Updated July 2025
Transferring schools isn’t something you should do on a whim. But if you’re unhappy at your current school or its no longer the place for you to meet your academic or athletic or personal goals, transferring may lead to a better experience.
Below, we’ll go over the NCAA transfer rules, the effects of recent changes to the portal and why some student-athletes might transfer.
Why do college athletes transfer programs?
Some student-athletes transfer because they’re not happy with their program. They might not like their current major and realize their school doesn’t offer what they want to study.
Or maybe they want to transfer because the sport or coach isn’t a good fit. They’ve pushed themselves hard in training and practice only to realize that they don’t love it like they thought they would.
If this sounds like you, that’s OK. College is challenging without the added aspect of playing on a competitive sports team.
But before rushing to transfer, ask yourself a few questions: What don’t you like about your current experience? Is it the classes? The tough practices? The coach?
Once you have the answers to those questions, see if you can get an appointment with your college’s mental health or counseling services. They’ll be able to help you sort through your answers, so you’ll know for sure if transferring is for you. The NCAA has relaxed transfer rules in recent years, allowing student-athletes to transfer multiple times if they choose. But it’s important to make sure you are academically eligible and are making the right choice for your future.
Insider Tip: Engage in our expert-led workshops specifically for parents and student-athletes, offered by NCSA and IMG Academy, leaders in the sports education and recruiting space. Boost your expertise and knowledge. Sign up now!
NCAA transfer rules: Everything you need to know
After you have weighed the options and decided to transfer, it’s time to dig into the NCAA transfer rules.
How To transfer: step-by-step
- Self-Assessment: Ensure you’re making the decision for the right reasons.
- Notify Your School: Submit written intent to your compliance office. This will trigger your entry into the NCAA Transfer Portal.
- Enter the Transfer Portal: Once in the portal, you can choose to allow or deny contact from coaches. Without written notification, other schools cannot legally reach out.
- Stay Academically Eligible: Meet all GPA and credit-hour requirements.
Important: If you initiate a transfer but later decide to stay, your current school is not obligated to continue your scholarship.
what are the recent changes to the ncaa transfer portal? How many times can you transfer colleges?
The NCAA has recently enacted legislation to eliminate restrictions on the number of transfers an academically eligible athlete can make during their college career. Athletes can now transfer multiple times without facing penalties, as long as they maintain good academic standing. You can read more here about how the changes to the transfer portal have impacted some college sports, especially college basketball and football.
College coaches have also warned that the ability to transfer multiple times can hurt a student-athlete’s progress toward the ultimate goal of college: A degree. “One of the questions we have to ask ourselves is, at what point does the degree still matter?” Oregon coach Dan Lanning told ESPN in 2024 when the rule changed. “I think it’s going to make it harder and harder if guys become multiyear transfer guys for them to actually have a college degree. If you graduate, there’s a lot of times it makes sense — change schools as many times as you want — if you graduate. But on the same note, if somebody’s changing schools three times, I’m wondering what their progress towards a degree really looks like. I think that’s something everyone should probably have some awareness of.”
But, for some, transferring multiple times may be the right decision – and can include a graduate degree as well.
Initiating the Transfer Process
You should start the transfer process only when you are fully certain about your decision. Once you initiate the process, your current scholarship should remain intact for the current term, but future scholarships are not guaranteed. If you decide to stay after initiating the transfer, your scholarship could be at risk, as your current school may rescind future scholarship offers or allocate them to other student-athletes.
To access the NCAA Transfer Portal, you will need to provide written notice to your college’s designated administrator. Without written notice, NCAA coaches are not allowed to contact you.
You can choose whether to allow coaches to contact you or not. If you have a specific program in mind, you might prefer to reach out to coaches directly. Alternatively, if you are exploring options, allowing coaches to contact you can help you discover opportunities.
The NCAA Division I Council made changes to the transfer windows for student-athletes in 2024. The key changes include:
- Transfer Windows: The introduction of new transfer windows for different sports:
- Fall Sports: A 30-day window starting from the end of the regular season.
- Winter Sports: A 30-day window beginning at the end of the regular season.
- Spring Sports: A 45-day window starting after the end of the regular season.
- Portal Entry: These changes aim to streamline the process and provide clearer periods for athletes to enter the Transfer Portal.
