The Division I Cabinet on Tuesday unanimously approved a sweeping overhaul of eligibility rules for student-athletes, permitting Division I student-athletes up to five years of eligibility if they enroll in college no later than the academic year after their 19th birthday. The new rule streamlines a significant portion of the Division I rule book by eliminating season-of-competition limits, sport-specific eligibility and redshirt rules, and eligibility extension waivers.
The changes are not final until the Cabinet meeting concludes Wednesday.
"With these changes, the Cabinet has taken decisive action for the benefit of student-athletes and the system of NCAA Division I athletics," said Josh Whitman, athletics director at Illinois and chair of the Cabinet. "For many student-athletes who enroll in college immediately after high school, these changes will result in the opportunity to potentially compete for an additional season in their chosen sport. For campus officials and coaches, this change provides rules that are simpler to administer and easier to predict for roster management decisions."
The reforms will align athletics eligibility with enrollment and graduation patterns for the general student population.
"While previous NCAA rules have served college sports well for a long time, we heard also loud and clear from NCAA members and student-athletes that eligibility rules should be easier to understand," NCAA President Charlie Baker said. "This change to an age-based model eliminates aspects of the rules that have proven difficult to administer in the current litigious environment and clearly defines the exceptions available in limited circumstances, while preserving the long-intended alignment of eligibility with typical college enrollment and graduation patterns, because 98% of the 550,000 NCAA student-athletes will go pro in something other than sports."
The Division I Student-Athlete Advocacy Committee leadership team also issued a statement supporting the rule change.
"The Student-Athlete Advocacy Committee has met with student-athlete leaders across Division I, and we consistently heard that student-athletes want an eligibility model that is simple to understand, transparent to administer, and applied fairly across all sports and schools. This rule change, which clearly establishes an individual's period of eligibility, provides student-athletes with greater certainty as they plan for college and make important decisions regarding enrollment, competition and degree completion."
Implementation
The rule change will be effective for all prospects initially enrolling full time in college in fall 2027 or later.
For students enrolling full time in college for the first time in fall 2026 and current student-athletes with eligibility remaining after the 2025-26 academic year, Division I schools will apply the previous rules (allowing four seasons of competition within five years) or the age-based model, whichever results in the most favorable outcome for each individual.
| Student-athletes |
Which eligibility rules apply |
| Student-athletes who used their final season of competition (under previous rules) during 2025-26. |
No additional eligibility. |
| Current student-athletes with eligibility remaining (under previous rules) after the 2025-26 academic year. |
Either the previous rules OR the new age-based model, whichever is most beneficial to the student-athlete. |
| Prospects who initially enroll full time at any college or university during 2026-27. |
Either the previous rules OR the new age-based model, whichever is most beneficial to the student-athlete. |
| Prospects who initially enroll full time at any college or university in fall 2027 or later. |
The age-based model only. |
Exceptions
The Cabinet defined the exceptions that could delay or pause an individual's period of eligibility under the age-based rules, which include pregnancy, active-duty military service and official religious missions. These exceptions will only be available if the student-athlete does not participate in organized competition for the duration of the exception.
For consistency throughout Division I, the NCAA Eligibility Center will administer the use of the exceptions.
Waivers under previous rules
Under the age-based eligibility model, waivers will not be available — including clock extensions and waivers previously granted for hardships, seasons of competition and delayed enrollment.
For current student-athletes with eligibility remaining under the previous rules, schools must submit any season-of-competition or eligibility clock extension waiver requests based on circumstances that occurred during or before the 2025-26 academic year — and all supporting documentation — to the national office no later than July 31, 2026. After that date, waivers of the previous rules will no longer be available.
