaapublications.com.
3
2023-24 FOUR-YEAR TRANSFER GUIDE
Focus on Your Degree
More than 500,000 student-athletes compete in NCAA sports, but few move on to compete at the professional or Olympic level.
For the rest, the experience of college athletics and life lessons they learn along the way will help them as they pursue careers in
business, education, athletics administration, communications, law, medicine and many more fields.
Professional opportunities are extremely limited and the likelihood of a college athlete becoming a professional athlete is low. The
likelihood of an NCAA student-athlete earning a college degree is much greater: The graduation success rate for student-athletes
attending a Division I school is 89%. The academic success rate for Division II is 76%; the rate for Division III is 88%.
Percentage of College Athletes Who Become Professional Athletes
Men’s
Basketball
Women’s
Basketball Football Baseball
Men’s Ice
Hockey
High School Student-Athletes 540,800 399,100 1,006,000 482,700 35,300
NCAA Student-Athletes 18,800 16,500 73,700 36,000 4,300
NCAA Student-Athletes Drafted 52 31 254 791 71
*Percentage High School to NCAA 3.5% 4.1% 7.3% 7.5% 12.3%
*Percentage NCAA to Professional 1.2% 0.8% 1.6% 9.9% 7.4%
*Percent NCAA to major professional figures are based on the number of draft picks made in the NBA, WNBA, NFL, MLB and NHL drafts.
Learn as Much
as You Can
If you decide to transfer, the NCAA wants to help your education and
sports participation continue as smoothly as possible. But you have
responsibilities as well. Learn as much as you can to protect your
athletics eligibility and ensure that you will graduate on time. While
staff at the NCAA and its member schools can give you advice, you
need to understand how transfer rules apply to you before you
decide to move to a new school.
This guide introduces you to the key issues involved in transferring.
Before you transfer, you may need more information. Key people,
including your coach or compliance administrator, can help you
successfully work through the process. Take advantage of all
the information available to you.
» Visit ncaa.org/transfer for FAQs and resources on
key topics.
» Talk to people at your current school, including staff
in the athletics department, compliance office or
your academic advisor.
» Review the applicable notification of transfer
(Divisions I and II) or the permission-to-contact
guidelines (Division III) on page 10.
» Call the NCAA at 317-917-6008, Monday-
Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern time.
4
2023-24 FOUR-YEAR TRANSFER GUIDE
ADMISSIONS
Have you applied to the admissions department at the school you are transferring to?
INITIAL ELIGIBILITY
Have you registered with the NCAA Eligibility Center?
» To
play at a Division I or II school (or at a Division III school if you are an
international student-athlete), you must register with the Eligibility Center
at eligibilitycenter.org.
» See page 9 for more information.
ELIGIBILITY CLOCK
Do you have any remaining eligibility to compete in your sport after transferring?
» Student-athletes have four seasons to compete in each sport.
» See Eligibility Clock for more information.
TRANSFER ELI
GIBILITY
In some cases, student-athletes may not have immediate eligibility at their new
NCAA school they wish to attend.
» S
ee Transfer Eligibility for more information about general
transfer requirements.
NOTIFICATION OF TRANSFER (DIVISIONS I AND II) AND PERMISSION
TO CONTACT (DIVISION III)
Have you initiated the proper transfer protocol on campus with your compliance staff?
» Other NCAA schools may not recruit you directly or indirectly until you have initiated
the proper transfer protocol on campus with the compliance staff at your new school.
» See page 10 for more information.
FINAL DETERMINATION OF TRANSFER ELIGIBILITY
Who ultimately determines my transfer eligibility?
» After initiating the proper transfer protocol with your current school, you may ask the
compliance staff at your new school if you meet all transfer requirements.
Transfer Checklist
5
2023-24 FOUR-YEAR TRANSFER GUIDE
CASE STUDY
Note: The following information is for student-athletes transferring from a four-year school to another four-year school.
Students currently attending a two-year school (junior or community college) should refer to the Guide for Two-Year Transfers,
available at ncaapublications.com.
