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This one came up in conversation with a friend over the weekend, and I told him that I do not know the answer, but I know a place where there are people who do ... so here goes ...

What are the rules for a student athlete transfering between NCAA divisions at all levels? My current understanding is:

A student-athlete can transfer from a JUCO or NAIA school to an NCAA D1, D2 or D3 school and play immediately (no sitting out).

A D1 athlete can transfer to a D2 or D3 school and play immediately, but if he/she transfers to another D1 school he/she must sit out a year, barring special circumstances.

An athelte who transfers from a D1 school to a D2/D3 school can transfer back to another D1 school after a minimum of 1 academic year and resume D1 competition without sitting out.

A D2 or D3 athlete can transfer to another D2 or D3 school without sitting out a year.

A D2 or D3 athlete can transfer to a D1 school without sitting out a year (just like a JUCO).


How am I doing? Please correct me where I am wrong, and please add any possible scenarios I may have missed. Thank you in advance for your shared wisdom.

And I'm betting this is one for 3fingeredglove, right Smile?
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For questions like this, which seems to stem from general curiosity, the NCAA Transfer Guide is a good resource.

The key to understanding the NCAA transfer rules is to forget about which division a player transfers from. Instead the primary determining factors are
1) Is the previous school 2 years or 4 years?
2) Is he transferring to a D1?

Although there are exceptions, players may transfer from a 2 year school to any NCAA division and play immediately. Players can transfer from any 4 year school to D2 or D3 and play immediately.

A player transferring to a D1 from any 4 year school has to serve a year in residence before he is eligible to compete.

The NCAA rules take up several pages, so there are exceptions and wrinkles.
Last edited by 3FingeredGlove

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