1999 Telephone Conference No. 8& -- December 9, 1999

Acting for the Division I Management Council, the Division I Academics/Eligibility/Compliance Cabinet Subcommittee on Legislative Review/Interpretations issued the following interpretations:

"2-4-4" Transfer/One-Time Transfer Exception

1. Use of One-Time Transfer Exception by a "2-4-4" Transfer. (I) If a qualifier initially enrolls at a two-year college, transfers to a Division III or four-year nonmember institution where the student-athlete is eligible for competition, attends the Division III or four-year nonmember institution for less than a full academic year and subsequently transfers to a Division I institution, the student-athlete may not use the one-time transfer exception set forth in NCAA Bylaw 14.5.5.3.11 to be immediately eligible for competition at the Division I institution, unless the student-athlete would have been immediately eligible for competition under the Division I transfer regulations had the student-athlete transferred directly from the two-year college to the Division I institution.

For example, a student-athlete who is a qualifier initially enrolls at a two-year college, attends the two-year college for two full-time semesters and completes 22 hours of transferable degree credit with a 2.750 cumulative grade-point average (4.000 scale), transfers to an NAIA institution and is eligible for competition under NAIA rules, officially withdraws from the NAIA institution after only one week of attendance and subsequently transfers to a Division I institution. Under these circumstances, the student-athlete is not eligible to use the one-time transfer exception upon transferring to the Division I institution even if the student-athlete would have been eligible had he or she remained at the NAIA institution, inasmuch as the student-athlete failed to complete 24 hours of transferable degree credit at the two-year college as required by the Division I two-year college transfer regulations. [References: Bylaws 14.5.4 (two-year college transfers), 14.5.4.1.1 (qualifier), 14.5.5.3 (exceptions or waivers for transfers from four-year colleges) and 14.5.5.3.11 (one-time transfer exception).]

Noninstitutional Publications/Advertisements

2. Purchasing of Advertisements Involving Noninstitutional Publications. (I) An institution may permit a noninstitutional publication that reports primarily on an institution's athletics program to purchase advertising space in an institutional publication (for example, game program) or an institutionally-controlled media outlet (for example, institution's coach's show or Web site) without such advertising constituting an impermissible endorsement of the noninstitutional publication, provided the opportunity to purchase such advertising space is open to the general public on an equal-access basis at the established rate.

Similarly, it is permissible for an institution to purchase advertising space in a noninstitutional publication that reports primarily on the institution's athletics program or a media outlet controlled by the noninsitutional publication (for example, the noninistitutional publication's Web site) without such advertising constituting an impermissible endorsement of the noninstitutional publication, provided the opportunity to purchase such advertising space is open to the general public on an equal-access basis at the established rate. The subcommittee noted that it remains impermissible for an institution's Web site to provide a hyperlink (i.e., direct link) or make direct reference to the Web site of a noninstitutional publication that reports primarily on the institution's athletics program. [References: Bylaw 11.3.2.7 (noninstitutional publications that report on athletics program) and official interpretation 11/17/98, Item No. 3.]