You may be wondering how soon you can compete after you transfer. Before you can answer that question, you need to follow
these steps to understand how the transfer rules apply to your situation:
1. Determine if you are a transfer student-athlete.
2. Decide where you are going.
3. Understand your initial-eligibility status.
4. Register with the NCAA Eligibility Center, if needed.
1. Determine if You Are a Transfer Student-Athlete
To learn which transfer rules apply to your situation, you first need to
determine whether your situation meets the common definition of a transfer.
How do you know if you are a transfer student-athlete?
Ask yourself if you have met any of the conditions — called “transfer
triggers” — of a typical transfer situation:
1. Have you been a full-time student at a two- or four-year school
during a regular academic term?
2. Have you practiced (including preseason) with a college team?
3. Have you practiced or competed with a college team? This includes
during any full- or part-time enrollment and includes reporting to any
practice that occurred prior to the start of an academic term.
4. Have you received athletics aid from a college while attending
summer school?
If you answered “yes” to any of those questions, you are likely a transfer
student-athlete because you have met conditions that trigger your transfer
status. Now you need to learn how to meet the transfer rules so you can play
your sport at a new NCAA school.
If you answered “no” to all the above questions, you probably are not a
transfer student-athlete and the transfer rules may not apply to you. As
this is not an exhaustive list of all transfer triggers, please call the NCAA’s
legislative line at 317-917-6008, Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern
time to discuss your eligibility status.
How Do Transfer Rules
Apply to You?
Gary was recruited to play basketball
at a NCAA Division I school. He
enrolled in classes as a full-time
student and attended class on the
first day of the semester.
On the fourth day of class, Gary went
to the registrar’s office and dropped
from 12 credit hours to nine, making
him a part-time student for the rest
of the semester.
At the end of the semester, Gary
decided that he wanted to transfer to
a different NCAA school.
Is Gary a transfer student-athlete?
Yes. The transfer rules applied to
Gary the minute he became a full-
time student and went to class on
the first day of the semester. Gary
must request notification of transfer
within his Division I sport’s transfer
window dates before he can speak to
the coach at the new school.
6
2023-24 FOUR-YEAR TRANSFER GUIDE
2. Decide Where You Are Going
Now that you know whether you are a transfer student-athlete, you need to decide which school you want to attend. As you
think about new schools, keep in mind academics are just as important as athletics. Your new school should help you meet all
your goals – on the field, in the classroom and in life.
Each NCAA school is part of a division and a conference, and has its own admission policies. Transfer rules are different for
each NCAA division and may be more restrictive for some conferences.
Learn more about your new school’s division
As you research schools, take time to learn more about each NCAA division. Schools in Divisions I and II may offer
athletics scholarships to cover tuition, fees, room and board, and books. Division III schools do not award athletics
scholarships but do offer financial aid based on academics or need.
» See page 8 for more on the NCAA’s three divisions.
Learn more about your new school’s conference
In some cases, conference transfer rules can be more restrictive than NCAA rules, so you need to have a clear
picture before you make a move.
Learn more about your new school’s admission policies
Meeting the NCAA transfer rules does not guarantee you will be admitted to a new school. You also
need to meet the school’s admission requirements – including academic standards – before you can
play NCAA sports.
» Visit on.ncaa.com/MemberMap for a full list of NCAA schools, sorted by division, sport and conference,
including a database with contact information for each school's athletic department.
» Talk to the academic, admissions and financial aid offices at the school you wish to attend to make
sure the school will be a good fit for you.
7
2023-24 FOUR-YEAR TRANSFER GUIDE
1 in 22 1 in 9 1 in 6
36%
25%
39%
*The number of schools for each division is current as of the 2022-23 academic year. This does not include reclassifying, provisional or exploratory schools.
Student-athlete participation numbers include NCAA championship sports only and are current as of the 2021-22 academic year.
8,449 1,6552,300
19
16
19
293
(27%)
351
(33%)
433
(40%)
How Is Each Division Governed?
NCAA schools develop and approve
legislation for their own divisions. Groups of
presidents and chancellors lead each division
in the form of committees with regularly
scheduled meetings.
