Pac-12 eliminates intraconference transfer rule

The Pac-12 Conference on Monday announced that student-athletes who transfer within the conference will not have to sit out for a season before being eligible to compete.

The motion, approved unanimously by the conference’s CEO group, follows a mid-April ruling by the NCAA that allows all athletes, regardless of sport, to transfer for the first time and become immediately available.

“The Pac-12 mission is to develop the next generation of leaders in academics and athletics,” said Michael Schill, Pac-12 CEO group chair and University of Oregon president. “Providing student-athletes with more flexibility in choosing their path and greater representation in the Pac-12 governance process strengthens our commitment to achieving that mission.”

The one-time exception had been previously available to some NCAA athletes, just not those in football, basketball, baseball and men’s ice hockey. In April, the NCAA Division I council approved it to be available to all athletes who have not yet transferred, starting with the 2021-22 academic year.

This year, the date for all athletes to notify their current schools that they intend to transfer is July 1.

Those dates will shift to May 1 for fall and winter sport athletes and July 1 for spring sport athletes in subsequent years.

The one-time exception will count for athletes who transfer after graduating. Previously, NCAA rules permitted athletes who had graduated to transfer and be immediately eligible.

Now, if an athlete has already use a one-time exception for a transfer as an undergraduate, the athlete is not automatically eligible as a graduate transfer. Athletes can still apply for a waiver to become eligible under certain circumstances.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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