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: How NCAA Rules Provide Flexibility for a Student-Athlete Seeking to Study Abroad
Although the pandemic has stymied international travel for stretches over the past 18 months, study-abroad is an important educational opportunity that is incorporated into the NCAA eligibility framework.
Specifically, NCAA rules state that a student-athlete shall not be required to complete six semester or six quarter hours of academic credit during a regular academic term or terms of full-time enrollment in a cooperative educational work experience program (e.g., co-op, internship, practicum, student-teaching) or an institutionally approved study-abroad program. This provides student-athletes who are able to pursue a study abroad program, even one that is non-credit based, to do so during a regular academic term without running afoul of the “6 hour rule.”
Further on the eligibility front, time spent participating in a full-time study-abroad program during a regular term of an academic year may be excepted from the application of the five-year rule, provided:
(a) The institution recognizes the student-athlete as a full-time student at the time of participation in the study-abroad program;
(b) At the time of participation in the study-abroad program, the student-athlete is academically eligible for competition and is not subject to an athletically related suspension;
(c) The student-athlete does not participate in practice or competition with the institution's team and does not engage in outside competition while participating in the study-abroad program;
(d) The student-athlete satisfactorily completes the study-abroad program; and
(e) The student-athlete earns a baccalaureate degree within five years or fewer.
On the scholarship side, all countable financial aid of a student-athlete who is participating in a full-time study-abroad program is exempt from an institution’s equivalency computation. Countable financial aid in an amount equal to the countable financial aid provided to the participating student-athlete may be provided to a student who already has enrolled in the institution and is a member of the team for the term or terms of participation in the study-abroad program.
Although the demands on student-athletes’ schedules and athletic commitments are well chronicled, it is reassuring to see regulatory flexibility to enable a student-athlete to study abroad if their enrollment circumstances allow.
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.
