Skip to navigation Skip to content Skip to footer
NAIA

   THE RIGHT WAY TO PLAY

Menu
NAIA
Search

Transferring to an NAIA school

transfer students

Continue your college experience by joining more than 83,000 other student-athletes.

 

Transfer to an NAIA School

What are the transfer student eligibility requirements?

  • If you have taken time off between high school and coming to the NAIA or have attended two- or four-year college, the NAIA considers you a transfer student, regardless of whether you participated in intercollegiate athletics.
  • If you’re a transfer who has never participated in athletics at an NAIA school, you’ll need to register with the NAIA Eligibility Center at PlayNAIA.org to have your eligibility determined.
  • The NAIA does not have a national residency requirement. Regardless if you have competed at a previous institution, the NAIA bylaws do not require a student to sit out at the next institution before competing. However, if you are transferring within an NAIA conference, the NAIA will honor any intraconference transfer residency requirements. 

Transfer Eligibility Rules

24/36 HOUR RULE

Transfer students are required to have completed 24 semester/36 quarter hours of institutional credit in their last two semesters/three quarters of enrollment prior to transferring.

PROGRESS RULE
  • If you’re a transfer student who has already used one or more of your four seasons of competition in college sports, you will need to show completion of the following before you can compete in your second, third, or fourth season:
    • Second season: 24 semester/36 quarter total cumulative credit hours
    • Third season: 48 semester/72 quarter total cumulative credit hours
    • Fourth season: 72 semester/108 quarter total cumulative credit hours (including 48 semester/72 quarter hours in general education or your major field of study).