As a University of South Carolina student-athlete, you must be mindful of many NCAA, SEC and USC rules and regulations that could affect you. The purpose of this Web site is to help you better understand these rules. If you have any questions, please contact the Compliance Office.

Athletics Eligibility

• Only a student-athlete who meets the governing athletics eligibility legislation and interpretations is eligible for intercollegiate athletics participation in a particular sport. (NCAA Bylaw 12.01.1).
• An individual who receives direct or indirect payment for athletics participation, except as permitted by the governing legislation and interpretations, is considered a professional athlete.
• A professional athlete in one sport may represent a member institution in a different sport and may receive institutional financial assistance in the second sport.

An individual loses amateur status and thus shall not be eligible for intercollegiate competition in a particular sport if the individual (NCAA Bylaw 12.1.2):

• uses his or her athletics skill (directly or indirectly) for pay in any form in that sport;
• accepts a promise of pay even if such pay is to be received following completion of intercollegiate athletics participation;
• signs a contract or commitment of any kind to play professional athletics, regardless of its legal enforceability or any consideration received;
• receives, directly or indirectly, a salary, reimbursement of expenses or any other form of financial assistance from a professional sports organization based upon athletics skill or participation, except as permitted by NCAA rules and regulations;
• competes on any professional athletics team (per Bylaw 12.02.4), even if no pay or remuneration for expenses was received;
• subsequent to initial full-time collegiate enrollment, enters into a professional draft (see also Bylaw 12.2.4.2.1)

Employment

Student-Athlete Employment

Student-athletes wishing to seek employment during the academic year or during the summer must complete the Student-Athlete Employment Form prior to beginning employment. Please complete the form and return it to the Compliance Office.

• Employers must receive prior approval before hiring any student-athletes.
• The student-athlete may only be compensated for work actually performed and at a rate commensurate with the going rate in that locality for similar services.
• Transportation may not be provided to student-athletes unless the same benefit is provided to all other employees.

Fee for Lesson Employment

Please complete the Student-Athlete Employment Form following lessons and return to the Compliance Office.

• institutional facilities are not used;
• simply “playing” against the student-athlete is not permitted (e.g., playing lessons);
• the student-athletes receives prior approval from the Compliance Office;
• the student-athlete keeps on file documentation of the recipient of the lesson(s) and the fee charged for the lesson(s) provided during any time of the year; and
• compensation is paid by the lesson recipient (or the recipient’s family) and not another individual or entity.

Camp/Clinic Employment

Student-athletes may be employed as counselors in camps or clinics and there is no limit on the number of student-athletes in any one sport who may be employed in an institutional or non-institutional (privately owned) camp or clinic.

Student-athletes employed at a sports camp must perform duties that are of a general supervisory character in addition to any coaching or officiating assignments.

Student-athletes’ compensation must be comparable to the going rate to all camp counselors of similar ability and experience.

A student-athlete who only lectures or demonstrates at a camp/clinic may not receive compensation for his or her appearance at the camp/clinic.

Transportation to and/or from camp/clinic may not be provided, unless it is provided to all employees.

Eligibility

Continuing Eligibility

To be eligible for competition, a student-athlete must be enrolled in a minimum of 12 (twelve) credit hours during each semester.

• Exception: A student-athlete may compete while enrolled in less than 12 (twelve) credit hours during a semester, provided the student is enrolled in the final semester of the baccalaureate program and that USC certifies that the student is carrying (for credit) the courses necessary to complete degree requirements.

In order to maintain eligibility at the University of South Carolina, you must meet the following continuing eligibility requirements:

Credit Hour Requirements:

• Student-athletes must complete a minimum of 6 credit hours each semester (fall and spring);
• Student-athletes must complete a minimum of 18 credit hours for the fall and spring semesters combined; and
• Student-athletes entering their 2nd year of collegiate enrollment must have completed 24 semester hours (during the initial fall, spring and summer terms)

Grade Point Average:

• Student-athletes entering their 2nd year of collegiate enrollment must maintain an accumulative GPA of 1.800;
• Student-athletes entering their 3rd year of collegiate enrollment must maintain an accumulative GPA of 1.900; and
• Student-athletes entering their 4th year of collegiate enrollment and beyond must maintain an accumulative GPA of 2.000.

Progress Toward Degree:

• Student-athletes must declare a major by the beginning of their 3rd year of collegiate enrollment.
• Student-athletes entering the 3rd year of collegiate enrollment must have completed 40% of the specific degree requirements;
• Student-athletes entering the 4th year of collegiate enrollment must have completed 60% of the specific degree requirements; and
• Student-athletes entering the 5th year of collegiate enrollment must have completed 80% of the specific degree requirements.

Extra Benefits

NCAA rules prohibit a student-athlete from receiving an “extra benefit” from an institutional employee or a representative of USC’s athletics interest (booster).

