New Delhi, April 13, 2021: The American Athletic Conference announced Tuesday that it has voted to eliminate the league’s intraconference transfer policy, allowing student-athletes to transfer between schools in the league without losing a year of eligibility.
The decision, which the league’s athletic directors made unanimously, is effective immediately and comes on the heels of similar decisions made recently by the Mid-American Conference and the ACC.
“This is an important decision that is in the best interests of our student-athletes,” AAC commissioner Mike Aresco said in a statement. “It will align the conference’s position on transfers with the expected significant change to the NCAA policy.”
The NCAA Division I Council is expected to vote this week on a one-time transfer rule that would allow athletes who qualify to transfer once during their five-year eligibility window without having to sit out for a year.
The AAC’s previous conference policy had allowed a student-athlete to transfer from one league school to another and be eligible for competition after an academic year in residence at the second school. Student-athletes were also charged with the loss of one season of eligibility according to the reports published in espn.com.
AAC transfers will now be governed solely by NCAA transfer policies in all sports. Any student-athletes who had transferred within the conference after Aug. 1, 2020, will not have to complete the academic year in residence, and the year of eligibility charged under the policy will be reinstated.
