NCAA Transfer Portal Window Closing for Women’s Swimming

With the new 60-day window to enter the transfer portal closing on Monday, today is the last day for NCAA Division I women’s swimmers to notify compliance departments of their intent to transfer.

The transfer period for women’s swimming began back on March 2, when NCAA Championship invites were sent out. The men’s window opened up a week later, so they’ll have until May 7 to tell their compliance departments about a potential transfer. Compliance departments have 48 hours after being notified to officially put the athlete’s name in the portal.

Once in the portal, there’s no set deadline to make a decision. Athletes also don’t have to transfer — they can opt to return to their original school instead.

There are a few exceptions to the NCAA’s new policy. First of all, graduate transfers can enter their name into the portal at any time. Additionally, there are exceptions for non-scholarship athletes and in situations where there was a recent coaching change. In the case of the latter, athletes will have a new 30-day transfer window if their coach is fired or leaves to take another job.

The transfer portal system has existed since 2018, but this is the first year with specific windows for entering it. The NCAA announced the new rules last year as part of a series of reforms intended to “modernize” the organization. Before the transfer portal system, athletes had to get permission from a coach or athletic administrator in order to transfer.

So far, the biggest names to enter the portal include Stanford’s Andrei Minakov, Louisville’s Liberty Williams, and Georgia Tech’s Deniz Ertan.

Last year, the total number of NCAA Division I transfers in both men’s and women’s swimming was slightly down from 2021. The majority of swimmers and divers who entered the portal last year (54%) found new destinations as a result.