The Texas University Interscholastic League met earlier this week to discuss changes to the organization’s athlete eligibility rules.
According to Fox 7 Austin, UIL passed an amendment to ban foreign exchange students from competing in high school varsity athletics beginning in the 2026-27 school year. UIL cited concerns over fairness and competitive advantage, and the leaders see this ban as the start of a broader conversation about open enrollment.
“You can tell teams that have a higher percentage of foreign exchange. You can also tell teams that have a higher percentage of open enrollment athletes," said Dr. Greg Poole, Barbers Hill ISD superintendent.
Dr. Aaron Hood, Robert Lee ISD superintendent agreed, saying, “Our Texas kids are not allowed to go to a town, a neighboring town, without moving there and play at the varsity level, but they are allowed to get on a plane and come across to our state and play immediately, taking the place many times of a community kid that has worked hard to get that position on an athletic team.”
Under the new rule, foreign exchange students will still be allowed to participate on junior varsity or freshman-level teams.
Despite the support from some UIL members, others, including former coach Quentin White, told KCENTV that foreign exchange students have never had a large presence on his teams. In 30 years, White said he had only seen a handful of foreign exchange students express interest in playing a school sport. Given that experience, White wondered if the problem the UIL claims it is solving is really a widespread issue.
“A couple of years ago, we had a student from Germany who just wanted to play American football,” White said. “The greatest thing about him playing was just watching him have the experience and time of his life doing it.”
After passing the amendment barring foreign exchange students from varsity sports, the UIL also passed policies for a new water polo program and soccer scrimmage schedules.