What Are the Eligibility
Requirements in Each Division?
If you want to compete at an NCAA school,
you must meet academic and/or amateurism
standards set by NCAA members. Academic
and amateurism standards are outlined in
this guide and can be found on each division’s
page on ncaa.org.
Our Three Divisions
The NCAA’s three divisions were created in 1973 to align like-minded
campuses in the areas of fairness, competition and opportunity.
DIVISION
MEDIAN
UNDERGRADUATE
ENROLLMENT
AVERAGE NUMBER OF
TEAMS PER SCHOOL
STUDENTS WHO
ARE ATHLETES
PERCENTAGE OF NCAA
STUDENT-ATHLETES
IN EACH DIVISION
ATHLETICS
SCHOLARSHIPS
DID YOU KNOW?
Multiyear, cost-of-attendance
athletics scholarships available
58% of athletes
receive athletics aid
Partial athletics
scholarship model
67% of athletes
receive athletics aid
No athletics
scholarships
80% of athletes
receive nonathletics aid
Division III’s largest
school has 27,642
undergraduates.
The smallest? 228.
Division II is the only
division with schools
in Alaska, Puerto
Rico and Canada.
NUMBER OF
SCHOOLS*
Division I student-
athletes graduate at
a higher rate than the
general student body.
8
2023-24 FOUR-YEAR TRANSFER GUIDE
3. Understand Your Initial-Eligibility Status
Once you know if you are a transfer student-athlete and have identified the school you want to attend, you need to find out what
your initial-eligibility status is for your new school.
Why do you need to know your initial-eligibility status?
In part, your initial-eligibility status determines which transfer rules apply to you and how many seasons of competition you may
have remaining to play at your new school.
What is your initial-eligibility status?
High school student-athletes who want to compete in NCAA sports during their first year at a Division I or II school need to meet
certain division-wide academic standards. Your initial-eligibility status indicates if you meet the academic standards to compete in
your first year at a Division I or II school.
If you registered with the NCAA Eligibility Center as a high school student and your first college enrollment was at a Division I or
II school, the Eligibility Center assigned you an initial-eligibility status. The Eligibility Center determined your initial-eligibility
status based on the NCAA-approved core courses you took in high school, and the grades and number of credits you earned in
those courses. If you do not have an initial-eligibility status, talk to the compliance staff at your new school.
Division III schools set their own admissions and academic requirements. If your first college enrollment was at a Division III
school, you probably were not assigned an initial-eligibility status by the Eligibility Center. However, international student-athletes
(first-year enrollees and transfers) enrolling at a Division III school after Aug. 1, 2023, must be certified as an amateur by the
Eligibility Center. If you are transferring to a Division III school, you need to meet the admission requirements of the school you
plan to attend.
4. Register with the NCAA Eligibility Center, if Needed
By now you should know if you are a transfer student-athlete, which school you want to attend and what your initial-eligibility
status is. If you want to transfer to a Division I or II school and you have never registered with the Eligibility Center, you need to visit
eligibilitycenter.org to register before you continue the transfer process.
If you have not registered with the Eligibility Center, your initial-eligibility status is DI “nonqualifier” and DII "partial qualifier."
Schools cannot assume you would have been a qualifier. NCAA Division I and II schools will require you to create an Academic
and Amateurism Certification account in order to certify your academic and amateurism status, if necessary. If your new
NCAA school confirms an initial academic-status evaluation is not necessary to certify your transfer eligibility, creating an
Amateurism-Only Certification account type might be right for you. Please check with the compliance office at the school you
are transferring to for which certification account is right.
Visit ncaa.org/student-athletes/future to
learn more about initial-eligibility statuses.
9
2023-24 FOUR-YEAR TRANSFER GUIDE
CASE STUDY
» Another NCAA school cannot recruit you, directly or indirectly, until you first follow the division-specific steps regarding
notification of transfer (Divisions I and II) or written permission to contact (Division III).
» You should only consider requesting notification of transfer (Divisions I and II) or written permission to contact (Division III)
when you are ready to begin the process.
