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:The Regular Academic Year
For purposes of navigating the NCAA academic eligibility requirements such as progress toward degree criteria, some seemingly self-evident concepts such as what constitutes the ‘regular academic year’ need to be defined. NCAA rules define the “regular academic year” as the time beginning with the opening of the institution's fall term and concluding with the institution's spring commencement exercises.
This term and definition are pertinent for setting the timeframe within which various credit-hour requirements must be fulfilled by a student-athlete to be eligible for competition. An example of a progress toward degree requirement guided by the "regular academic year" definition is the 18 semester or 27 quarter hours of academic credit since the beginning of the previous fall term or since the beginning of the certifying institution's preceding regular two semesters or three quarters (hours earned during the summer may not be used to fulfill this requirement)— which reflects hours that need to be earned during the regular academic year.
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.
