In April of 2021, the NCAA Division 1 board approved sweeping rules changes, most notably allowing undergraduates to transfer one time without having to sit out for a year. This change saw a domino effect where players were flooding the transfer portal at different times throughout the season.
With a long list of negative impacts on both schools and student-athletes, the Division 1 Board today approved new rules changes regarding transfer windows, scholarship requirements, and changes to eligibility for non-qualifying transfers.
Students will now be eligible for all financial aid from the school they transfer to through graduation.
“NCAA rules now will require any school that considers athletics when awarding scholarships to transfer student-athletes to provide that scholarship for the rest of a student’s five-year eligibility or until they complete the requirements for their bachelor’s degree unless the student transfers again or engages in professional athletics opportunities.”
A change that should help athletic programs is the immediate introduction of transfer windows. The Board described the windows as such;
–Fall sports: a 45-day window beginning the day after championships selections are made in their sport, or May 1-15. Reasonable accommodations will be made for participants in the Football Bowl Subdivision and Football Championship Subdivision championship games.
–Winter sports: a 60-day window beginning the day after championships selections are made in the sport.-Spring sports: Dec. 1-15, or a 45-day window beginning the day after selections are made in the sport.
The board stated there will be exceptions for student athletes who have head coach change or other impact to their season out of their control, like we saw with the pandemic response.
The board chose not to allow unlimited transfers, but committed to continuing to study the potential impacts.
“Like their peers in the general student population, college athletes choose to transfer for any number of reasons,” Morehead said. “We believe the changes enacted today enable member schools to adapt to students’ needs, while also positioning students for long-term academic success. These changes to NCAA rules recognize further study is needed on graduation rates before we consider authorizing multiple transfer opportunities with immediate eligibility. We will continue to review potential modifications to transfer rules as the landscape evolves over time.”
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Source: https://michigan.rivals.com/news/ncaa-division-1-board-announces-transfer-windows-and-other-changes