The Division I Board of Directors on Wednesday directed NCAA staff and committees to review existing transfer rules and waiver guidelines and consider potential changes to improve the efficiency of the waiver process, including by increasing, where possible, the objectivity of the criteria. Such changes would be applied to any student-athlete seeking immediate eligibility for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Consistent with the adoption of the revised Transfer Waiver Guidelines and the creation of the Transfer Advisory Committee, the Board’s discussions are part of an ongoing commitment to continually review data and transfer rules. As part of its discussion, the board reviewed the latest data on transfers overall, including a discussion of the number of transfer waivers requested and the outcomes of those cases so far in the academic year in progress. It was noted that schools continue to submit waiver requests for the current school year, including for winter sports, including basketball.
“The Division I Board of Directors continues to affirm that NCAA staff and the Legislative Relief Committee are implementing existing transfer waiver guidelines as intended by the membership,” said Jere Morehead, president of the Division I Board of Directors. Division I Board of Trustees and President of the University of Georgia. “We continue to view the well-being and mental health of student-athletes as a priority for the Association and will continue to see if these priorities can be addressed more objectively and better understood by members of the media and public .”
If adopted in the 2023-2024 academic year, any changes to the guidelines would apply to all student-athletes – including mid-year transfers – seeking eligibility for the academic year 2024-2025 after a second (or subsequent) transfer. The board emphasized that all student-athletes requesting a waiver to be immediately eligible to compete in the same cohort should be evaluated under the same transfer waiver criteria, regardless of the timing of their decision to transfer.
The board also urged all member schools considering requesting transfer waivers for winter or spring sports for the current school year to submit such requests as soon as possible, noting that NCAA staff should carefully evaluate appropriately all cases of exemption and not rush the deadline for processing the decisions due. for last minute submissions.
“The Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee is concerned about the plight of student-athletes whose waiver requests have not yet been submitted by their schools as their competitive seasons approach,” Cody said Shimp, SAAC Division I president. “In fairness to student-athletes currently awaiting a decision, we encourage all schools to submit requests urgently to provide clarification for these student-athletes as soon as possible.”
A preliminary report on transfer topics is expected to be given to the board at the NCAA convention in January, and recommendations are expected to be considered in April.
