NCAA Basketball Transfer Rules

Many student-athletes in NCAA basketball programs seek transfers to get more playing time, play for different coaches or increase their chances of going to the NBA. In an effort to regulate ill-motivated transfers, the NCAA maintains strict rules on student-athlete transfers and a player's subsequent eligibility upon changing schools.

  1. Residence Requirement

    • Unless an exception is met, all transfer student-athletes must meet the "residence requirement" to be eligible to compete in intercollegiate basketball. The residence requirement stipulates that a student must be enrolled in and complete a minimum number of full-time credits for two semesters or three quarters, or at least enroll in and pass the minimum number of full-time credits for two semesters or three quarters. Summer terms do not count as semesters, but can contribute to the credit requirement.

    Two-Year College Transfers

    • Basketball student-athletes transferring from two-year colleges with a basketball program must meet the residence requirement before being eligible to compete. However, a student transferring from a two-year college can compete in his first academic year at his new school if he has one full-time semester from the two-year college, has a GPA of 2.0 or better, and averages at least 12 transferable credits for each semester or quarter he was at the school. If the two-year college transfer is not enrolled in the first semester or quarter of her new institution's academic year, then she is not eligible to compete until the following academic year.

    Four-Year College Transfers

    • Basketball student-athletes transferring from four-year colleges to four-year colleges are not eligible for intercollegiate basketball competition until they have met the residence requirement at the new school. There are a number of exceptions to this rule.

    Discontinued/Nonsponsored Sport Exception

    • If a student-athlete's original four-year institution drops its basketball program, reclassifies itself from Division I to Division III or never sponsored basketball while the student was in attendance there, the student-athlete is allowed to forgo the residence requirement upon transferring to a new institution.

    Nonparticipation or Minimal Participation Exception

    • If a student-athlete transfers to a new institution from a four-year institution and did not participate in basketball for at least two years, or for no more than 14 consecutive days during those two years, that student-athlete can forgo the residence requirement at the new institution.

    Educational Exchange Exception

    • If a student-athlete is returning to his original institution after participating in an exchange program; after one semester or quarter of taking classes not available at his original institution; or after one year of academically recommended classes outside of the institution, that student-athlete can forgo the residence requirement at his original institution.

    Transfering and Playing in the Same Year

    • No transfer student-athlete, regardless of having received an exception or not, is permitted to compete in the sport of basketball for her new school during the same season in which she competed for another school.