NCAA Approves New Unlimited Transfer Rule Allowing Immediate Eligibility

By James Sutherland on SwimSwam

A new transfer rule in the NCAA will allow undergraduate student-athletes to compete immediately for their new school if they meet specific academic requirements, regardless of how many times they’ve changed schools previously.

The NCAA Division I Council unanimously approved the legislation on Wednesday, though the decision won’t be final until the end of meetings on Thursday and the rule still needs to be ratified by the D1 Board of Directors on Monday (though that’s expected to be a formality).

Once it goes through, the rule will provide immediate eligibility to any athletes who transferred during the 2023-24 academic year, provided they are academically eligible and meet progress-towards-degree requirements at their new school.

There will be no limit on the number of times an athlete can transfer, but they can’t transfer mid-season and compete for a second school in the same campaign. The two transfer portal windows will also remain in place.

“With these rule changes, NCAA members continue to prioritize long-term academic success for college athletes who transfer, while supporting their opportunity to compete immediately,” said Lynda Tealer, the NCAA Division I Council Chair and the deputy athletics director at Florida.

“We hope that this practical approach to transfer eligibility requirements will encourage student-athletes to make well-informed decisions about transferring and the impacts such a move could have on their ability to graduate on time in their degree of choice, particularly as it relates to transferable credits.”

Graduate transfers will be immediately eligible provided they’ve earned a degree from their previous school, left while academically eligible, and then enrolled as a full-time post-grad student. They can enter the portal at any time but need to be in it by the end of their sport-specific window.

2023-24 NCAA Transfer Portal Windows

• Women’s Swimming & Diving Window – March 13, 2024 – April 26, 2024
• Men’s Swimming & Diving Window – March 20, 2024 – May 3, 2024

The previous rules allowed student-athletes to be immediately eligible after their first transfer, but forced them to sit out for one season after each subsequent transfer.

The one-time transfer rule came into effect in the 2020-21 season, around the same time that the name, image and likeness (NIL) rules were revamped, bringing some to compare college athletics to a form of free agency in professional sports.

The new changes come after a court injunction in December allowed players who transferred multiple times to return to competition after previously being barred from doing so by the NCAA.

Shortly thereafter, the NCAA agreed to terms on a preliminary injunction that runs through the end of the 2023-24 academic year, and in January, the U.S. Department of Justice joined the lawsuit against the NCAA’s transfer rules, arguing they violated antitrust law.

SwimSwam: NCAA Approves New Unlimited Transfer Rule Allowing Immediate Eligibility