NCAA On Verge of Eliminating ‘One-Time’ Part of Transfer Rule

by Riley Overend 13

July 22nd, 2022 College, News, Transfers

The NCAA is on the verge of eliminating the “one-time” part of its transfer rule, one of several recommendations endorsed by the Division I Council on Wednesday. 

The current rule requires athletes to sit out one year after a second entry into the transfer portal. After the NCAA granted one-time immediate eligibility to all transfers last year, more than 2,000 athletes switched schools. Now immediate eligibility is set to apply to all transfers — no matter how many times they jump from school to school — as long as they meet academic standards. 

While the proposed changes largely give more freedom to college athletes in the transfer process, they also established clear “entry windows” during which written notification of transfer must be provided. For spring and winter sports such as swimming, the window will run for 60 calendar days right after NCAA championship selections. Participants in fall sports will have 45 days following championship selections as well as the first 15 days of May. 

The concept includes an added financial burden for schools accepting transfers. They will have to provide financial aid to transfers through their five-year period of eligibility or until undergraduate graduation, unless the player transfers again or gets drafted. 

The NCAA noted that Division I Council members “expressed some concern about some details related to implementation of the transfer changes; although, most of the Council agreed the concepts will improve the transfer environment.”

The reforms were developed by the Transformation Committee, and they will be voted on next month by the Division I Board of Directors. 

In addition to tweaking transfer rules, the NCAA is also considering changes that would allow for more investment in athletes and make the infractions process more efficient. Schools would no longer need waivers to provide any support for athletes’ personal health, safety, and well being, or to pay for items that support their academic pursuits. They would also be able to purchase various types of insurance and fund participation in elite-level training, tryouts, and competition. If approved in August, the infractions process will be streamlined by reserving hearings before the Committee on Infractions for only the most significant cases while also expanding the use of a public dashboard for all infractions.

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ken roozen
1 year ago

as a former college athlete i find the changes occurring in “college” athletics disgusting….you are there to go to school first and foremost….the changes to provide athletes with the opportunity to change colleges to chase the highest bidder are absurd!….the ncaa has ruined college athletics and the “student-athletes” have pushed the ncaa around in unbelieveable fashion!….if they want to play for the money, become a pro!

Rick Paine
1 year ago

Here is an example of how the rule change will help. We worked with a young man two years ago and got him a roster spot (walk-on) on one of the top D-I programs in the country. He had great success, but still wasn’t quite fast enough to make the travel team so we helped him transfer to another D-I program that was a notch below his first team. He agreed to walk-on to the new team with the understanding that he would receive a scholarship in his second year there. He was one of the team’s top swimmers, but the coach conveniently forgot about the promised scholarship.
 
It would be nice if this swimmer could move… Read more »

BearlyBreathing
1 year ago

I read the article and thought about it.
I’m not sure who the one year sit-out rule was helping.
The change would give more power to the student-athlete and isn’t that a good thing?

Last edited 1 year ago by BearlyBreathing
samuli
Reply to  BearlyBreathing
1 year ago

it is always other sports that these rules are made for, coaches wanted free labour who could not easily leave after one set back

Swimpop
1 year ago

Lets be honest, if one needs a second transfer its not a school problem, its a you problem. Let’s not reward them.

DMacNCheez
Reply to  Swimpop
1 year ago

Someone’s a bit out of touch eh?

Admin
Reply to  Swimpop
1 year ago

I’m not sure I agree that this is necessarily true. Is the athlete sometimes the problem in a transfer? Absolutely. But there are still a lot of college coaches out there who really aren’t great to be around, and it’s not statistically that unlikely that you would wind up at a program with two of them.

The Portal
Reply to  Braden Keith
1 year ago

Braden,
A follow up question and a suggestion…
2,000 sounds like a crazy high number of transfers in one year, but I’m not sure how many total D1 athletes there are in any year, so this may not be any higher than non athlete student transfers. How does that 2,000 break out by sport? Are there any sports that have higher transfer rates than others? Would love to see the NCAA chart by sport.

And a suggestion / request. You state that “there are still a lot of college coaches out there who really aren’t great to be around”. Given how hard swimmers work to find a great program for themselves and how difficult it can be to… Read more »

MIKE IN DALAS
1 year ago

AMEN!!!!!!!!!!!!

Stinky
Reply to  MIKE IN DALAS
1 year ago

Where are you?

DCSwim
Reply to  Stinky
1 year ago

Probably in Fort Worth

MIKE IN DALLAS
Reply to  DCSwim
1 year ago

I like cowtown but no — it’s big D

MIKE IN DALLAS
Reply to  Stinky
1 year ago

The name says it all — big D

About Riley Overend

Riley is an associate editor interested in the stories taking place outside of the pool just as much as the drama between the lane lines. A 2019 graduate of Boston College, he arrived at SwimSwam in April of 2022 after three years as a sports reporter and sports editor at newspapers …

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