Educational Column --Transfers -- Two-Year College Transfer Requirements, Not a Qualifier

NCAA Division I institutions should note that pursuant to NCAA Bylaw 14.5.4.2, a two-year college transfer student-athlete who was not a qualifier and who first enrolled full time in a collegiate institution before August 1, 2009, is immediately eligible for financial aid, practice and competition only if the student-athlete:

1. Graduated from the two-year college;

2. Completed satisfactorily a minimum of 48 semester or 72 quarter hours of transferable degree credit acceptable toward any baccalaureate degree program at the certifying institution;

3. Attended a two-year college as a full-time student for at least three semesters or four quarters (excluding summer terms); and

4. Achieved a cumulative grade-point average of 2.000.
A two-year college transfer student-athlete who was not a qualifier and who first enrolled full time in a collegiate institution August 1, 2009, or later is immediately eligible for financial aid, practice and competition only if the student-athlete:
1. Graduated from the two-year college;
2. Completed satisfactorily a minimum of 48 semester or 72 quarter hours of transferable degree credit acceptable toward any baccalaureate degree program at the certifying institution, including six semester or eight quarter hours of transferrable English credit and three semester or four quarter hours of transferable math credit;
3. Attended a two-year college as a full-time student for at least three semesters or four quarters (excluding summer terms); and
4. Achieved a cumulative grade-point average of 2.000.

For example, if a student-athlete who was not a qualifier first enrolled full time at a two-year institution in the fall of 2008 and transferred to a Division I institution in the fall of 2009, the student-athlete is not required to have completed the transferrable English and math credits. However, if a student-athlete who was not a qualifier first enrolls full time at a two-year institution in the fall of 2009 and transfers to a Division I institution in the spring of 2011, the student-athlete is required to have satisfactorily completed six semester or eight quarter hours of transferrable English credit and three semester or four quarter hours of transferrable math credit.

In addition, in order to satisfy the transferrable English and math credit-hour requirement, the credits earned at the two-year institution must transfer to the certifying institution as specific English or math credit, regardless of how the courses are identified on the two-year transcript. For example, if a student-athlete who was not a qualifier completed an English course at a two-year institution, but the course transferred to the Division I institution as humanities credit, the course may not be used to meet the transferrable English credit-hours requirement.

[References: NCAA Bylaws 14.5.4.1 (qualifier), 14.5.4.2 (not a qualifier) (applicable to student-athletes who first enrolled full time in a collegiate institution before August 1, 2009) and 14.5.4.2 (not a qualifier) (applicable to student-athletes who first enroll full time in a collegiate institution on or after August 1, 2009) and staff interpretation (3/19/09, Item No. b)]