College Football OK's New Transfer Rule: What You Need to Know

The NCAA has stepped in with a new transfer rule in college football and other sports. Here's what you need to know.

Scenes from a college football game. / © Joshua L. Jones via Imagn Content Services, LLC

A new transfer rule will allow all undergraduate athletes to transfer and play immediately if they meet certain academic requirements in a change to college football's transfer policy, after the Division I Council approved an emergency motion announced by the NCAA.

The decision, which becomes final at the end of meetings on Thursday, still needs to be formally approved by the NCAA's executive board on Monday, but it is expected to be passed.

The rule allows immediate eligibility to any players who have transferred during the 2023-24 academic year, including football players who entered the transfer portal spring window this week, provided they are academically eligible and making progress towards their degrees.

The rule does not limit the number of times a player can transfer, but they cannot transfer midyear and play for a second school in the same season.

Prior to this change, the NCAA's one-time transfer rule allowed players to play immediately at the first school they transferred to, but they had to sit out one year if they transferred again, or else apply to the NCAA for a special waiver to compete right away.

College football's spring transfer portal window opened on April 16 and will remain open for two weeks, until Tues., April 30. But players don't have to find their new school by that date -- that's only the deadline for which players can enter their name into the portal.

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