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Coaches and Dual Roles
This article addresses questions of whether an NAIA coach can hold a separate role outside of their NAIA institution, such as, acting as a scout or an agent for a professional sport organization or, coaching a high school or club team, etc. This information can be found in Article I Section X: Staff Members Representing Professional…
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2022 Graduate Student Eligibility Interp
At the 2022 NAIA National Convention, the National Eligibility Committee (NEC) reviewed the continuing eligibility requirements for graduate students and made the ruling that graduate students who have completed at least one term of attendance in graduate school will not be required to meet the 24/36-Hour Rule. Article V, Section D, Item 5, Exception 2…
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Summer Participation & Amateurism
Article VII, Section C, Item 2 An individual participating as a recognized amateur under the rules of a sport’s national governing body shall adhere to the amateur award regulations of the national governing body of that particular sport when the individual is not institutionally identified or when such events are held during the summer in…
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Summer Activities with Prospective Student-Athletes
Who is considered a prospective student? Article V, Section B, Item 16: A prospective student is any individual, regardless of age or stated commitment to a school, who has never identified with your institution or whose most recent collegiate identification is with another institution. All incoming freshmen and transfers are considered prospective students until the…
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Summer Participation & Seasons of Competition
Article V, Section B, Item 19 Note 4: Unless specified elsewhere in the NAIA Bylaws (i.e. Article V, Section F, Item 9) no student shall be charged more than one season of competition during any 12-month period. Participation in elite-level competition after May 15 shall be charged within the 12-month period that includes the subsequent…
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Transfers & Permission to Contact
Do I need a permission to contact form? A permission to contact is solely an NCAA rule. This bylaw requires that institutions obtain permission from a student’s current school in order to speak to them about transferring. The permission to contact does not serve as a release for the student to participate immediately, it only…
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Progress Rule vs. 24/36-Hour Rule
The two core NAIA continuing eligibility requirements, the 24/36-Hour Rule and the Progress Rule, are often mistaken for one another. However, they represent separate concepts and are to be applied independently. Previous installments of this series explored only the 24/36-Hour Rule. This article explains the Progress Rule and its relationship to the 24/36-Hour Rule. Progress Rule (Bylaws Article…
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Unattached Criteria – As of 2021-2022
Unattached Criteria no longer appicible as of May 1, 2021 The new bylaw amendment that passed in October 2020 removed the blanket exception to the seasons of competition (SOC) ruling, commonly known as the “unattached criteria”. As of May 1, 2021, there will no longer be a way for a student-athlete to get a “free…
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20% Season of Competition Rule
Effective: August 1, 2021 a. Participation in more than 20% of the maximum allowable number of intercollegiate contests or dates (excluding scrimmages) at an NAIA institution, whether in a varsity, junior varsity or freshman program, during the 24-week season. Any participation in NAIA-approved postseason shall result in a season of competition. The NAIA shall count…
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Medical Hardship Update – As of 2021-2022
The new 20% Season of Competition bylaw that went into effect August 1, 2021 instituted a minimum number of intercollegiate contests a student must participate in before they would be charged a season of competition. This change has made the current medical hardship process for NAIA athletes non-applicible. Note that the contest limits under the…