FORT MYERS, Fla. – Florida Gulf Coast University joins the more than 360 NCAA Division I schools in implementing the NCAA's new age-based eligibility model that the Division I Cabinet officially approved on Wednesday. The sweeping overhaul of eligibility rules for student-athletes permits Division I student-athletes up to five years of eligibility if they enroll in college no later than the academic year after their 19^th birthday.

The new rule streamlines a significant portion of the Division I rule book by eliminating season-of-competition limits, sport-specific eligibility and redshirt rules, and eligibility extension waivers.

"We have been prepared for this eligibility model change and are embracing the future of the college athletics landscape," said FGCU Interim Director of Athletics Lauren Leister. "This will be beneficial in streamlining and standardizing the eligibility rules. At FGCU, we have already taken the proactive approach of informing and providing education on the new eligibility rules to our 15 intercollegiate athletic teams and more than 250 student-athletes."

How it works

The Cabinet has voted to move from the traditional "four seasons of competition within five years" framework (or "Five-Year Rule") to a new age-based eligibility framework consisting of the following elements:

• The period of eligibility begins at the start of the academic year immediately following a prospective student-athlete's 19th birthday or upon initial, full-time collegiate enrollment, whichever occurs first.
• Student-athletes have five years of eligibility to participate in college sports. The distinction between a season of competition and a year of eligibility will be removed.
• Waivers and redshirts will be eliminated; only narrow exceptions will exist to this new five-year framework (e.g., pregnancy, religious mission, and active-duty military service).

"We like it academically because our student-athletes most likely will graduate and get their degrees, which is really important," said FGCU head men's basketball coach Pat Chambers. "That's the next 50 years of their life, right? Get your degrees and hopefully start your master's."

"Also, it really releases tension and stress that's on the NCAA with all the waivers that they're getting," Chambers continued. "The waivers could be medical. It could be a bunch of different things. So now there's not a waiver. Now it's like, hey you have (up to) five years to play collegiate basketball. I think that's a really good thing. I really believe for us it's going to be an advantage. Come here, hopefully we can keep our players for 2 to 3 years, develop, get better, help us win championships, be in the community, really make an impact on this university."

Implementation

The rule change will be effective for all prospects initially enrolling full-time in college in fall 2027 or later.

For students enrolling full-time in college for the first time in fall 2026 and current student-athletes with eligibility remaining after the 2025-26 academic year, Division I schools will apply the previous rules (allowing four seasons of competition within five years) or the age-based model, whichever results in the most favorable outcome for each individual.
 

Student-athletes	Which eligibility rules apply
Student-athletes who used their final season of competition (under previous rules) during 2025-26.	No additional eligibility.
Current student-athletes with eligibility remaining (under previous rules) after the 2025-26 academic year.	Either the previous rules OR the new age-based model, whichever is most beneficial to the student-athlete.
Prospects who initially enroll full time at any college or university during 2026-27.	Either the previous rules OR the new age-based model, whichever is most beneficial to the student-athlete.
Prospects who initially enroll full time at any college or university in fall 2027 or later.	The age-based model only.

  

Exceptions

The Cabinet defined the exceptions that could delay or pause an individual's period of eligibility under the age-based rules, which include pregnancy, active-duty military service and official religious missions. These exceptions will only be available if the student-athlete does not participate in organized competition for the duration of the exception.

For consistency throughout Division I, the NCAA Eligibility Center will administer the use of the exceptions.

Waivers under previous rules

Under the age-based eligibility model, waivers will not be available — including clock extensions and waivers previously granted for hardships, seasons of competition and delayed enrollment.
 
For current student-athletes with eligibility remaining under the previous rules, schools must submit any season-of-competition or eligibility clock extension waiver requests based on circumstances that occurred during or before the 2025-26 academic year — and all supporting documentation — to the national office no later than July 31, 2026. After that date, waivers of the previous rules will no longer be available.

"With these changes, the Cabinet has taken decisive action for the benefit of student-athletes and the system of NCAA Division I athletics," said Josh Whitman, athletics director at Illinois and chair of the Cabinet. "For many student-athletes who enroll in college immediately after high school, these changes will result in the opportunity to potentially compete for an additional season in their chosen sport. For campus officials and coaches, this change provides rules that are simpler to administer and easier to predict for roster management decisions."

The reforms will align athletics eligibility with enrollment and graduation patterns for the general student population.

"While previous NCAA rules have served college sports well for a long time, we heard also loud and clear from NCAA members and student-athletes that eligibility rules should be easier to understand," NCAA President Charlie Baker said. "This change to an age-based model eliminates aspects of the rules that have proven difficult to administer in the current litigious environment and clearly defines the exceptions available in limited circumstances, while preserving the long-intended alignment of eligibility with typical college enrollment and graduation patterns, because 98% of the 550,000 NCAA student-athletes will go pro in something other than sports."

The Division I Student-Athlete Advocacy Committee leadership team also issued a statement supporting the rule change.

"The Student-Athlete Advocacy Committee has met with student-athlete leaders across Division I, and we consistently heard that student-athletes want an eligibility model that is simple to understand, transparent to administer, and applied fairly across all sports and schools. This rule change, which clearly establishes an individual's period of eligibility, provides student-athletes with greater certainty as they plan for college and make important decisions regarding enrollment, competition and degree completion."

The new eligibility rules will affect the rosters of all 15 of FGCU's athletic programs as they begin competition in the upcoming year. Season tickets are currently on sale for all ticketed sports. Fall schedules have been announced for cross country and volleyball, with more fall schedules to be announced soon.
 

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