NCAA and NAIA Transfer Process

Are you a transfer athlete?• Have you ever been enrolled full time at a two-year

or four-year school in a regular academic term? (Summer does not count.)

• Have you ever reported for practice with the regular squad?

• Have you ever practiced or played while you were enrolled part time?

If you answered “Yes” to any of the questions, you are a transfer athlete.

Your Next Steps In The Transfer Process

• Figure out where you are headed• After you find the right school, learn about the

division and conference of the new school• Obtain a release from your current school• Apply to your new school

Key Transfer Terms

• One academic year in residence: How long you must spend at your new school before you can compete. Sometimes people call the year in residence "sitting out." For your academic year in residence to count toward your eligibility to compete, you must sit out only at the school where you intend to compete and you must be a full-time student. You cannot meet this requirement by attending the school part time or by not being enrolled in school at all.

• Full-time enrollment: Each school determines the meaning of full-time status on its own. Typically, you are a full-time student if you are enrolled for at least 12-credit hours in a term.

Key Transfer Terms

• Progress toward degree: Whether you are moving toward earning your college degree at a reasonable pace. Each school determines how many credits you should take within a given time period to be considered meeting progress toward a degree. The school applies the same definition to all its students. The NCAA also determines what progress toward degree means. To be able to play, you must meet NCAA, conference and school rules that govern whether you are appropriately making progress toward earning your degree.

Key Transfer Terms

• Gray Shirt: Gray shirt is a term used in the recruiting process to describe situations in which a student-athlete delays initial enrollment in a collegiate institution to the winter or spring term after the traditional academic year begins. Students who gray shirt often use the fall to take classes part time or choose not to enroll in college at all. Gray shirt is not a formal designation by the NCAA or the National Letter of Intent program.

• Red Shirt: Red shirt means to stop playing. The NCAA allows a player five years to complete four seasons of eligibility. Usually the freshman year is when the player practices but doesn't play in any games. That is called the Red shirt year. Players still receive their scholarship, still practice, still do everything the other players do - they just don't play in the games. The purpose is to preserve a year's eligibility when the player probably wouldn't see much playing time.

Obtaining Release and Contacting Schools

Generally, if you are enrolled as a full-time student at an NCAA or NAIA school and you want to transfer to a different NCAA school to play, your current school’s AD must give written permission-to-contact and you must get give the release paper work to the new coach or

member of the athletics staff before you or your parents can talk with one of them. Now you are able to

talk with other coaches.

Obtaining Release and Contacting Schools

Division I

• The institution has 7 business days from receipt of a student-athlete's written request to deny or to permit the release. If they do not respond, you are officially released.

• If the request is denied, the institution shall conduct the hearing within 15 business days of receiving a student-athlete's request for the hearing. If the hearing does not happen, you are officially released.

Obtaining Release and Contacting SchoolsDivision II

• The institution has 14 consecutive calendar days from receipt of a student-athlete's written request to deny or to permit the release. If they do not respond, you are officially released.

• The institution shall conduct the hearing within 30 consecutive calendar days of receiving a student-athlete's request for the hearing. If the hearing does not happen, you are officially released.

Obtaining Release and Contacting Schools

Division III Self-Release

• Any DIII recruit who wants to transfer to another DIII can do a self-release. The self-release form allows the transfer to speak with any DIII college or university for up to 30 days to discuss a potential transfer without their current coach knowing that they are looking to transfer.

• This form is effective for 30 days from the date of signature. While the form is effective, the new institution may contact you or you may contact the new institution. If this is the first time you have sent this form to a particular institution, then that institution must preserve the privacy of this contact, and any further communication for 30 days. If you desire, this privacy can be waived by checking the box on Page No. 2 of this form. At the end of the 30-day period, if you decide to transfer, your new institution must notify your current institution within a seven-day period of the form's expiration date that this form was issued.

Obtaining Release and Contacting SchoolsDivision III Self-Release

• If you decide not to pursue the transfer, the new college or university is not allowed to notify your current institution of the contact at any time. If you are undecided at the end of the 30-day period, you must send a new copy of this form to have additional contact with the college or university. Further, because this second release is beyond the first 30-day period, the new college or university must notify your current institution within seven days of receiving a second form that a second release was issued.

• If a DIII recruit wants to transfer to a DI, DII or NAIA program they must request a release from their institution.

NAIA

• Once you have started your college experience by enrolling and/or attending classes, representatives from another NAIA school cannot initiate contact with you. This no-contact policy applies even if you have not started classes yet, but have drawn equipment and begun organized practice

• If you are interested in transferring to an NAIA institution, you will need to take the initiate and call or email the coach at the other institution due to the no-contact policy.

• Once you contact the other institution, the NAIA school must notify in writing the athletics director or faculty athletic representative at the school you are currently enrolled within 10 days

• The NAIA school does not need permission to respond to you, but your current school must be notified that the contact has been made

Obtaining Release and Contacting Schools

Key Notes:

• You can write to any NCAA college, but they can't receive a response until that coach has your permission to contact and/or release papers.

• Your current school can deny permission or their release. They can also determine where they are allowed to transfer to. Intra-conference rules will vary.

