On Tuesday, the NCAA Division I Cabinet unanimously endorsed a new “five-for-five rule” or “age-based eligibility model.” It will eliminate most eligibility exemptions and redshirt seasons while granting athletes five years of eligibility, as opposed to the customary four years.
The new NCAA eligibility rules will take effect this fall, following the completion of the 2025-26 academic year. They will not apply to athletes whose eligibility was completed in the spring of 2026. Their college sports careers will be over.
How will the NCAA apply the new eligibility rules?
Athletes who are currently enrolled and will be eligible after the 2025–2026 school year, as well as those who will start their freshman year this fall, can either apply the age-based model or continue under the previous eligibility regulations. Those expected to graduate from high school in the spring of 2026, regardless of their planned enrollment date, must follow the new age-based model.
According to CBS Sports, the NCAA Eligibility Center will review individual circumstances and apply either the age-based model or existing delayed-enrollment eligibility rules, whichever is most beneficial to athletes who graduated before spring 2026 and have not yet enrolled.
The Cabinet also stated that the deadline for submitting waiver requests to the NCAA is July 31 for schools with active student-athletes who may qualify for hardship waivers or eligibility extensions.
Under the new eligibility rules, an athlete’s five-year clock begins with either their high school graduation or their 19th birthday. The NCAA will, however, permit limited exceptions for religious missions, maternity leave, and military service.
Diego Pavia, the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy, is still the main plaintiff in a lawsuit contesting an NCAA regulation that counts junior college seasons against players’ Division I eligibility time. Also, as shown in the Brendan Sorsby case, the NCAA is largely toothless when it comes to determining a player’s eligibility if all an athlete has to do is file a lawsuit.