Progress Rule: Exception for Entering Freshmen

Progress Rule - Effective on May 1, 2021, as applied to eligibility decisions for competition in August 2021 and beyond.

SUBJECT: PROGRESS RULE EXCEPTION TO ARTICLE V, SECTION C, ITEM 9

EXCEPTION 2: An entering freshman who has been charged one or more seasons of competition for non-intercollegiate participation will be exempt from meeting the Progress Rule for one year (two semester/three quarter terms) at an NAIA institution. This exception applies only to a student’s first season of competition at the NAIA institution, after which the student will be required to have earned the requisite hours needed to satisfy the Progress Rule.

This new exception was proposed by the Competitive Experience Committee and the intent is to create a one-time, one-year exception to the Progress Rule for incoming freshman students who have been charged at least one season of competition for non-intercollegiate participation. At the conclusion of the first year, the student will be required to satisfy the Progress Rule and the corresponding number of hours required for the total number of seasons of competition the student has been charged.

The reasoning behind this bylaw amendment is to allow students who might have unknowingly or knowingly participated in a chargeable league prior to coming to the NAIA to compete immediately while working towards satisfying the progress rule. One of the main components of this bylaw amendment is that it is a one-time exception that can only be used for entering freshman. An entering freshman is defined in our bylaws as any student who has not identified with any institution(s) of higher learning for any two semesters or three quarters. We will illustrate this point in the case studies below. Another point to keep in mind is that this exception cannot be applied to multiple seasons of competition, even if the student might still be considered a freshman in the second year.

Lastly, athletes utilizing this exception should be prepared to meet the requisite hour requirements associated with their seasons of competition in future years. There have been concerns raised by membership that students who utilize this exception will subsequently be ineligible in future years because it will be impossible for them to earn the required hours in one academic year. It is important to recognize this new exception will also work in conjunction with the new season of competition bylaw that will go into effect in August of 2021. Thus this exception could allow a student to compete immediately without being charged a season of competition. This will allow the athlete to compete in their first year while attempting to earn the necessary hours to compete in the future.