» Impact to playing time, roster spot and/or athletics aid may be a result after
you take steps to formally begin the transfer process, so please consider
consulting with your coaching staff, compliance staff and director of athletics
prior to making this decision. Per NCAA Bylaw 15, Financial Aid, you may
request a hearing opportunity with the financial aid authority on campus if
your athletics aid is to be reduced, canceled or not renewed. Please speak with
your compliance staff to learn more about these policies and procedures.
» You may write to a new school to let them know you are interested in
transferring, but the new school cannot discuss transfer opportunities
with you until they can verify notification of transfer is validated and your
information is entered in the NCAA Transfer Portal.
» You can speak with other departments outside of athletics at a new school at
any time. Examples include admissions, registrar and financial aid office.
» Once notification of transfer (Divisions I and II) or written permission to
contact (Division III) has been completed and your information is entered in
the NCAA Transfer Portal, all applicable NCAA recruiting rules will continue to
apply (e.g., tryout rules, official visit rules, recruiting calendars, etc.).
Transferring from an NCAA Division I school
Division I recruiting rules require a student-athlete to complete the Division I
educational module related to transferring (located at ncaa.org/transfer) and
provide written notification of transfer to their compliance office before having any
direct or indirect recruiting conversations with a new NCAA school. The student-
athlete’s school must enter the student’s name into the NCAA Transfer Portal
within two business days of receipt of the student-athlete’s request, provided
the student-athlete has requested notification of transfer within their Division I
sport’s legislated transf
er window. The NCAA Division I school you are transferring from will have written policies related to
what could be impacted after you provide written notification of transfer. This will include a description of services and benefits
(e.g., academic support services, access to athletics facilities, etc.) and the impact to your athletics aid agreement, which could
change after you provide written notification of transfer. Division I schools are required to make these policies publicly
available and accessible to student-athletes, such as in the student-athlete handbook or on the school’s website.
Being placed in
the Transfer Portal does not guarantee you will be eligible to compete at the new NCAA school to which you wish to transfer.
The compliance office at your new school will still need to certify your transfer and academic eligibility.
Note: All Division I student-athletes may initiate the notification of process request at any time if 1) sport is discontinued,
2) if head coach departs (30-day window.) Compliance administrators are best equipped to help a Division I student-
athlete understand if an exception applies to their circumstances. A Division I student-athlete who plans to enroll as a
postgraduate at another school during the next term and/or academic year may enter the Transfer Portal between
October 1 and the end of their sport-specific transfer window.
Transferring from an NCAA Division II school
Division II recruiting rules require a student-athlete to complete the Division II educational module related to transferring
(located at ncaa.org/transfer
) and submit written notification of transfer to their compliance office before having any direct or
indirect recruiting contact with a new NCAA school. The student-athlete’s school must enter the student’s name into the NCAA
Transfer Portal within seven consecutive calendar days of receipt of the student-athlete’s request.
Linda attended a DivisionI school as
a freshman and practiced with the
swimming and diving team. Before
swimming in a meet, she was cut
from the team.
At the end of the academic year,
Linda decided she wanted to transfer
to a DivisionII school and join the
swimming and diving team.
Does Linda need to provide
the Division I school with a
notification of transfer
through its compliance office?
Yes. Because Linda practiced with
the swim team at the Division I
school, she was considered a
member of the team and a student-
athlete, even though she never
participated in a meet.
When Can Recruiting Begin
with New Schools?
When Comfortable, Ask Your Current School to Enter Your Name into the NCAA Transfer
Portal (Divisions I and II) or for Permission to Contact (Division III)
10
2023-24 FOUR-YEAR TRANSFER GUIDE
CASE STUDY
Transferring from an NCAA Division III school
A Div
ision III student-athlete must have written permission to contact before
engaging in any direct or indirect recruiting with any NCAA Division I or II school.