• When you don't need permission to contact:- You do not need permission if transferring from an NJCAA or NCCAA school- You are transferring to a non NCAA or NAIA program

Obtaining Release and Contacting Schools

Division I & II Transfers (4-4)

As a 4-4 transfer, generally you are not eligible to play at the new four-year school until you

spend an academic year in residence at that new school. However, there are exceptions that may

allow you to play right away.

Division I & II Transfers (4-4)If this is your first transfer:• If you have never transferred before from a 4-year school, you might be

able to use the one-time transfer exception to play right away at a DI or DII school. To use this exception, you must:

• Be playing a sport other than baseball in Division I, basketball in Division I, men's ice hockey in Division I or football in Division I.

• Be in good academic standing and making progress toward your degree;

• Have been considered academically eligible if you had stayed at your first school; and

• Have a written release agreement from your first school saying that it does not object to your receiving an exception to the transfer residence requirement

Division I & II Transfers (4-4)If your sport is discontinued or not sponsored at your four year school:• If your school dropped your sport from its program or never

sponsored it while you were a student, you may be able to use this exception to transfer to a Division I or II school.

If you have never been recruited:• If you have never been recruited by the Division I or II school you

plan to attend, you may be able to use this exception if you: • Have not received an athletic scholarship; and• Have not practiced beyond a 14 consecutive day period at any

school or participated in intercollegiate competition before your transfer

Division I & II Transfers (2-4)If you are now in a two-year school, never previously attended a four-year school, and want to transfer to a four-year school, you

are a 2-4 transfer.

There are exceptions to the rules that may allow you to play right away after you transfer, even if you do not meet the 2-4 transfer

requirements.

Division I & II Transfers (2-4)If your sport is discontinued or is no longer sponsored at your two-year school you must:• Be a qualifier; and • Have a GPA of at least 2.0

If you have never been recruited by the Division II school you plan to attend, you may use this exception, if you:• Are a qualifier• Have not received an athletic scholarship• Have not participated in any athletically related activities or meetings

(beyond a 14 consecutive calendar day period)• Were eligible for admission at the Division II school you enrolled at

the two year college

Division I & II Transfers (2-4)If you did not participate in your sport or minimally participated for two consecutive years prior to transfer:• If you did not compete in your sport or did not engage in athletically related

activities (e.g., practice) beyond a 14 consecutive-day period for a consecutive two-year period immediately prior to your transfer to the new school, you may be able to use this exception to transfer to a Division I or II. This exception applies if you:

• Are a qualifier; and• Did not practice or compete in intercollegiate sports for two years before you

will practice or play for your new school; or• Did not practice beyond a 14 consecutive-day period during the two-year

period (Divisions I and II only); or• Did not practice or compete in non-collegiate amateur competition while you

were enrolled as a full-time student during the two-year period.

Division III Transfers

4-4 Transfers can play right away if….– Never used a season to compete or practice– If you did participate, you need to be both academically

and athletically eligible had you stay at first school– First school never had sport and you completed 24

semester hours or 36 quarter hours and attend full time for 1 year

Division III Transfers

2-4 Transfers can play right away if…– You have never participated for a consecutive two year

period in your sport at the collegiate level

4-2-4 to D1 Qualifier

4-2-4 to D1 Non Qualifier

4-2-4 to DII Qualifier

4-2-4 to DII Partial Qualifier

4-2-4 to DII Non Qualifier

4-2-4 to DIII

4-2-4 Transfer Exceptions

• If you want to return to your original school– Back to original Division I

• Can play if not sitting out at original school when transferred to 2 year school

– Back to original Division II• Can play if a qualifier and not sitting out at original school

when transferred to 2 year school

• If your sport was never offered at 4 year school– Can play if qualifier, completed 12 credits, 2.0 GPA

for 2 full semesters

4-2-4 Transfer Exceptions

• Did not/minimally participated in sport for 2 years prior (transfer to a DI or DII school)– Applies if:• Qualifier• Did not practice or compete for 2 years• Did not practice beyond a 14 consecutive day period• Did not practice or compete in non-collegiate amateur

competition during full time

4-2-4 Transfer Exception

• Transferring to a Division II school– If qualifier can use any exception that applies to 2-

4 transfers

• Transferring to a Division III school– If you never participated for a consecutive two

year period in your sport, can play right away

NAIA Transfers

• Requirements– Enroll in 12 Hours and attend 2 or 4 year college– Never participated in athletics at NAIA school• Register with NAIA

NAIA Transfers

• Residency Rules (From a 4 year school)– Must wait 16 weeks before playing unless:• Written release from most recent school• 2.0 GPA minimum• Met all additional academic requirements and

conference specific requirement to transfer

NAIA Transfers

• 24/36 Hour Rule– Transfer students are required to have a

completed 24 semester/36 quarter hours of institutional credit in their last two semesters/quarters of enrollment prior to transferring

NAIA Transfers

• Progress Rule– Already used 1 or more of the 4 seasons of

competition• Second Season: 24 semester/36 quarter institutional

credit hours• Third Season: 48 semester/72 quarter institutional

credit hours• Forth Season: 72 semester/108 quarter institutional

credit hours – Including 48 semester/72 quarter credit hours in general

education or major field of study