CIC Compliance & Eligibility Standards 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A student competes in a non-school league game the day before their high school's championship contest. Which rule category is MOST likely implicated?
- Multiple school participation rule
- Outside competition rule (Correct answer)
- Residency rule
- Transfer rule
Correct answer: Outside competition rule
Outside competition rules restrict student-athletes from competing for non-school teams during the interscholastic season without prior approval.
Question 2: Under NFHS guidelines, if a student receives a scholarship to attend a private school specifically to play a sport, this is MOST likely to trigger review under which policy?
- Academic eligibility policy
- Undue influence / recruiting rule (Correct answer)
- Out-of-season practice policy
- Equipment standardization policy
Correct answer: Undue influence / recruiting rule
Providing or receiving financial inducements to attend a school for athletic purposes violates anti-recruiting and undue influence rules.
Question 3: A student-athlete moves in with a legal guardian who is not a parent. Which eligibility issue does this MOST commonly trigger?
- Age limit recalculation
- Residency and guardian eligibility verification (Correct answer)
- Loss of all remaining semesters of eligibility
- Mandatory transfer sit-out regardless of circumstances
Correct answer: Residency and guardian eligibility verification
When a student lives with a non-parent guardian, state associations scrutinize the guardianship arrangement to confirm the move was not athletically motivated.
Question 4: Which best describes the concept of 'undue influence' in interscholastic athletic compliance?
- A coach pressuring a student to choose one sport over another
- Any inducement—financial or otherwise—used to attract a student-athlete to a particular school for athletic purposes (Correct answer)
- A parent lobbying the athletic director for more playing time
- A state association imposing stricter rules on a specific school
Correct answer: Any inducement—financial or otherwise—used to attract a student-athlete to a particular school for athletic purposes
Undue influence refers to improper recruitment tactics, such as offering gifts, reduced tuition, or other benefits to lure student-athletes.
Question 5: A coach is approached by a college recruiter who asks for contact information of sophomore players. The coach's MOST compliant response is to:
- Share the information privately to help the athletes
- Decline and direct the recruiter to work through the school's official channels and follow NCAA contact rules (Correct answer)
- Post the roster publicly online so all recruiters have equal access
- Allow the recruiter to attend a private team practice to evaluate players
Correct answer: Decline and direct the recruiter to work through the school's official channels and follow NCAA contact rules
Coaches must protect student privacy and ensure all recruiting contact follows NCAA and school policies conducted through official channels.
Question 6: A student participates in a sport under an assumed identity to avoid detection of prior eligibility violations. If discovered, the school faces which consequence FIRST?
- A private counseling session with the athletic director
- Mandatory forfeiture of all contests in which the student competed (Correct answer)
- Loss of all coaching licenses in the state
- A one-game suspension for the head coach
Correct answer: Mandatory forfeiture of all contests in which the student competed
Schools must forfeit contests in which a fraudulently eligible athlete competed, as competitive results are voided to restore integrity.
Question 7: When must a school's athletic director certify the eligibility of all student-athletes under most state association rules?
- Once at the beginning of the school year and not again until graduation
- Before each athletic season in which the student intends to compete (Correct answer)
- Only when a formal eligibility challenge is filed by an opposing school
- Midway through the school year regardless of sport season timing
Correct answer: Before each athletic season in which the student intends to compete
Athletic directors must certify each student's eligibility at the start of every sport season to ensure all criteria are met before competition begins.
CIC Compliance & Eligibility Standards 5
A student competes in a non-school league game the day before their high school's championship contest.
Which rule category is MOST likely implicated?