As only
some Division III schools use the NCAA Transfer Portal and others will
accept permission to transfer, please talk to the compliance office at the school
to which you want to transfer to understand their preference. Speak to your
compliance office to see what your school prefers. If the school does not grant
the permission to contact within seven days, it is granted by default. If permission
is denied, you may have an opportunity for a hearing. Please ask your compliance
office for a copy of your school’s hearing opportunity policies and procedures,
including a deadline by which you must request y
our hearing. If permission is not
granted, the new NCAA school will not encourage the transfer and, specifically, a
new Division I or II school will not engage with you in recruiting activities.
» If you are a current Division III student-athlete wishing to contact another
Division III school, download the Division III self-release form. This form
includes instructions on how to complete and submit the form to the new
Division III school. If the initial 30-day contact period expires after submitting
the first form and you are still undecided, you must submit a second self-release
form, which then requires the new DivisionIII school to notify the current
school of this recruiting activity.
Transferring from an NAIA school
NCAA Division I schools must comply with any applicable NAIA recruiting rules prior to having any direct or indirect athletics
communication with NAIA student-athletes. NAIA student-athletes are encouraged to consult with their director of athletics at
your NAIA school and/or contact your NAIA national office if any NAIA rules education is needed.
Landon attended a Division III school
as a freshman and sophomore, where
he practiced and competed on its
men’s lacrosse team.
Before the start of his junior year,
Landon decided to transfer to
another Division III school to
pursue a degree not available
at his original Division III school.
Does Landon need to ask his first
school for a written permission-
to-contact letter?
No. Because Landon is transferring
from a Division III school to another
Division III school, he may issue his
own self-release to allow another
Division III school to contact him
about transferring.
Note: Implications may arise including, but not limited to, access to athletics facilities, roster spot and playing time. Since
Division II financial aid awards include a one-year period of award, your Division II school may decide not to renew your
athletics aid agreement at the end of the academic year or cancel any previously signed athletics aid agreement for the
following academic year. Being placed in the Transfer Portal does not indicate you are eligible to immediately compete at
the new NCAA school to which you wish to transfer. The compliance office at your new school will still need to certify
your transfer and academic eligibility.
11
2023-24 FOUR-YEAR TRANSFER GUIDE
CASE STUDY
Kevin attended a four-year college
for one year and played football. His
GPA was 1.79 after completing his
first academic year, which did not
meet that school’s requirement to be
eligible for the next year. Kevin then
transferred to a Division II school.
Is Kevin eligible to play
right away?
No. To be eligible his first regular
academic term at his new Division II
school, Kevin would have needed to
have been academically and
athletically eligible had he remained
at his previous four-year school at
the time of transfer.
Transfer Eligibility
Transferring to a Division I School
If you transfer from a four-year school to a Division I school, you can generally
seek immediate eligibility at the new school provided you leave your previous
school academically eligible, were in good standing (not under a disciplinary
suspension) and you are meeting applicable academic progress-towards-degree
eligibility requirements at the new Division I school to compete. Additional
regulations such as sport-specific midyear transfer (e.g. baseball, basketball,
tennis, softball, etc.), sport-specific competition in year of transfer, National
Letter of Intent, and individual school/conference policies may also play a factor
in determining your immediate transfer eligibility.
Transferring to a Division II School
If you transfer from a four-year school to a Division II school, you can generally
seek immediate eligibility at the new school provided 1) you did not practice or
compete in intercollegiate athletics at your previous institution, 2) your previous
institution did not sponsor your sport, or, 3) you would have been academically
and athletically eligible had you remained at your previous institution before
transferring. Additionally, you will need to have earned at least nine-semester/
eight-quarter hours of degree credit from your last full-time term of
attendance. Additional regulations such as sport-specific competition in year of
transfer, National Letter of Intent, and individual school/conference policies
may also play a factor in determining your immediate transfer eligibility.
