The Division II Executive Board on Tuesday approved emergency legislation to eliminate Division II's year-in-residence requirement for undergraduate student-athletes transferring between four-year schools and implement new academic standards for immediate eligibility.Â
Transfer student-athletes now must meet certain academic standards to be immediately eligible for competition. The proposal has an immediate effective date, so student-athletes who have transferred during the 2023-24 academic year are immediately eligible. Previous legislation required undergraduate transfer student-athletes from four-year schools to serve a year in residence after transferring to become eligible for competition, unless the student-athlete met a transfer exception.Â
Additionally, student-athletes who do not meet the new academic standard can regain eligibility after they have completed their initial full-time term of enrollment at their new school and have met all applicable progress-toward-degree requirements. A question-and-answer document is available for the membership to clarify the application of the new academic standards.Â
BudgetÂ
The Executive Board approved $5.4 million in budget requests for the 2024-25 fiscal year. The requests were recommended by the Division II Strategic Planning and Finance Committee and supported by the Division II Management Council. The approved budget requests provide several enhancements, including $1.6 million for a $20 per diem increase to $135 for championships competition for the 2024-25 academic year. Other notable budget approvals include nearly $1.3 million in triennial budget requests from the Division II Championships Committee, as well as increasing the Conference Strategic Priorities Fund to $6,000 for each school in a conference (up from $4,000).Â
ElectionÂ
Members elected Tim Collins, president at Walsh, as the Midwest region's representative on the Executive Board. Collins' term on the board begins immediately and runs through January 2026.
