NCAA approves 5-for-5 eligibility model, hoping to clear up court battles

The NCAA is adopting an additional modification that will change the landscape of college athletics.

The NCAA announced on Tuesday that the Division I Cabinet has unanimously voted to approve the age-based eligibility model, where an athlete’s five-year eligibility clock would start upon full-time enrollment at a university or at the beginning of the academic year following their 19th birthday, whichever comes first.

Though it was announced on Tuesday that it was unanimously approved, it will not become finalized until Wednesday, the final day of the Division I Cabinet's meeting.

"With these changes, the Cabinet has taken decisive action for the benefit of student-athletes and the system of NCAA Division I athletics," Illinois athletic director and Cabinet chair Josh Whitman said in a statement. "For many student-athletes who enroll in college immediately after high school, these changes will result in the opportunity to potentially compete for an additional season in their chosen sport.

"For campus officials and coaches, this change provides rules that are simpler to administer and easier to predict for roster management decisions."

It's a notable modification by the NCAA, and one that comes after several eligibility-based lawsuits have played out in courtrooms, mostly coming in college football or men's basketball. Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss won his eligibility battle against the NCAA in a Mississippi court with the judge ruling the NCAA "acted in bad faith" to deny him a retroactive medical redshirt year of eligibility for when he sat out the 2022 season at Division II Ferris State due to a medical issue. Meanwhile, Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar lost his case.

"While previous NCAA rules have served college sports well for a long time, we heard also loud and clear from NCAA members and student-athletes that eligibility rules should be easier to understand," NCAA President Charlie Baker said in a statement.

"This change to an age-based model eliminates aspects of the rules that have proven difficult to administer in the current litigious environment and clearly defines the exceptions available in limited circumstances, while preserving the long-intended alignment of eligibility with typical college enrollment and graduation patterns, because 98% of the 550,000 NCAA student-athletes will go pro in something other than sports."

Here's what to know on the "5-for-5" eligibility model:

NCAA 5-for-5 eligibility model details: What to know

Based on its news release on Tuesday, the "5-for-5" eligibility model will eliminate traditional redshirts and waivers for extra eligibility, aside from special circumstances like pregnancy, military service or religious missions. Waivers for clock extensions and waivers previously granted for hardships, seasons of competition and delayed enrollment will not be granted under the age-based eligibility model either.

The change will not be applied to athletes who completed their fourth season of college eligibility by the conclusion of the spring 2026 season.

For student-athletes who are currently enrolled and have eligibility after this past academic year, there is flexibility for schools to either be able to apply the new eligibility model or continue with the old model, with the deciding factor being which model is better suited for the athlete. The same will hold for incoming freshmen this year.

For recruiting classes that enroll starting in the fall of 2027 and later, the age-based model will only be applied to them.

This story has been updated with new information.

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