NCAA Updates Rules for Undergraduate Transfer Waivers

The transfer eligibility rules are changing across college athletics.

The NCAA issued an updated memo to college athletics programs regarding the waiver process for undergraduates who are two-time transfers.

CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein obtained the memo, and tweeted out a copy on Wednesday.

“In all sports, four-year undergraduate student athletes who decide to transfer to a new NCAA school can generally be eligible to compete for the new school provided that they have not previously transferred and notify their current school by entering the NCAA Transfer Portal during their sport-specific transfer window,” the memo read.

Of course, that practice has been standard for a few years now, as college athletes became immediately eligible at their new institutions as a first-time transfer upon the inception of the transfer portal.

The memo continued, and noted the rules for athletes who did not qualify for the one-time transfer exception to become immediately eligible.

“A waiver process remains available for undergraduate student-athletes who do not qualify for the one-time transfer exception; however there have been changes made to the types of requests that will be considered. 

“An undergraduate transfer waiver will only be considered for student-athletes who transfer for reasons related to the student-athlete’s physical or mental health and well-being; due to exigent circumstances outside the student-athlete’s control (e.g., physical or sexual assault or discrimination based on a protected class); or assertions involving diagnosed education impacting disabilities.”

The memo also said that waivers will no longer be approved just because the athlete’s participation opportunity at their former school changed, or even because of a coaching change or a change in the athlete’s scholarship status.