Transcript NCAA and NAIA Transfer Process - NCSA | Play Sports in College

NCAA and NAIA
Transfer Process
Are you a transfer athlete?
• Have you ever been enrolled full time at a twoyear 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 studentathlete'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 Schools
Division 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 Schools
Division 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.
Obtaining Release and Contacting Schools
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
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 24 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