CIC Compliance & Eligibility Standards 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A student transfers from one high school to another mid-year. Under most state athletic association rules, what is the MOST common eligibility consequence?
- Immediate full eligibility at the new school
- A one-year sit-out period for varsity competition in the sport played at the previous school (Correct answer)
- Permanent ineligibility at the new school
- Eligibility determined solely by the student's grade point average
Correct answer: A one-year sit-out period for varsity competition in the sport played at the previous school
Most state associations impose a one-year sit-out period for transfer students at the varsity level unless a hardship waiver is granted.
Question 2: What is the primary purpose of an amateurism rule in interscholastic athletics?
- To prevent students from earning academic scholarships
- To ensure students do not receive compensation for athletic participation that would compromise their eligibility (Correct answer)
- To limit the number of sports a student may play per season
- To restrict coaches from recruiting out-of-district students
Correct answer: To ensure students do not receive compensation for athletic participation that would compromise their eligibility
Amateurism rules prohibit student-athletes from receiving pay or compensation for their athletic ability to maintain the educational nature of interscholastic sports.
Question 3: A coach discovers that a player on the roster has been accepting free merchandise from a local sporting goods store in exchange for social media promotion. The coach's FIRST obligation is to:
- Allow the player to compete until the season ends to avoid harming the team
- Report the situation to the athletic director for proper review (Correct answer)
- Advise the player to return the merchandise and say nothing more
- Contact the opposing team's coach to disclose the situation
Correct answer: Report the situation to the athletic director for proper review
The coach must report eligibility concerns to the athletic director, who can then involve the state association for a formal ruling.
Question 4: Under typical NFHS guidelines, what is the maximum number of semesters of eligibility a student has for interscholastic athletics?
- 4 semesters
- 6 semesters
- 8 semesters (Correct answer)
- 10 semesters
Correct answer: 8 semesters
NFHS guidelines generally allow students eight semesters of eligibility beginning with entry into ninth grade.
Question 5: A student-athlete turns 19 years old in October of their senior year. Which eligibility rule is MOST likely to affect their participation?
- Transfer rule
- Age limit rule (Correct answer)
- Academic eligibility rule
- Residency rule
Correct answer: Age limit rule
Most state associations enforce an age limit (commonly 19 before a set date) that can disqualify a student from interscholastic competition.
Question 6: What does the term 'hardship waiver' refer to in the context of interscholastic eligibility?
- A financial aid request submitted to reduce athletic fees
- An exception granted by the state association when extraordinary circumstances caused a student to lose eligibility (Correct answer)
- A coach's request to delay a student's season start due to injury
- A school's appeal to lower the GPA requirement for a specific sport
Correct answer: An exception granted by the state association when extraordinary circumstances caused a student to lose eligibility
A hardship waiver allows a state association to restore eligibility when documented extraordinary circumstances (e.g., serious illness, family crisis) caused the ineligibility.
Question 7: Which action by a booster club would MOST likely create an NCAA or state association eligibility violation for a high school student-athlete?
- Selling spirit wear at home games
- Providing transportation to a college campus visit
- Paying for a student's sports camp tuition as a direct gift (Correct answer)
- Volunteering to maintain the school's athletic fields
Correct answer: Paying for a student's sports camp tuition as a direct gift
Boosters paying directly for a student-athlete's camp tuition constitutes an impermissible benefit that can violate both state and NCAA amateurism rules.
CIC Compliance & Eligibility Standards 2
A student transfers from one high school to another mid-year.
Under most state athletic association rules, what is the MOST common eligibility consequence?