Academic Requirements:
To be eligible for athletic competition during the first semester, a student must have passed 30 credits during the immediately preceding academic year. This rule is applied to all Fall and Winter Sports.
To be eligible for athletic competition during the second semester, a student must have passed 15 credits at the close of the preceding semester. Full-year courses shall be equated as one-half of the total credits to be gained for the full year to determine credits passed during the immediately preceding semester. This rule is applied to all Spring Sports.
Seniors may be eligible in the second semester of their senior year even when they carry less than 15 credits during the first semester provided they are meeting their school district’s graduation requirements and are passing or have withdrew-passing in all courses in which they are enrolled at the start of the first semester. Students should be cautioned not to register for the minimum credits (15) in the first semester of their senior year, since a failure of just one course will result in ineligibility in the second semester.
Age Requirement:
An athlete cannot participate in interscholastic athletics
if he or she has reached the age of nineteen (19) prior to September 1 of any year.
Semester Requirement:
No student shall be eligible for high school athletics after the expiration of eight consecutive
semesters following his/her entrance into the 9th grade. A student becomes ineligible for high
school athletics when the class in which he/she was originally enrolled has graduated.
If a student’s pre-high school participation in high school sports occurred in a state
other than New Jersey, the student’s eight consecutive semesters of eligibility shall begin when the
student enters high school, provided that (a) the student has transferred into New Jersey with a bona
fide change of residence; (b) a Transfer Form has been completed; and (c) the student meets all
other eligibility requirements, including academic requirements.
NJSIAA NEW TRANSFER RULE (ADOPTED 6/1/23):
A student’s first transfer:
Students are entitled to one penalty-free transfer during the first six semesters after their
initial high school enrollment, provided that the transfer occurs on or before the Start of
Practice Date of the sports season in which the transfer occurs.
Transfers occurring after the Start of Practice:
Students who transfer after the Start of Practice Date will be subject to a 30-day period of
ineligibility (or ½ the Maximum Number of Contests in that sport, whichever is less).
Transfers occurring after the Competition Start Date:
In addition to the period of ineligibility set forth in Section 4 above, any student who transfers
after the Competition Start Date will not be eligible for NJSIAA postseason competition in
that sport.
A student’s second or subsequent transfer:
Students who transfer a second or subsequent time will be subject to a 30-day period of
ineligibility (or ½ the Maximum Number of Contests, whichever is less) for all NJSIAA
sanctioned sports in which the student participated during the 12 months preceding the
transfer.
Senior transfers:
Senior transfers, as defined above, are subject to a 22-day period of ineligibility (or 1/3 the
Maximum Number of Contests, whichever is less) in each sport in which they participated
during or after their third season of eligibility, during the 12 months preceding the transfer.
General application:
a. This Transfer Rule applies to all athletes at all levels of participation (not just varsity
athletes) and is applicable to all NJSIAA-sanctioned sports in which the student
participated during the 12 months preceding the transfer. Transferring students may
participate in a new sport without penalty.
b. The period of ineligibility will begin on the Competition Start Date of each sport. For
students who transfer after the Competition Start Date, the period of ineligibility will
begin on the date of enrollment.
c. When calculating the period of ineligibility using the Maximum Number of Contests,
NJSIAA will round down to the nearest whole number if the number of contests is not
divided evenly. For example, if the Maximum Number of Contests were 14, then the
calculation for a Senior Transfer (14 divided by 3) would be 5.67 and rounded down
to a 5 contest sit.
Exceptions:
Immediate eligibility, without penalty, will be granted for transfers resulting from DCP&P
placement, court placement, HIB transfers, and military transfers.
Enforcement:
The NJSIAA monitors transfers with the cooperation of the member schools. To that end, the
NJSIAA maintains an online Transfer Portal. For each transferring student, the sending
school and the receiving school must enter the required information into the Transfer Portal.
Definitions:
Transfer: A “transfer” occurs when a student who has previously enrolled in a secondary school leaves that school and enrolls in a new one. The date of transfer shall be the earlier of the first day of class or the first day of sports participation at the new school
Senior Transfer: A “Senior Transfer” is a student-athlete whose first transfer occurs during or after their third season of eligibility in a particular sport in which they participated in during the 12 months preceding the transfer.
Start of Practice Date: “The Start of Practice Date” is the first day of practice for each sport as set forth annually in the Program Regulations, Section 6.
Competition Start Date: The “Competition Start Date” is the first day of competition for each sport as set forth annually in the Program Regulations, Section 8. For football, the Week 1 Competition Start Date will be used.
HIB Transfer: Under the Anti‐Bullying Bill of Rights Act, a state law that public schools are required to follow and non‐public schools are encouraged to follow, harassment, intimidation and bullying (HIB) are matters that are investigated and addressed by the school. The NJSIAA does not hold hearings to determine whether a student was bullied. A “HIB transfer” will exist when a school, after investigating a HIB complaint, determines that the proper action to remediate the complaint is an alternative placement or a school transfer.
Maximum Number of Contests: The “Maximum Number of Contests” for each sport are as set forth in the Program Regulations, Section 15. For football, the Maximum Number of Contests is nine. For wrestling and other sports without a maximum number of contests listed in the Program Regulations, the period of ineligibility shall be the number of days specified in each section below.
Six-Days of Practice Rule
A student shall not be permitted to participate in a scrimmage or a game (interschool) in any strenuous sport
until he/she has completed six days of practice in that sport (days of 24 hours, not sessions) and one day of
rest.
Students that are involved in overlapping sports are not subject to the six-day practice rule if
they start the next sport within three days of the completion of the first sport. If a student is inactive for more than three days involving overlapping sports, then the six-day practice rule will be in effect.
Any lapses consisting of four (4) or more days, a restart of the six (6) day rule must occur.
A practice is defined as a session where a team is assembled and involved in physical activity
to enhance the participant’s physical condition. Practices of any kind for individuals, partial or
entire teams, on days when the team is involved in interscholastic scrimmages or games-meets will
not count toward satisfying the six (6) day rule
NJSIAA Constitution 2022-2023
NJSIAA Policies and Procedures 2022-2023
NJSIAA Bylaws - Eligibility of Student-Athletes