Student-athletes with a specific academic profile will be allowed to transfer without their institutions incurring an academic penalty, the Division I Board of Directors decided at their January 14 meeting.

At the recommendation of the Committee on Academic Performance, the Board adopted a policy that would treat transfer students that achieve a 2.6 grade point average or higher, immediately transfer to another four-year institution and earn the eligibility point as a "one for one" in the APR formula. The student-athlete must have completed one year at the first institution.The change would be affective with the 2007-08 cohort (collected this fall) and would not be retroactive.

The Board members continued to support the academic reform effort, and they noted that transfer student-athletes with a 2.6 grade point average had roughly the same likelihood of graduating as a student-athlete with a 2.0 who stayed at the same institution throughout his or her collegiate career.

Officials also shared preliminary 2006-07 APR information with the Board. The data indicates an improvement in men's basketball, baseball and football and among low-resource institutions, which were the major areas of concern following the release of the 2005-06 data.

In other business, the Board approved legislation that could help protect the financial aid awards of student-athletes who sustain an injury, illness or medical condition, including pregnancy.

The financial aid protections, supported strongly by the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, would prohibit institutions from reducing or canceling aid during the scholarship term because of any injury, illness or medical condition, regardless of whether it affects the student-athlete's ability to participate with the team during the academic year.

Supporters of the rule believe that the change will help student-athletes make better decisions and seek out help when they find themselves in difficult situations. The rule takes affect August 1.

The Board approved emergency legislation that would provide a limited exception to a proposal that withstood an override attempt January 12.The proposal affects the financial aid of baseball student-athletes at specific schools, including those in the Patriot League.

Additionally, coaches and other officials will be allowed to communicate by text message with prospective student-athletes who have signed a National Letter of Intent or otherwise formally committed with the institution effective immediately. Division II approved a similar proposal Monday as well.