Eligibility Timeline

Division I five-year clock

If you play at a Division I school, you have five-calendar years in which to play four seasons of competition. Your five-year clock starts when you initially enroll as a full-time student at any college or university in a regular academic term. Thereafter, your clock continues, even if there is a decision to redshirt, if you do not attend school or even if you go part time during your college career.

Division II 10-semester/15-quarter clock

If you play at a Division II or III school, you have the first 10 semesters or 15 quarters in which you are enrolled as a full-time student to complete your four seasons of competition. You use a semester or quarter any time you attend class as a full-time student or are enrolled part time and compete for the school. You do not use a term if you only attend part time with no competition or are not enrolled for a term.

Progress-toward-degree

A system of academic benchmarks ensuring a student-athlete makes progress towards a bachelor’s degree at a reasonable pace.

Season of Competition

Generally, NCAA student-athletes are allowed to compete for four seasons in one sport. Division I and II student-athletes who compete for any amount of time during a season use up one season in their sport. Division I football student-athletes may compete in up to four contests without using a season of football. Division II football student-athletes who are in their initial year of collegiate enrollment may compete up to three contests without using a season of football. Division III student-athletes who practice or compete after the first date of competition in their sport use up one season in their sport. 

Initial Eligibility

Financial aid

Funds provided to you from various sources to pay or assist in paying your cost of education at an NCAA school.

Schools

Certifying school

The new school that you want to attend determines whether you are eligible to play.

Membership

The colleges, universities and athletics conferences that make up the NCAA. The members introduce and vote on rules. They establish programs to govern, promote and further the purposes and goals of intercollegiate athletics. The membership is divided into three main divisions — Divisions I, II and III — each with its own governing structure.

Two-year college

A school where students can earn an Associate of Arts (AA) degree, an Associate of Science (AS) degree or an Associate of Applied Science degree within two years. Some people call these schools community colleges or junior colleges.

Students

Full time

Typically, you are a full-time student if you are enrolled for at least 12 credit hours in a term, even though some NCAA schools define a full-time student as someone who takes fewer than 12 credit hours in a term. In order to be eligible for NCAA competition, you must be enrolled at least 12 credit hours in a term.

International student

An international student is any student who is enrolled in a two-year or four-year school outside the United States.

Walk-on

Someone who may not be recruited by an NCAA Division I or II school to participate in sports and does not receive a scholarship from the school, but becomes a member of one of the school’s athletics teams.

Transfer Process

Self-release

If you are a student at a Division III school and you want to transfer to another Division III school, you may issue your own permission-to-contact self-release to allow another Division III school to contact you about transferring.

Transferable credit hours

Credit hours earned at your previous school that your new school will accept as degree credit. Each school determines how many and which credit hours are acceptable for transferring.

Transfer trigger

A condition that affects your transfer status. A transfer student is a student who transfers from a collegiate institution after having triggered any of the conditions:

• Enrolled full-time during any term and attended class or in Division I if you are enrolled full time and are on campus on the opening day of classes.
• Reported for a regular squad practice.
• Practiced or competed while enrolled less than full time.
• Received institutional financial aid while attending summer school.