It would be nice if @Rick at Informed Athlete would chime in (we're keeping him busy recently), but from what I see, whether or not you have the Associates will make a difference on whether you can play immediately and receive athletic scholarship money. NCSA's site has some clear info, don't know how reliable it is:
https://www.athleticscholarshi...ege-transfer-2-4.htm
The NCAA's impenetrable document is here: