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  • 24/36-Hour Rule Exception Junior College Transfers

    Article V, Section C, Item 6, Exception 2 states: EXCEPTION 2: A transfer student who has met the graduation requirements for an associate degree from a junior college in the previous two semester or three quarter terms of attendance will be exempt from meeting the 24/36-Hour Rule for the first two terms of attendance upon…

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  • Participation Prior to Enrollment in the Fall

    Approved Ruling: When an institution has scheduled an intercollegiate contest prior to the opening of school in the fall, a student shall be allowed to represent the institution although the student is not officially identified at the time of participation. The NAIA Official Eligibility Certificate must be filed with the eligibility chair with the column…

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  • Prospective Student-Athletes: Tryouts & Camps/Clinics

    Tryouts Approved Ruling: Tryouts of prospective students, in accordance with NAIA Bylaws, shall not constitute practice per Article I, Section H, Item 6, although institutional team members may be involved. Such activity if conducted outside of the team’s 24-week season will not trigger the 24-week season. Tryouts may occur at any point throughout the calendar…

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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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