NAIA Eligibility

Contact with Prospective Students

We have received numerous questions regarding contact with parents of students currently enrolled at other collegiate institutions. 

As a reminder, NAIA Bylaws Article II, Section D, Item 1 states,

”If, during the school year or summer vacation period, the athletics director, faculty athletics representative, or coach of a member institution is contacted or becomes aware of contact by an athlete who enrolled at another institution of higher learning (two-year or four-year), it shall be the responsibility of the contacted institution (athletics director or faculty athletics representative) to notify, in writing, the institution (athletics director or faculty athletics representative) where the athlete is presently enrolled within 10 days following the first contact.

 A coach or another representative of a member institution shall not initiate contact with an athlete who has enrolled at another four-year institution. It is permissible to contact a student who is currently enrolled at a two-year institution once the student completes the academic year in which the student utilizes his/her first season of competition.

 A coach or another representative of a member institution may respond to a contact by an athlete only after the enrolled athlete's institution (athletics director or faculty athletics representative) has been notified as prescribed above.”

Eligibility Between Terms

During the 2008 Convention, the membership approved changes to NAIA Bylaws Article V, Section C, Item 13 to permit an incoming student who is enrolled in enough hours to identify during an upcoming term to participate during the period between terms.  This change to the legislation mirrors NAIA regulations which permit an ineligible student who identified at the institution during the fall term to compete between terms once the term has officially ended and the student meets all NAIA eligibility requirements.

Three Term Semester Institutions

NAIA regulations clearly indicate credit-hour requirements for institutions that use basic semester (two terms per academic year) or quarter (three terms per academic) credit systems.   There are a growing number of schools, including NAIA institutions, which use a three-term semester model.  As the number of institutions which use this system grows, you are increasingly likely to encounter a student who transfers to your institution from such an institution.  As current NAIA regulations do not provide guidance to you in evaluating such transcripts, the NEC has reviewed these academic systems as they relate to NAIA academic eligibility rules.

Participation Prior to Enrollment

From the NAIA Casebook

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 enrolled at the time of participation. The NAIA Official Eligibility Certificate must be filed with the Eligibility Chair with the column requesting “Institutional Credit Hours Enrolled in this Term” left blank. This column would then be completed during the first week of enrollment and a second, complete certificate would be sent to the Eligibility Chair.

Should a student compete and then not enroll in the term in which competition occurs, a season of competition and a term of attendance shall be charged for such competition.