Transfers

DI Council grants waiver to allow transfer student-athletes to compete immediately

The Division I Council granted a blanket waiver allowing all transfer student-athletes to compete immediately this season if specific criteria are met.

DI board backs transfer proposal, suspends academic penalties

The Division I Board of Directors strongly supports legislation that would allow all Division I student-athletes the opportunity to transfer and compete immediately, regardless of the sport they play. The board met virtually Wednesday.

DI Council proposal would expand transfer exception

All Division I student-athletes would have the ability to transfer and compete immediately once during their collegiate experience if a measure introduced by the Division I Council is adopted. The Council met by videoconference Tuesday and...

Tracking Transfer in Division I Men’s Basketball

National data indicates that many of today’s college graduates transfer at some point on their way to a degree. This is true among student-athletes, as well, and may be most visible in Division I men’s basketball. Tracking movement from school to school for research purposes can be difficult, but recent NCAA studies have done just that and uncovered some interesting findings:

The rate of transfer between four-year colleges in Division I men’s basketball is high relative to most other sports, but not the highest (see tables in full report).
The percentage of 4-4 transfers (those who transfer from one four-year institution to another) on Division I men’s basketball squads increased in 2018 and 2019 (blue line in Figure 1), while the rate of two-year college transfers in men’s basketball has remained relatively flat (red line).
That said, about 40% of all men’s basketball players who enter Division I directly out of high school depart their initial school by the end of their sophomore year.

Where do these transfers end up? Transfers were identified by merging the 2020 Division I Basketball Transfers list from the Verbal Commits website with all Division I men’s basketball student-athletes listed in the 2019-20 Transfer Portal. Of the scholarship players on the list, 648 were identified as transferring to another school and joining the basketball team. In 2020, 63% of the transfers went to another Division I school, which was an increase from 2019 (54%). The percentage transferring to Division II remained near 25%, while those leaving for non-NCAA colleges (two-year colleges or National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics schools) declined to their lowest levels since we began tracking transfers (Figure 2). Similar to years past, 1 in 10 “up-transferred” to a more competitive program.

NCAA GOALS survey data finds close to 90% of all men’s basketball transfers say they leave for athletic reasons. Absent proper academic planning, many of these student-athletes lose credits upon transfer and register lower Academic Progress Rates and graduation rates at their new schools than seen among nontransfers

PowerPoint describing methods and data in more detail.

Download a PDF copy of this Extra Point: Tracking Transfer in Division I Men’s Basketball

(Published Feb. 2021)

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New group working toward uniform transfer rule in Division I

The Division I Council Coordination Committee expanded the Transfer Waiver Working Group, formed last fall to study and recommend changes to the waiver process.

NCAA Division I Working Group on Transfers Roster

Name	Title	School	Conference	Affiliation
Erin Adkins	Associate athletics director - compliance	UCLA	PAC-12
Ross Bjork	Athletics director	Texas A&M University	Southeastern Conference	DI Student-Athlete Experience Committee
Jackie Blackett	Senior woman administrator	Columbia University – Barnard College	The Ivy League	DI Committee on Academics
Alexis Garrett	Women’s track and field student-athlete	Troy University	Sun Belt Conference	DI Student-Athlete Advisory Commitee
Hanna Hall	Women’s basketball student-athlete	University at Buffalo, the State University of NY	Mid-American Conference
Jennifer Heppel	Commissioner	Patriot League	Patriot League	DI Committee on Academics
Erik Janss	Baseball student-athlete	LaSalle University	Atlantic 10 Conference	DI Student-Athlete Advisory Committee
Stephen LaPorta	Assistant athletics director for compliance	James Madison University	Colonial Athletic Association	DI Committee for Legislative Relief chair
Jason Leonard	Executive director of compliance	University of Oklahoma	Big 12	NAAC Board
Shane Lyons	Director of athletics	West Virginia University	Big 12	DI Council
Kaity McKittrick	Deputy director of athletics	Lafayette College	Patriot League	Former DI Committee for Legislative Relief chair
Kathy Meehan	Senior deputy athletics director, senior woman administrator	St. John’s University	Big East	DI Women’s Basketball Oversight Committee
Gloria Nevarez	Commissioner	West Coast Conference	West Coast Conference	DI Men’s Basketball Oversight Committee
Chris Reynolds	Vice president for intercollegiate athletics	Bradley University	Missouri Valley Conference
Julianne Serovich	Faculty athletics representative	University of South Florida	American Athletic Conference
Jon Steinbrecher, chair	Commissioner		Mid-American Conference	DI Council vice chair
Kevin Warren	Commissioner	Big Ten Conference	Big Ten
Ted White	Deputy Athletics Director	University of Virginia	Atlantic Coast Conference	DI Committee on Academics
Josh Whitman	Athletics director	University of Illinois	Big Ten

Division I Working Group on Transfers

The NCAA Division Council adopted the recommended transfer eligibility resolution (NCAA Proposal No. R-2020-6) during its May 20, 2020, meeting. The resolution states that the Council will work with key stakeholders to develop a comprehensive legislative and policy package regarding transfer eligibility for adoption not later than January 2021 and effective not later than for eligibility to compete during the 2021-22 academic year. The resolution also articulates a framework to achieve a uniform and equitable approach to transfer eligibility, while acknowledging ancillary items that may need adjustment with such changes.

The NCAA Division I Working Group on Transfers is charged to fulfill the parameters of Proposal No. R-2020-6 – Transfer Eligibility Resolution. The working group will collaborate with the respective governance and sport oversight committees to develop a comprehensive legislative package.
A legislative concept will be recommended to the Council in August 2020 with an opportunity for membership feedback and modification as appropriate prior to November 2020. The proposal will be voted on by the Council in the January 2021.

Working Group Resources:

Working Group Proceedings:

March 2021: Mar. 1, 2021 Key Takeaways
February 20201: Feb. 8, 2021 Key Takeaways || Feb. 15, 2021 Key Takeaways
January 2021: Jan. 6, 2021 Key Takeaways
December 2020: Dec. 1, 2020 Key Takeaways || Dec. 10, 2020 Key Takeaways
September 2020: Sept. 14, 2020 Key Takeaways || Sept. 30, 2020 Key Takeaways
August 2020: Aug. 31, 2020 Key Takeaways
July 2020: July 6, 2020 Key Takeaways || July 13, 2020 Key Takeaways || July 20, 2020 Key Takeaways || July 27, 2020 Key Takeaways
June 2020: June 18, 2020 Key Takeaways || June 22, 2020 Key Takeaways || June 29, 2020 Key Takeaways

NCAA