Link to NAIA Bylaws
Article V, Section C, Item 14
A student who is eligible the last day of a term (as reported on the institution’s official academic calendar) may retain eligibility until midnight of the 30th calendar day following the close of a term to allow an institution time to recertify eligibility through the official Eligibility Certification Process. This regulation does not apply to students who have completed 10 semesters of attendance (or equivalent).
Further, students who are discovered to be ineligible by the institution through the official Eligibility Certification Process or by conference standards shall lose eligibility immediately upon such discovery.
Timing of Certification
Institutions which sponsor sports that carry over from one term to another (basketball, swimming and diving, wrestling, etc.) must certify that students participating in these sports are eligible for all terms in which the competition takes place.
For all other terms during the regular academic year, a student enrolled in the second (or subsequent) term may compete between terms (beginning on the day following the close of the concluding term), provided the student meets all eligibility requirements for the upcoming term.
Common FAQs
What does “close of term” mean? Per NAIA bylaws, the “End of Term” is defined as “Date listed in the institutional catalog as the last day of a term. If no such date is given, the end of the term shall be the last day of the final exam period for that term“. Certification for the following academic term is required within 30 days of the end of the previous term.
How is a student “discovered to be ineligible,” or what does “institution checks eligibility” actually mean? The official process to identify whether a student is eligible is by completing the eligibility certification process. A student is not considered officially (in)eligible until the process of certification and the evaluation of the previous term’s institutional credits/ grades are factored into ECP. A student may continue to compete after the fall term during the 30-day window until their official certification process is complete.
Students Establishing Eligibility Mid-Year
- Students who were ineligible in the previous term or transfer students not identified at the institution during the prior term can be certified to play the day after the fall term ends.
- These students do not need to wait for the 30-day recertification period or the start of classes in the following term to become eligible.
- If the rest of the team uses the 30-day recertification period, these mid-year eligible students must be certified for the upcoming term.
- Mid-year eligibility requires certification under the winter or spring certificate, effective the day after the official end of the fall term.
- Only one student-athlete may initially be certified under the new term’s certificate (e.g., Spring 2024), while the rest of the team competes under the previous term’s certificate.
See also: Mid-Year Certification
