Junior College Transfer Rules
If you are attempting to transfer from a junior college or community college to a four year school this guide explains everything you need to do in order to successfully transfer. It is critical you get the athletic departments from both the school you are transferring from and to involved early. We break down the transfer process below based on your transfer status as a qualifier or non-qualifier. You cannot transfer on your own, you will need to enlist the help of your athletic department.
2-4 Transfers
2-4 transfers have two different sets of rules in both Division I and Division II. One set of rules is for qualifiers, the other is for non-qualifiers (including partial qualifiers in Division II). Note that these rules are basic standards and do not include some of the less common exceptions that some athletes may be able to take advantage of.
If you attended a four year school before your junior college, you are a 4-2-4 transfer and the rules are different.
Make Sure You Are an Academic Qualifier
To be considered a qualifier, you need to have registered with the NCAA Eligibility Center and have been certified by them as an academic qualifier. Generally, if you have attended a junior college and are graduating with your AA or general education degree you are going to be an academic qualifier. In Division I, if you are transferring from a two-year college and you have been certified as a final academic qualifier, the requirements to compete in your first year are:
Attend the two-year college full-time for at least one semester or quarter;
Achieve a minimum cumulative GPA of at least 2.000; and
Complete an average of at least 12 transferable credit hours per full-time term at the two-year college.
If you plan on playing baseball or basketball (men’s or women’s) after your transfer, you may not transfer during the middle of the year from a two-year college and play that same year. And in men’s basketball, you may only use two credit hours of physical education courses to meet these requirements, unless you will major in physical education.
In Division II, the requirements are exactly the same for qualifiers. Division II does not have any rules against midyear transfers playing immediately in any sport. And Division II has no limits in any sport on using physical education credits.
What to do as a Non-Qualifier
Generally, a non-qualifier is a student athlete who is attempting to transfer before completing their general education/associates degree. In Division I, if you are transferring from a two-year college and have never been certified as a final academic qualifier, the requirements to compete, practice, and receive an athletic scholarship in your first year are:
- Attend the two-year college full-time for at least three semesters or four quarters;
- Achieve a cumulative GPA of at least 2.000;
- Graduate from the two-year college; and
- Have at least 48 transferable credit hours at a semester school or 72 transferable credit hours at a quarter school, including six semester hours or eight quarter hours of English and three semester hours or four quarter hours of math.
Only 18 semester hours or 27 quarter hours may be earned during summer terms. And only 9 semester hours or 13.5 quarter hours may be earned the summer immediately prior to a transfer to a Division I school. The same midyear transfer rules for baseball and basketball and physical education credits rule for men’s basketball apply to non-qualifiers as well.
*The semester and quarter hours should be calculated by someone in an athletic department to academic adviser role. If you are a non-qualifier, take the information above to an academic advisor and plan out what you need to do in order to become an academic qualifier.
In Division II, transfers from a two-year college who were not certified as final academic qualifiers or who were certified as final partial qualifiers must meet the following requirements:
- Attend the two-year college for at least two semesters or three quarters; and
- Either graduate from the two-year college or complete an average of 12 credit hours for every full-time semester or quarter at the two-year college.
Non-qualifiers and partial qualifiers who use the 12 credit hours per term route must earn six semester hours or eight quarter hours of English and three semester hours or four quarter hours of math.
If you are not sure what your transfer status is be sure to check out our transfer home page where we answer more of the common recruiting questions.
Author: John Infante
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