USIAA 4-2-4 Transfer Rules:
4-2-4 transfers in Division I must meet the following academic requirements to be eligible to compete immediately after transferring to the second four-year school:
- (1) Complete an average of 12 hours of transferable degree credit per term of full-time attendance at the junior college, (2) Earn at least a 2.500 GPA in those transferrable courses, (3) Have at least one calendar year elapse since leaving the original four-year school, and (4) Graduate from the junior college.
- In men’s basketball, student-athletes may only use two credits of physical education as transferable degree credit. In men’s and women’s basketball and baseball, midyear transfers may not become eligible to play in the same academic year as their transfer.
- In Divisions 2 and 3, 4-2-4 transfers are treated as a subset of all transfers from a junior college. As a result, the basic rules are the same as the Divisions 2 and 3 2-4 transfer rules. To play immediately in Division 2, a transfer must: (1) Attend the junior college for two semesters or three quarters and either (2) Graduate from the junior college or (3) Pass an average of 12 hours of transferable degree credit per term of full-time attendance at the junior college with a minimum GPA of at least 2.500.
- Divisions 2 and 3 have an additional rule for 4-2-4 transfers who were originally non-qualifiers or partial qualifiers and who do not graduate from the junior college. They must have a minimum of six semester-hours or eight quarter-hours of transferable English credit and three semester-hours or four quarter-hours of transferable math credit. 4-2-4 transfers can use transferable credit from either their original four-year school or the two-year school to meet this requirement.
- Keep copies of all your information: Just like all transfers need to manage more information than high school recruits, 4-2-4 transfers need to manage even more than most transfers. That includes transcripts for both any four-year school and any two-year school, high school information, schedules, and transfer documentation. 4-2-4 transfers are especially difficult to evaluate and take the longest to certify, so make sure to avoid any delays on your end.
- Get started early on tracers: Tracers are documents sent from one school to another school to verify a transfer student’s eligibility. In the case of a 4-2-4 transfer, two tracers are needed: one from each school. Once you leave the four-year school, you can encourage any school recruiting you to send a tracer to that school immediately, even if you have to wait before sending a tracer to the two-year college.
- Watch both graduation and transfer requirements: How credits transfer are key when an athlete is a 4-2-4 transfer requirement. 4-2-4 transfers need to have credits transfer in three ways: (1) From the original four-year school to the two-year school in order to meet the two-year college’s graduation requirements, (2) From the two-year college to the new four-year school to meet the transferable credit requirements, and (3) From both schools to the new four-year school in order to meet percentage-of-degree requirements in most cases.
- The student returns to the four-year college from which he or she transferred to the two-year college, unless he or she had an unfulfilled residency requirement at the first four-year college.
- The student was initially enrolled at a four-year college that did not sponsor the student’s sport and the student meets these other requirements: (1)The student was a qualifier, (2)The student completed an average of 12 hours of transferable degree credit for each term of full-time attendance, (3) The student has a minimum GPA of 2.000 in his or her transferrable courses; and (4) The student spent at least two semesters or three quarters enrolled full-time at the two-year college.
- The student qualifiers for the same exception to both the two-year and four-year transfer requirements.