The NCAA took another step toward adopting a 5-in-5 eligibility rule on Monday.
This proposal took a significant step forward on Monday as the Division I Board of Directors instructed the Division I Cabinet to “advance” the concept.
If finalized, student-athletes moving forward would be allowed to participate in 5 seasons of college athletics over a 5-year period as opposed to the 4-in-5 standard that the NCAA has used for decades. Here are the details of the proposal via the NCAA’s press release:
After a robust discussion, the Division I Board of Directors on Monday directed the Division I Cabinet to advance an age-based eligibility concept that, if adopted in its current form, would permit student-athletes up to five years of eligibility beginning the regular academic year after they turn 19 or graduate from high school, whichever happens earlier. Under that model, Division I student-athletes would no longer be limited to only four seasons of competition within their five-year eligibility window.Â
Exceptions would not be made for medical hardships or any other type of waiver. The 5-year clock would also be age-based as opposed to starting when a student-athlete enrolls in college.
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One major caveat as part of this recommendation is that student-athletes who exhausted their eligibility under the 4-in-5 framework during the 2025-26 academic year will not be able to retroactively earn another year of eligibility. Instead, the new guidelines would only begin to take effect for the 2026-27 academic year.
“The time is now to reform the period of eligibility rules to provide Division I student-athletes and our schools clear and consistent standards that align with current college athletes’ experiences,” said Tim Sands, president at Virgina Tech and chair of the board in a statement. “The board fully supports student-athletes receiving the unprecedented financial benefits now available to them and emphasized these changes would protect opportunities for high school student-athletes to access the benefits only college sports can provide, while delivering predictable outcomes for student-athletes and our schools.”
The Cabinet is expected to meet in May to discuss this proposal.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