- Purpose: The changes are designed to balance the needs of athletes and schools while enhancing the transfer process’s fairness and efficiency
Can you Walk-on as a transfer?
Yes, transfer student-athletes can walk on to a new team, even if they weren’t on scholarship at their previous school. Here’s how the process works:
- Eligibility Compliance: You must meet all NCAA academic and eligibility requirements, including registration with the NCAA Eligibility Center if transferring to a Division I or II school.
- Direct Coach Communication: Since walk-ons are not always formally recruited, it’s important to proactively contact coaches with your interest, highlight video, and transcripts.
- No Scholarship Needed: Walk-ons do not receive athletic scholarships but may earn one later through performance.
- Tryouts or Roster Invitations: Some programs hold open tryouts; others add walk-ons through coach invitations, so research team policies in advance.
Note, the role of walk-ons may be changing due to new NCAA roster limits at the D1 level. Be sure to communicate with the coaching staff at your desired transfer spot to see how their roster is affected.
Redshirting
Redshirting is when a full-time student sits out of competitive gameplay for a year but practices with the team and is still eligible for athletic scholarships.
D1 athletes transferring schools still must meet certain qualifications to play immediately for the new school.
Student-athletes may still benefit from a redshirt season, as it allows them to adjust to their new school and coach.
It’s important to note that you’re eligible to compete in gameplay for four years. You have five years to complete your four years of play. In D1 schools, this five-year clock commences when you become a full-time student, even if you don’t play sports there. It only stops in rare cases. In D2 schools and D3 schools, it also starts once you enroll as a full-time student for the first time, but it’s paused anytime you are no longer a full-time student. Some athletes have extended their eligibility windows through court cases, but these exceptions have not been allowed for everyone.
Transferring between divisions
There are many things to remember if you’re transferring between divisions. If you’re transferring from a D3 school to a D2 or D1 school, you must register with the NCAA Eligibility Center.
You don’t need to contact the NCAA Eligibility Center if transferring to another D3 school. All you need to do is fill out the NCAA Self-Release form.
What about National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) students wanting to transfer to an NCAA school? You won’t need to register with the NCAA Transfer Portal. However, you’ll need to be approved by the NCAA Eligibility Center if your new school is D2 or D1. You’ll also need a permission-to-contact letter from your athletic department or compliance office. Without it, NCAA coaches won’t be allowed to contact you. Lastly, while getting a release from your current NAIA school isn’t required, it’s often encouraged. NCAA schools won’t speak to you until it’s done.
If you’re going the other route and transferring into the NAIA from the NCAA, you’ll need to register with the NAIA Eligibility Center. It’s also a good idea to check out NAIA transfer rules to ensure you meet them.
Minimum GPA requirements to transfer
A GPA of 2.0 is needed at most colleges to be able to play a sport. It’s best to hit that mark at your current school and then aim for it at your future school, too. However, four-year schools typically have higher GPA requirements for students transferring from a two-year school. Be sure you know what they are.
Junior college transfer rules
The rules for transferring between two-year colleges are simple. You don’t need a release for other junior college coaches to contact you.
Transferring from a junior college to a four-year school is more complicated. You’ll need to meet the NCAA eligibility requirements and register with the NCAA Eligibility Center. This is on top of meeting the GPA requirements the school has. Learn more about the JUCO transfer rules.
For more on how JUCO fits into the bigger recruiting picture, check out our full guide: Junior College Sports Explained.
Read more: Does JUCO count against NCAA eligibility?
NCAA graduate transfer rules
You can participate in sports as a graduate. Here are some of the requirements to do that:
- You must graduate from your current college/university.
- Have at least one year of eligibility on your five-year clock.
- You must be going to a graduate school that has your sport.
Assistance
Transfer rules can be complicated. Some sports follow general transfer rules, while others don’t. While you can research the NCAA transfer rules for your sport to know what to expect, we recommend getting assistance with this process. At NCSA, our expert staff can help answer questions you might have about the transfer process and provide further clarity on the NCAA transfer rules.
Conclusion
NCSA is experienced with NCAA transfer eligibility rules, as well as all steps of the recruiting process. If you’re looking to get recruited, NCSA can help. We are well-versed in management and can show you everything you need to know.
Or check out our college recruiting guide for more information on how the process works.