Don’t Enter the Transfer Portal Without These Critical Answers
The NCAA transfer portal moves fast. One day you’re weighing your options. The next, you’re fielding calls from new programs, or watching your scholarship disappear before you’ve secured your next move. Student-athletes who wait to gather essential information often face delays that cost them eligibility, playing time, or NIL opportunities they can’t recover. And, unfortunately, the regulations and what you need to provide seem to be ever-changing.
Before you enter your name in the portal or commit to a new program, you need clear answers on multiple fronts. At Christine Brown & Partners, we have a checklist of about 50 essential elements across six broad categories - from academics and athletics to institutional processes and financial aid. Here’s an overview of what you need to consider.
What Gets Overlooked; Why It Matters
Academic standing isn’t just about your GPA; it’s whether your credits transfer cleanly, how your degree progress calculates under a new institution’s system, and whether prerequisites will derail your timeline to compete or graduate. Eligibility status is equally complex: your five-year clock, seasons of competition used, transfer windows by sport, and whether you’ll need a waiver all depend on NCAA division, conference rules, and your specific circumstances.
Then there’s the financial reality. Does entering the portal cancel your current scholarship? Is athletic aid guaranteed at your next school? And what happens to your NIL contracts when you cross state lines or conferences, especially if those deals are tied to your current program, local market, or institutional compliance rules?
Every conference operates differently. Big Ten, SEC, and ACC programs face distinct compliance frameworks. State NIL laws vary dramatically across regions, meaning what’s allowed in California or Texas may not fly in other states. Athletes transferring without understanding these variables risk eligibility review delays, financial gaps, or NIL conflicts they didn’t anticipate.
One Missing Document. One Missed Deadline.
Consider this: a Division I athlete enters the portal without securing an unofficial transcript or confirming credit transfer expectations. She commits to a new program only to discover that core courses won’t transfer, pushing her degree timeline back and threatening her eligibility to compete immediately. By the time she resolves it, roster spots are filled and scholarship money is gone.
Get Guidance Before You Move
The transfer process rewards preparation. Christine Brown & Partners helps student-athletes navigate NCAA transfer rules, eligibility review, credit transfer for athletes, NIL transfer guidance, and conference-specific compliance requirements before decisions become permanent. Our comprehensive Transfer Portal checklist provides peace of mind for one of the biggest decisions you will make.
