Player Eligibility Requirements

• Players must be enrolled for the minimum number of hours (listed below) for at least 45 days prior to the start of the championship event.
  • Undergraduates – minimum of ½ full-time enrollment status
    • Must be considered an Undergraduate student by University’s Registrar
    • Half-time enrollment is determined by the player’s University Registrar
  • Graduate – minimum of six credit hours
    • Must be considered a Graduate student by University’s Registrar
  • If a player is graduating the term of a NIRSA Championship Series event and is enrolled for less than the minimum hours required for eligibility, then a letter from the registrar stating that the player will be graduating the same term of the event should be submitted along with the other registration materials.
  • For NIRSA Championship Series events that occur during an academic break, the preceding term will be used to determine eligibility.
• Participants from schools on the quarter system must meet the eligibility requirements of the half-time enrollment for both the current and the preceding quarter.
• Players are limited to six appearances in NIRSA Championship Series national events or on a collegiate varsity roster (squad list) per sport. These appearances can be nonconsecutive, but after any six appearances on a varsity roster (squad list) or NIRSA national tournament roster in the same sport, eligibility is exhausted.

• Players are limited to six appearances in NIRSA Championship Series national events or on a collegiate varsity roster (squad list) per sport. These appearances can be nonconsecutive, but after any six appearances on a varsity roster (squad list) or NIRSA national tournament roster in the same sport, eligibility is exhausted.
• If a player has appeared on a varsity roster (squad list) at any two-year or four-year college in the same sport, this constitutes the use of eligibility for the NIRSA Championship Series.
  • Example: If a student played on a varsity roster (squad list) in the same sport for two years, they still have four appearances left at NIRSA Championship Series events (so long as their team doesn’t exceed the maximum number of varsity players).
• Players must not be listed on the varsity roster (squad list) in the same or related sport for the current academic year.
• Exceptions may be granted to any player that was listed on the roster for less than three weeks. Documentation must be provided through the appeals process that the player was on the list/roster for less than 3 weeks.
• If a former varsity player has been listed on a varsity roster (squad list) for four or five academic years, that player is not eligible for NIRSA Championship Series competition until after one full academic year has lapsed from the final academic year they were listed on a school’s varsity roster (squad list).
• Participants who are members of a ‘squad list’ for a varsity team of a gender identity that is not their own are eligible to participate in NIRSA Championship Series events provided they meet all other eligibility guidelines. Participants will not be considered a current or former varsity player for the NIRSA Championship Series events.

The following matrix or former varsity athlete classification chart can be used to clarify eligibility and classification:

* must be removed one full academic year from last year on squad list
** must provide documentation through the appeals process

Tennis player eligibility, all rostered players must have a played in TWO matches representing their team/ school in the same academic year and prior to the USTA Campus Championship.

• Players must not have been declared a professional athlete in the same or related sport.
  • A professional athlete is one who receives any kind of payment, directly or indirectly, for athletic participation, or who has participated in competition with a professional team.
  • A professional athletics team is any organized team that provides any of its players more than actual and necessary expenses for participation on the team and/or declares itself to be professional.
    • For tennis, athletes shall utilize the ITF Juniors & Futures player classification chart to determine their status as a prohibited, restricted, or unrestricted (no limitations) player for Tennis on Campus events which is based on levels of participation in ITF Juniors & Futures and other ATP/WTA levels of competition.

• Special Olympics Unified Sports® promotes social inclusion through shared sports training and competition by bringing together people with and without intellectual disabilities on the same team. Through the principle of meaningful involvement, all players are given the opportunity to contribute to the success of the team. With that goal in mind, the following outlines eligibility requirements for Unified participation.

• • Unified partner: an individual without an intellectual disability who is a currently enrolled college student that meets all Player Eligibility Requirements.

• • Unified athlete: an individual with an intellectual disability that meets Special Olympics athlete eligibility requirements and is approved by their local Special Olympics Program. A Unified athlete can be a student OR member of the community.

NIRSA recognizes that, for many, coming to know one’s gender identity is not something that happens in an instant; it is a complex process that can occur over an extended period.

• The NIRSA Championship Series expects participation to be based on one’s self-identified gender and that it is done in good faith and is consistent with a player’s expressed gender identity.
  • Participants are eligible to play based on their expressed gender identity so long as they comply with all Player Eligibility Guidelines.
  • A participant’s gender identity will be applied when there are gender specific rules or player ratio requirements for co-rec divisions.
  • Individuals may play on the team that best matches their gender identity.
  • Player eligibility will be based on the gender identified on the official team roster.
• Participants who are members of a ‘squad list’ for a varsity team of a gender identity that is not their own are eligible to participate in NIRSA Championship Series events provided they meet all other eligibility guidelines and they will still be considered a current or former varsity player for the NIRSA Championship Series events.

• All team players must attend the same institution from any two- or four-year degree-granting college or university.
• Teams representing military installations are eligible to compete, so long as all members of those teams are assigned to the same military installation.
• Teams are limited to number of former varsity player(s) (listed below) they can register. A former varsity player is defined as a student who has been listed on a “school’s varsity roster (squad list) for any 2-year or 4-year college/university team for more than one academic year:
  • Former varsity player classification chart
    • Basketball – 1 athlete
    • Flag Football – 2 athletes
    • Soccer – 3 athletes
    • Tennis – 1 athlete
      • In Tennis, teams are limited to 1 former varsity player OR 1 ITF Juniors / Futures restricted player (not 1 of each).
        • Former varsity player classification chart
        • ITF Juniors & Futures player classification chart
• A participant may only be listed on one team roster at a NIRSA Championship Series Events unless a Co-Rec division is offered.
  • Participants may be listed on one Co-Rec roster and one single-gender roster.
  • Teams with players on both Co-Rec and single-gender teams in a tournament should plan on having enough players to play games simultaneously.
  • Co-Rec and single-gender teams may be scheduled at the same time.
  • Individuals are not eligible to play on multiple single-gender teams.

Officials must meet the same enrollment eligibility criteria as players throughout the NIRSA Championship Series event:

• Undergraduates – minimum of ½ full-time enrollment status
  • Must be considered an Undergraduate student by University’s Registrar
• Graduate – minimum of six credit hours

Officials may not participate in the same tournament/event they are officiating.

• Automatic Bid Eligibility:
  • Individuals with All-American status is eligible for an “automatic bid” to return.
  • To be officially considered, the individual must attend a regional event in the same year. If attendance is not possible, there is a provision in the application to provide a rationale.
• Maximum National Tournament Opportunities:
  • An official who has achieved All-American status at a national tournament in a specific sport cannot exceed two total national tournament appearances.
  • If an individual attains All-American status on their first appearance, they are only eligible to attend one additional national tournament.
  • Example: If an official attended the national tournament in their freshman and sophomore years without receiving an All-American award but returned in their junior year and achieved the award, they would be ineligible for another national tournament, having surpassed the two-total limit.

Eligibility appeals for all NIRSA regional and national events must be presented in writing to the NIRSA Director of National Sport Programs 30 days prior to respective contest and will be reviewed by the NIRSA Championship Series Standards of Competition Work Team.