Athletics Veritas is a weekly series aimed at helping higher education executives, faculty, and other stakeholders stay tuned in on trending national issues impacting college athletics, especially NCAA Division I. Athletics Veritas is created by senior DI athletic administrators around the nation.
Term-in-Ology: Providing Transportation and Other Expenses for Prospects Arriving to Campus for Initial Enrollment or Pre-Season Athletics Participation
As we move through the month of August, incoming freshmen will begin arriving on Division I campuses across the country in droves for pre-season practice or to begin enrollment for the fall semester. Generally speaking, NCAA rules hold that a Division I institution or its representatives shall not furnish a prospect, directly or indirectly, with transportation to the campus for enrollment.
However, it is permissible for any member of the institution's staff to provide:
(a) Transportation from the nearest bus or train station or major airport to the campus on the occasion of the prospective student-athlete's initial arrival at the institution to attend classes for a regular term or to participate in preseason practice, or for initial enrollment for the institution's summer term for a prospective student-athlete who has been awarded athletically related financial aid for the prospective student-athlete’s initial summer term; and
(b) Transportation from and to the nearest bus or train station or major airport on the occasion of the prospective student-athlete's arrival and departure from the institution to attend the institution's required new-student orientation, provided the prospective student-athlete has been accepted for admission to the institution.
The above provisions allow for a coach or staff member to pick up a prospect at the airport, bus or train station near campus to bring them back to campus.
On the flip side, it remains prohibited for Division I schools to pay for an incoming freshman’s airfare should they need to fly to campus.
Through its pre-approved waiver criteria, though, the NCAA has expanded on the types of benefits a Division I school could provide to an inbound, committed prospect upon their arrival to campus with conditions.
Specifically, if a prospect is “committed” to the Division I institution (i.e., signed a written offer of admission and/or financial aid or submitted a financial deposit in response to the institution’s offer of admission) and has been admitted to the institution, the Division I institution may pay transportation, housing and meal expenses for a committed prospect to arrive one day prior to the start of initial full-time enrollment or the start of the legislated preseason practice on the condition that the prospect has demonstrated financial need (e.g., Pell eligible, receives free or reduced lunch, ACT/SAT fee waiver recipient, NCAA Eligibility Center fee waiver recipient) to travel to the institution for initial full-time enrollment.
As it pertains to this pre-approved waiver’s application to basketball and football which has summer access activities, the prospect may not participate in summer athletics activities with the applicant institution until the legislated permissible timeframe.
Athletics Veritas is presented for information purposes only and should not be considered advice or counsel on NCAA compliance matters. For guidance on NCAA rules and processes, always consult your university’s athletics compliance office, conference office, and/or the NCAA.
