Good Academic Standing

In order to compete, a student-athlete must be registered as a full-time student and be in good academic standing. Student-athletes in good academic standing meet the following criteria: 

• Successfully passed 18 credits in the last year (fall-winter-summer) that eligibility was last used. First-year student-athletes (including individuals who have never competed/used a year of eligibility in a sport and those entering from high school) are exempt from this condition. 
• Enrolled in a minimum of 9 credits in the semester in which they are competing. If a student-athlete competes in a sport that spans two semesters, that student must be enrolled in a minimum of 9 credits in both semesters.  
• The credit-weighting of full-year courses must be divided by 2 in order to determine the credit-weight of that course by semester. Example: A student-athlete who is enrolled in one 9 credit full-year course is enrolled in 4.5 credits in the fall and 4.5 credits in the winter. This student must enroll in additional courses in order to be eligible to compete.  
• Student-athletes registered with Student Accessibility Services (SAS) and have learning accommodations afforded to them are considered full-time students when enrolled in 12 credits. In order to be eligible to compete, these student-athletes are only required to be enrolled in 6 credits per semester. Students in this scenario are responsible for having a letter generated by SAS indicating they are registered with that department and are considered a full-time student with a 40% course load (12 credits). This letter MUST be provided to both the Eligibility Officer and the Athlete Services Coordinator.  
• Graduate student-athletes remain in good academic standing as long as York continues to consider them full-time students, regardless of the number of credits they are enrolled in.  
• A student-athlete transferring from a CEGEP to York University is considered to be a student in good standing if they have achieved a minimum 60% average on those courses utilized to determine the student’s university admission and has maintained their academic eligibility in the RSEQ. 
• Any student-athlete who is ineligible to compete in U SPORTS competition because the athlete is no longer a student in good standing, must successfully complete within an academic year; 3 full courses, or 6 half courses, or 18 semester hours at a recognized post-secondary institution where courses are recognized for credit at the member institution registering the U SPORTS student-athlete. The student-athlete is eligible for participation immediately upon successful completion of the above academic requirements. 

 
Years of Eligibility 

• U SPORTS limits athletes to participate in a maximum of 5 years. 
• If a student-athlete competes in any post-secondary league that charges eligibility (NCAA, NAIA, CCAA, etc.) in a U SPORTS sport then U SPORTS counts the eligibility used. 
• If a student-athlete uses up all of their eligibility in a U SPORTS recognized league, they have no years left. 
• OUA ONLY: All OUA-only sports have unlimited years of eligibility. 

 
Undergraduate Transfers 

• ALL transfer students (not direct from high school) must be identified to both your Manager, Varsity Athletics and the Eligibility Officer. 
• A U SPORTS student-athlete who transfers to another U SPORTS institution must sit out one calendar year (365 days) from their last competition date in that sport prior to competing.  Exceptions are swimming (one-time allowance), track & field and cross country (after first year only) and graduate students. 
• Transfers from the CCAA, JuCo, NAIA or NCAA in the US are eligible to compete the following season and do not have to sit out (however there are specific conditions that need to be met). 

 
Participation as a Professional & Internationally 

• ALL student-athletes must be identified to your Manger, Varsity Athletics and the Eligibility Officer if they have participated in ANY professional sport/league and/or played internationally. There are sport-specific policies regarding outside club, professional and international participation that are administered on a case-by-case basis. 

 
Participation Thresholds 

• If a student-athlete’s name appears on a game/score/entry/results sheet then they have competed. Whether or not an athlete actually steps on the field/ice/court/track/mat is irrelevant. 
• Consumption of eligibility is sport-specific and follows these rules:
  • Football, Rugby – Participation in 1 exhibition game + 2 regular season games. In instances where there is a one-game or event exhibition schedule, a student-athlete may participate in one regular season game without consuming a year of eligibility.
  • Basketball, Field Hockey, Hockey, Soccer, Volleyball – Participation in 1 regular season game if there is an exhibition schedule.
  • Football, Rugby, Basketball, Field Hockey, Hockey, Soccer, Volleyball – If there is not an exhibition schedule, participates in 2 regular season competitions.
  • Cross Country, Wrestling, Track & Field – Participation in 3 meets.
  • Participates in any playoff competition, OUA championships or U SPORTS championships.
• Athletes may petition a used year of eligibility if they suffer a season-ending injury that occurs in the first 25% of your season. However, they are still bound by the academic/transfer requirements and must pass 18 credits or must sit 365 days if a transfer student. 

 
Penalties & Sanctions  

• Any participation by an ineligible student-athlete will result in penalties and sanctions for eligibility violations ranging from fines to forfeiture of games and competitions. Sanctions are administered on a case-by-case basis contingent upon the level of violation that occurred. 

 
The Department of Athletics & Recreation performs ongoing eligibility verification checks regarding the status of student-athletes that appear on a roster. Should a student-athlete fall below the course load requirement (9 credits per semester), a course must be added immediately for that student-athlete to regain their eligibility. It is incumbent that ANY changes to a student-athlete’s course load be communicated and confirmed with the head coach and Manager, Varsity Athletics. 
 

Key Eligibility Contacts 
Lillian Chan – Eligibility Officer – lilchan@yorku.ca  
Mack Abbott – Manager, Varsity Athletics – abbottm@yorku.ca