Graduate or Post-Baccalaureate Participation
Upon graduation (post-baccalaureate), if you still have a season of eligibility and time on your division-specific clock
remaining to compete, you may seek immediate transfer eligibility provided the appropriate criteria is met:
» If you are transferring to a Division I school, you may continue to participate (practice and compete) only if you meet the
following at the time of enrollment at your new school: A) You are enrolled/enrolling full time in a graduate program,
professional school, second baccalaureate or equivalent degree program; B) you have eligibility remaining; and C) if the
student initially enrolls at the certifying institution
after attending a regular academic term as a full-time postgraduate
student at another institution, the student would have
been academically eligible to compete had the student remained at the
institution where the student most recently attended class during a regular term a
s a full-time student.
» If you are transferring to a Division II school to enroll in
a graduate program, professional school, second baccalaureate
or
equivalent
degree program and have eligibility remaining.
»
If you are attending a new Division III school to pursue a second baccalaureate or graduate degree after having
graduated from another Division III school.
Transfer Exceptions for Division III Schools (Undergraduate Transfers Only)
If you transfer from a four-year school to an NCAA Division III school, you may use an exception to
immediately compete if you have not practiced or competed in intercollegiate sports. If you participated in
intercollegiate sports at your current school, you may use an exception only if you would have been both
academically and athletically eligible had you stayed at your current school.
If your current school did not sponsor your sport while you were a student, you may use an exception to
immediately compete if you completed 24-semester or 36-quarter transferable-degree credit hours and
attended your current school for at least two full-time semesters or three full-time quarters, and have not
practiced or competed with an intercollegiate sports team for two consecutive years. (Summer school does
not count toward fulfilling the two full-time semesters or three full-time quarters.)
12
2023-24 FOUR-YEAR TRANSFER GUIDE
Eligibility Clock
While initial-eligibility rules affect your first year at a Division I or II school, continuing-eligibility rules determine your academic
and athletic eligibility after the first year. Each division has different academic standards for maintaining academic eligibility.
These standards are designed to move student-athletes toward graduation in a timely manner. As a transfer student, certification
o
f your academic eligibility will happen once you are enrolled at your new school and includes an evaluation of your transfer
credits. The compliance office at your new school can assist with this.
If you compete at a Division I school, you have five calendar years to play four seasons of competition. Your five-year clock
starts when you enroll as a full-time student at any two- or four-year school. Your clock continues to tick down, even if you
spend an academic year of residence as a result of transferring, redshirting, not attending school or enrolling part time during
your college career.
If you compete at a Division II or III school, you have 10 full-time semesters or 15 full-time quarters to play four seasons of
competition. You use a semester or quarter when you attend classes at a two- or four-year school as a full-time student or when you
enroll part time and compete for your school. You do not use a term if you are not enrolled or attend part time without competing.
13
2023-24 FOUR-YEAR TRANSFER GUIDE
14
2023-24 FOUR-YEAR TRANSFER GUIDE
Certifying school: The new school you want to attend
determines if you are eligible to play.
Continuing-eligibility rules (rules affecting how long you may
compete in a certain sport):
» Division I: If you play at a Division I school, you have five
calendar years to play four seasons of competition. Your five-
year clock starts when you enroll as a full-time student at any
college. Your clock continues to tick down, even if you
redshirt, are not attending school or enrolling part time during
your college career.
» Divisions II and III: If you play at a Division II or III school,
you have the first 10 semesters or 15 quarters in which you
attend as a full-time student to complete your four seasons
of participation. You use a semester or quarter any time you
attend class as a full-time student or enroll part time and
compete for the school. You do not use a term if you only
attend part time with no competition or are not enrolled for a
term.
Financial aid (commonly referred to as a “scholarship”): Any
money for school you receive from a college or another source.
Financial aid may be based on athletics, financial need or
academic achievement.
Full time: Each school determines what “full-time” status means.
Typically, you are a full-time student if you are enrolled for at least
12 credit hours in a term. Some schools define a full-time student
as someone who takes fewer than 12 credit hours in a term.
Initial-eligibility rules: Initial-eligibility rules determine whether
you may practice, compete and receive an athletics scholarship
during your first year at a Division I or II school.
International students: An international student is any
student who attends a two- or four-year school outside the
United States.
National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA):
The national governing body for over 1,100 colleges, universities,
conferences and organizations.
