Here’s How to Transfer from A JUCO to a D1 School

Playing at a junior college is an option for many athletes who want to continue their basketball career after high school. Many players (for many reasons), choose this route to eventually go on to play Division 1. As a student athlete who is about to graduate from JUCO (or 2-year school) you may have had some interest form D1 coaches and your excited about making the transition to the D1 level – but what’s next?Here how to transfer from a JUCO.

You’ve decided to continue your education and basketball career and now you want to transfer to a D1 school, but what do you? This article will answer this and other questions you may have, so you can start to formulate your plan and get everything you need taken care of. This is for student athletes who are transferring from a two-year school (junior or community college) to a four-year school only.

Important Eligibility Information You Should Know:

If you compete at a Division 1 school, you have five calendar years to play four seasons of competition. Your five-year clock starts when you enroll as a full-time student at any two-year or four-year school. Your clock continues to tick down, even if you spend an academic year of residence as a result of transferring, redshirt, not attending school or enrolling part time during your college career. You do not gain back any seasons of competition by transferring to a new school. If you are transferring to a Division 1 you will be charged a season of competition for each academic year in which you competed.

What’s the first Step to Transfer From a JUCO?

Graduate. You need to graduate from your juco before you can transfer and compete at your new D1 school. If you transfer before you graduate, you may have to wait a year before you can compete.

Do you know which D1 School you want to go to?

You need to decide which school you want to transfer to. Learn about the schools conference as they often have their own set of rules. Conference transfer rules can be more restrictive than NCAA rules, so you need to have a clear understanding before you make any moves. An example of this is: conferences may have different requirements and time frames on how long you must attend a new school before you can compete – this is why you need to do your homework and check!

Know the schools admission process

Just because you met the NCAA transfer rules doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed to be admitted into the D1 school. You need to meet the school’s admission requirements as well. These can vary from school to school. Certain academic standards must be met before you can play basketball at your new D1 school. Once you have done this, it is advisable to contact the NCAA National Office or the appropriate conference office for more information about your specific circumstance to make sure you have all bases covered.

TIP: Call or even go into the school and talk with the academic, admissions and financial aid department staff to make sure the school will be a good fit for you and you can definitely attend.

What are the eligibility requirements to play NCAA D1 When you Transfer from a JUCO?

So you have figured out that you are a candidate to transfer and you have chosen the D1 school you want to attend. The next step is to find out what your initial-eligibility status is for your new school. This determines which transfer rules apply to you and how many seasons of competition you may have remaining to play. Your initial eligibility status indicates whether you meet the academic standards to compete in your first year at NCAA Division 1.

Who determines your initial-eligibility status?

The NCAA Eligibility Center will determine your initial-eligibility status. Your initial-eligibility status is based on the core courses you took in high school. They also use the grades and number of credits you earned in those courses and your scores on standardized tests (your SAT or ACT score).

There are 3 possible “initial-eligibility statuses” coming from juco – what are they?

• Qualifier (Divisions 1 and 2) – If you were eligible to practice, compete and receive an athletics scholarship during your first year at a Division 1 or 2 school

• Non-qualifier (Divisions 1 and 2) – If you were not eligible to practice, compete and receive an athletics scholarship during your first year at a Division 1 or 2 school

• Academic redshirt (Division 1 only) – If you attended a Division I school and you were eligible in your first term to practice and receive an athletics scholarship but you were not eligible to compete you were an academic redshirt.

Make sure you are registered with the NCAA Eligibility Center!

If you want to transfer to a D1 school but you have never registered with the NCAA Eligibility Center, you need to visit NCAA Eligibility Center to register before you continue with transferring to a D1 school. You can’t skip this step, it is very important.

NOTE: If you have not yet registered with the NCAA Eligibility Center, your initial-eligibility status is automatically – NON-QUALIFIER. Schools cannot and do not assume.

Can you play right away When you Transfer from a JUCO?

There are several facets of your college experience that can determine when you can compete after transferring. Depending on your college experience, you may be able to compete as soon as you transfer or, you you might need to do one academic year at your new school as a full-time student before you are eligible to compete.

NOTE: Student-athletes who must sit out for a year at their new school may practice with their new team and get an athletics scholarship if they were academically eligible when they left their previous school.

What do you need to be a qualifier?

As a student athlete transferring from a juco 2-year school to a D1 school, you are considered a qualifier if at your 2-year school you achieved the following:

• You completed at least one semester or quarter as a full-time student (summer school does not count)
• You complete an average of 12 transferable credit hours in each term you attended full time
• You earned a GPA of 2.500 in those transferable credit hours

If you can answer YES to all the above, you can practice, get an athletics scholarship and compete
as soon as you transfer. If you answered NO to any of the above, you cannot compete until you sit out for an academic year of residence but, you can still practice and get an athletics scholarship as soon as you transfer.

NOTE: Basketball student athletes who transfers to a new school in the middle of the academic year, you may not compete until the fall term.

Are there any transfer exceptions When you Transfer from a JUCO?

Yes, there are a few transfer exceptions that could allow you to practice, compete or receive an athletics scholarship during your first year at your new school. You will need to talk to the compliance staff at
your new school about whether you qualify for a transfer exception as they will be the ones to decide if you qualify for a transfer exception or not.

Let’s take a look and see what the exceptions are:

1. Your sport is dropped or is not sponsored at your two-year school and you plan to attend a
   Division 1 – You may use this exception only if you transfer after your current school publicly announces it will drop your sport. To qualify for this exception, you must have a GPA of at least 2.500.
2. You have not participated in your sport for two years and plan to attend a Division 1 school

You will not be able to get an exception if:

1. You are a basketball student-athlete and you transfer to a Division 1 school at the start of winter or
   spring term, you won’t be eligible to compete until the next fall term.
2. If you were a partial qualifier or a non-qualifier during your first year, you must spend at least one academic year of residence before you can use a transfer exception.

All of the the requirements and standards that we have just gone through above, are designed and put in place to move you toward graduation in a timely manner. You will get you certification of academic eligibility as a transfer student athletes once you are enrolled at your new school and will have included an evaluation of your transfer credits. Remember, if you have any questions or concern, the compliance staff at your new school can and will assist you.