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  • International Travel and Mission Trips – FAQs

    International competition and mission trips offer valuable experiences for institutions and student-athletes, expanding exposure and providing new perspectives. Here are answers to common questions about international travel and mission trips. Team Travel: Q: Does the NAIA restrict when a team can travel and compete internationally?A: No. Teams can compete internationally anytime during the calendar year.…

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  • Countable Opponents and Scheduling

    Countable Opponents and Scheduling Scheduling games can be challenging for coaches and athletic directors. To help, here is a summary of countable opponents, scheduling, and scrimmage rules. Countable Opponent Criteria: Non-Countable Opponents: Scrimmages: Countable Opponent Requirements: By adhering to these guidelines, NAIA institutions can ensure proper competition, accurate records, and compliance with NAIA policies. For…

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  • Basketball Scheduling Limits

    CASEBOOK EXAMPLE – Basketball, Exhibitions, & Frequency of Play In the sport of basketball, an exhibition game will not count towards the total frequency of play limits. Basketball is allowed 28 games with an additional two games that can be filled with scrimmages or exhibitions. However, an exhibition will count towards the calculation of the…

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  • USBC Transfer Portal & Direct Contact

    Article II, Section D, addresses the protocol for contacting student-athletes regarding transfers between institutions. A coach or another representative of a member institution may initiate contact with a student whose most recent identification was at a non-NAIA four-year institution, but shall not initiate contact with a student-athlete whose most recent identification was at an NAIA…

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  • Terms of Attendance & Eligibility with Mixed Terms

    Academic Terms Conversion (Semesters/Quarters/Trimesters) Article V, Section F, Item 1: A student terminates athletic eligibility at the end of a term upon completing 10 semesters, 12 trimesters or 15 quarters in which the student is identified (See Article V, Section B, Item 8 of the NAIA Bylaws). Note that all terms (not hours) are converted…

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  • NAIA Bylaws, Policies, and Sport Rules

    Understanding NAIA’s Legislative and Policy Process: Proposals, Reviews, and Voting A common misconception is that the NAIA National Office creates the organization’s rules and bylaws. In reality, the NAIA’s bylaws are created by its membership, with the National Office acting only as a facilitator of the process. The NAIA’s structure includes various levels of rules…

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  • Mid-Year Transfer Student Eligibility and Key Scenarios: A Comprehensive Guide

    This article consolidates common scenarios related to mid-year transfer student-athletes and their eligibility to compete, as well as clarifying important eligibility rules for those participating between academic terms. Mid-Year Transfer Scenarios 1. Transfer – No Season Charged in Previous Term Scenario: A student-athlete currently attends an NAIA school for the fall term and participated in…

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  • Outside Competitive Experience: 2023 Wrestling and Track & Field Bylaw

    Bylaw Amendment Effective Date: May 1, 2023 as applied to eligibility decisions for NAIA competition in August 2023 or beyond. In the sports of indoor track and field, outdoor track and field and wrestling, a student-athlete’s participation in a competitive event shall count towards the student’s 20% threshold, regardless of whether the student-athlete officially represents…

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  • Outside Competitive Experience Review – Update August 2023

    OCE Review 2023 Update & Form: The Outside Competitive Experience form is used to determine if any outside competitive experience (OCE) should be charged if the student was not otherwise charged an intercollegiate SOC in the past 12 months. Under the section, “To whom this review does apply,” the first criteria in the section reads,…

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  • Financial Aid Policy FAQs

    The following questions are common FAQs we receive regarding how to apply the Council of Presidents Policy for Financial Aid Limits (Article XIII Institutional Financial Aid Policy). Reporting Emerging Sports/ Sports Not Sponsored Q1: We recently added women’s flag football to our list of NAIA sports, how should we report them?   A: For Return on…

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