National Letter of Intent: NCAA schools that are part of the NLI
program may send an NLI to a college-bound student-athlete they
have recruited to participate in their intercollegiate
sports program.
The letter is a legally binding contract. It explains what athletics
financial aid the school agrees to provide the student-athlete
for one full academic year, only if the student is admitted to the
school and eligible for financial aid under NCAA rules. If you sign
an NLI, you agree to attend that school for one academic year and
other schools that are part of the NLI program can no longer
recruit you. For more information, visit nationalletter.org. The NLI
program is not administered by the NCAA.
NCAA Eligibility Center: The NCAA Eligibility Center evaluates
your high school academic record and/or amateurism history to
determine if you are eligible to participate during your first year at
a Division I, II or III school.
Nonqualifier: A student-athlete planning to attend a Division I
school who has not met academic requirements to be a Division
I qualifier will be deemed a nonqualifier. If you are a nonqualifier,
you may not practice, compete or receive an athletics scholarship
from a Division I school during your first year of full-time
enrollment. (Division II does not have nonqualifiers.)
Notification of transfer: An NCAA Division I or II student-athlete
must request a notification of transfer through their current
compliance staff before having any direct or indirect athletics
recruiting with another NCAA school. Once requested, your
compliance office shall enter the student’s contact information into
the NCAA Transfer Portal within two calendar days (Division I) or
seven calendar days (Division II). Division III schools also have the
option to utilize the NCAA Transfer Portal; however, please check
with your Division III school to see what it prefers. To view
additional notification-of-transfer information, please review
pages 10 and 11 of this guide.
Partial qualifier: Any Division II student who has not met the
requirements necessary to be a qualifier. If you are a partial
qualifier, you can practice on campus and receive financial
aid from a Division II school, but you cannot compete for one
academic year. Division I does not have partial qualifiers.
Permission-to-contact letter (written permission to contact): If
you attend a Division III school and wish to have any direct or
indirect recruiting communication and/or seek athletics aid with
any future NCAA Division I or II school, you first need to request a
written permission to contact from the compliance office at your
Division III school. If this request is denied for any reason, you may
request a hearing opportunity to proceed with an appeal with your
Division III school. If you are transferring from a Division III school
to a different Division III school, you can complete a Division III
self-release form before submitting the release form to your new
Division III school to begin recruiting activities.
Important NCAA Terms
Qualifier: A student who, for purposes of determining eligibility
for financial aid, practice and competition, has:
» Graduated from high school.
» Earned the required number of core-course credits in the
required subject areas.
» Earned a minimum GPA in the required subject areas.
» For information on Division I and II initial-eligibility
requirements, visit on.ncaa.com/IE_Flyer.
15
2023-24 FOUR-YEAR TRANSFER GUIDE
Recruited: If a college coach contacts you off campus, pays your
expenses to visit the campus, or (in Divisions I and II) issues you a
NLI or a written offer of financial aid, you are considered recruited.
Prospective student-athletes will also be considered as recruited
if a Division I or II school initiates or arranges a telephone contact
on more than one occasion for the purposes of recruitment.
Self-release: If you are a student at a Division III school and you
want to transfer to another Division III school, you may issue
your own permission-to-contact self-release form to allow
another Division III school to contact you about transferring.
Transfer trigger: A condition that can affect your
transfer status. A student who triggers transfer status is a
student who does any of the following:
» Has been a full-time student at a two- or four-year school
during a regular academic term. (Classes taken during
summer terms do not count.)
» Practiced with a college team.
» Practiced or competed with a college team while enrolled
as a part-time student.
» Received athletics aid from a college while attending
summer school.
Note: This is not a complete list for Divisions I, II or III.
Please consult with your NCAA school’s compliance office
for a complete review.
Transferable credit hours: Credit hours earned at your previous
school that your new school will accept toward your degree.
Each school determines how many and which credit hours are
acceptable for transferring.
Two-year college: A school where students can earn an
Associate of Arts, Associate of Science or Associate of Applied
Science degree within two years. Also referred to as “community”
or “junior” colleges.
