On March 13, the NCAA issued guidance in the form of a Q&A defining the scope of the eligibility waiver it previously approved on December 23, 2024, for student-athletes who have competed at non-NCAA institutions, such as junior colleges (JUCO) and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) schools. The December 2024 waiver[1] extended an extra year of eligibility in the 2025-26 academic year to student-athletes who previously “competed at a non-NCAA school for one or more years,” and otherwise would have exhausted their NCAA eligibility following the 2024-25 season.
The March Q&A now clarifies and defines the scope of the December 2024 waiver, explicitly stating that a Division I student-athlete may compete during the 2025-26 academic year if they enrolled full time and triggered the use of least one season at a non-NCAA institution (e.g., JUCO, NAIA, two-year college international institution), provided they are academically and athletically eligible (e.g., meeting progress toward degree, enrolled full time, has time remaining in their period of eligibility, etc.). This waiver also applies to student-athletes who previously attended a non-NCAA institution and are currently attending a Division II or Division III institution, or student-athletes with time remaining in their period of eligibility to use during the 2025-26 academic year due to the impact of COVID-19. The eligibility waiver, however, does not apply to student-athletes who only triggered their use of seasons at an NCAA institution. Instead, the relief is specific to student-athletes who used at least one season of competition at non-NCAA institutions. As such, this relief is not available to student-athletes who competed for four seasons at NCAA institutions, regardless of division.
NCAA rules currently allow student-athletes to play four full seasons in a five-year span, allowing for a fifth season by using a “redshirt” to maintain eligibility for that final year. According to recent reports, however, there have been discussions with college leaders exploring the possibility of allowing student-athletes to play five full seasons of competition over a five-year span. While nothing formal has been proposed, it remains to be seen how, if at all, this March Q&A could impact these future discussions.
[1] The December 2024 waiver was a result of the challenge by Vanderbilt quarterback, Diego Pavia. We discussed this case in a prior episode of Highway to NIL.