The 1A FAR Board reviewed the 2-4 transfer draft concepts being circulated by the Academic Cabinet.

  1. 1A FAR Board. The 1A FAR Board endorses the Academic Cabinet’s draft concepts for changing the 2-4 transfer requirements for qualifiers and non-qualifiers and awaits the opportunity to review formal proposal language implementing these concepts in final, concrete form. The draft concepts are based on data concerning the academic performance of 2-4 transfers and are designed to make the academic success and graduation rates for 2-4 transfer student-athletes more closely match the numbers for non-transfer student-athletes. The Board recognizes and shares the concern of some FBS FARs that requiring student-athletes to sit a year if they do not meet the new academic requirements may mean that a number of SAs will never attend a four-year institution even though they could have attended and succeeded. The Board understands that the Academic Cabinet considered this potential negative consequence but decided that it was outweighed by the predicted improved academic success for 2-4 transfer student-athletes. The 1A FAR Board thanks and commends the Academic Cabinet both for its work and for circulating draft concepts in a form sufficiently concrete to permit informed feedback in a timely manner.

  2. FBS Conference FARs. Members of the 1A FAR Board made contact with their Conference FARs re the 2-4 transfer proposals. Few of us have had in-person Conference meetings since these proposals were forwarded for comment. That means that not all Conference FAR Councils reported even a tentative position as in several conferences there has not been the benefit of a full discussion of the draft concepts and insufficient time for some FARs to review and take a position. As with any proposal, going from draft concept to black letter language may raise particular issues. With these caveats — There is clear support for efforts to have the academic success and graduation rates of 2-4 transfer student-athletes match those of student-athletes who matriculate out of high school. It appears that all or a majority of FARs in at least six conferences support the draft concepts for 2-4 transfers who are qualifiers as well as those for 2-4 transfers who are not qualifiers. A few FARs expressed concern regarding institutional autonomy in that the 2.5 GPA is higher than that required for non student-athletes who are two-four transfers at their institutions. From the comments, it appears that there may be support for a GPA that is not as rigorous as 2.5. Although sentiment was mixed, it also appears that all or a majority of FARs in at least six conferences support the draft concept regarding a year in residence for low predictors. With regard to this latter proposal, however, several FARs had concern, primarily centered on the notion that the opportunity to compete drives academic performance of low predictors. There also was some feeling that further refinement of this concept is needed as there is insufficient information as to how the year in residence would work and who, precisely, would be affected. Other FBS FARs believed that all three draft concepts must go forward as a package as the year in residence is an integral component that should not be severed from the other two concepts. The response from Conference FARs is tentative and several indicated that they might support other iterations of these draft concepts. All that said, no FBS conference reported that a majority of FARs were opposed to any of the draft concepts.