NCAA Proposal Would Nix Transfer Ineligibility

A revolutionary new proposal up for consideration by NCAA members would offer immediate playing eligibility to all Division I transfer students, with the sole requirement of meeting a minimum GPA.

In April, a task force of 19 commissioners, athletic directors, coaches and student-athletes formed the Division I Transfer Working Group, with the goal of revamping the transfer process.

The group was given more data than previous groups attempting the same, and charged with giving a semblance of uniformity to transfer rules.

By late June, the group had narrowed the field of possible solutions to two opposite approaches: either require every transfer student-athlete to sit out a year, or institute across-the-board immediate eligibility for transfer students.

According to 247SPORTS, immediate eligibility is currently the clear preference among NCAA members.

Said South Dakota State University athletic director Justin Sell, “I am thrilled with the great progress made this week, and I’m confident we can move forward with some initial concepts for consideration in this year’s legislative cycle. We are working toward academics-based, data-driven decisions that benefit student-athletes, teams and schools.”

The deadline for the Division I Transfer Working Group to finalize the proposal is Nov. 1. The proposal will likely be taken to a vote next April, and could be put into effect as early as 2018.

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