Extra Benefit: Any special arrangement by an institutional employee or a booster to provide a student-athlete or the student-athlete’s relative or friend a benefit not expressly authorized by the NCAA legislation. Receipt of a benefit by a student-athlete or their relatives or friends is not a violation of NCAA legislation if it is demonstrated that the same benefit is generally available to the institution’s students or their relatives or friends or to a particular segment of the student body (e.g., foreign student, minority student) as determined on a basis unrelated to athletics ability. A student-athlete may not receive a special discount, payment arrangement or credit on a purchase (e.g., airline tickets, clothing) or a service (e.g., laundry, dry cleaning) from an institutional employee or a representative of its athletics interests. A student-athlete may not accept athletics equipment, supplies or clothing (e.g., tennis racquets, golf clubs, balls, shirts) from a manufacturer or commercial business.

Academic and Other Support Services

Member institutions shall make available general academic counseling and tutoring services to all student-athletes. Such counseling and tutoring services may be provided by the Department of Athletics or through the institution’s nonathletics student services. In addition, an institution may finance other academic and support services that the institution, at its discretion, determines to be appropriate and necessary for the academic success of its student-athletes (NCAA bylaw 16.3).

An institution may provide the following support services:

• Use of institutionally-owned computers and typewriters on a check-out and retrieval basis; however, typing/word processing/editing services or costs may not be provided, even if typed reports and other papers are a requirement of a course in which a student-athlete is enrolled;
• Use of copy machines, fax machines and the Internet, including any related long-distance charges, provided the use is for purposes related to the completion of required academic coursework;
• Course supplies (e.g., calculators, art supplies, computer disks, subscriptions), provided such course supplies are required of all students in the course and specified in the institution’s catalog or course syllabus;
• Cost of a field trip, provided the field trip is required of all students in the course and the fee for such trips is specified in the institution’s catalog; and
• Nonelectronic day planners.

Free or Reduced-Cost Services

An athletics representative may not provide a student-athlete with professional services (for which a fee normally would be charged) without charge or at a reduced cost. Professional services provided at less than the normal rate or at no expense to a student-athlete are considered an extra benefit unless they are available on the same basis to the general student body.

Other Prohibited Benefits

An institutional employee or representative of the institution’s athletics interest (booster) may not provide a student-athlete with benefits or services, including, but not limited to:

• a loan of money;
• a guarantee of bond;
• an automobile or the use of an automobile;
• signing or cosigning a note with an outside agency to arrange a loan.

Financial Aid

Eligibility for Institutional Financial Aid

A student-athlete must meet applicable NCAA, conference and institutional regulations to be eligible for institutional financial aid. If these regulations are met, the student-athlete may be awarded institutional financial aid during any term in which a student-athlete is in regular attendance under the following circumstances:

• The student-athlete is an undergraduate with eligibility remaining under Bylaw 12.6 (five-year rule); or
• The student-athlete is a graduate student eligible under Bylaw 14.6.
• Within six years of initial enrollment in a collegiate institution (provided the student does not receive more than five years of such aid during this period); however, after the six year period expires, this restriction shall apply only to unearned athletics aid for which the athletics department intercedes on behalf of the student-athlete.

Athletics Grant-in-Aid

A full grant-in-aid is financial aid that consists of tuition and fees, living expenses, books and other expenses related to attendance at the institution up to the cost of attendance

Reduction/Cancellation of Institutional Financial Aid

Institutional financial aid based in any degree on athletics ability awarded to an individual who receives or is issued athletically related financial aid in the academic year of initial full-time enrollment at the certifying institution may be reduced or canceled during the period of the award or reduced or not renewed for the following academic year or years of the student-athlete’s five-year period of eligibility if the recipient:

• Is rendered ineligible for intercollegiate competition based on the recipient’s action or inaction;
• Fraudulently misrepresents any information on an application, letter of intent or financial aid agreement;
• Engages in serious misconduct warranting substantial disciplinary penalty, as determined by the institution’s regular student disciplinary authority;
• Voluntarily (on the recipient’s own initiative) withdraws from a sport at any time for personal reasons; however, the recipient’s financial aid may not be awarded to another student-athlete in the academic term in which the aid is reduced or canceled;
• Violates a nonathletically related condition outlined in the financial aid agreement or violates a documented institutional rule or policy (e.g., academics policies or standards, athletics department or team rules or policies); or
• Provides written notification of transfer to the institution or is provided a release of the contact prohibition associated with signing an athletics aid agreement; however, the student-athlete’s financial aid may not be reduced or canceled until the end of the regular academic term in which written notification of transfer is received. If a student-athlete provides written notification of transfer to the institution between regular academic terms (winter break, summer break) the institution may reduce or cancel the financial aid immediately

Institutional financial aid based in any degree on athletics ability MAY NOT be reduced or canceled during the period of its award:

• On the basis of a student-athlete’s athletics ability, performance or contribution to a team’s success;
• Because of an injury, illness, or physical or mental condition; or
• For any athletics reason.

Renewal/Nonrenewal of Institutional Financial Aid

The renewal of institutional financial aid based in any degree on athletics ability shall be made on or before July 1 prior to the academic year in which it is to be effective. The institution shall promptly notify in writing each student-athlete who received an award the previous academic year and who has eligibility remaining in the sport in which financial aid was awarded the previous academic year whether the grant has been renewed or not renewed for the ensuing academic year.

Notification of financial aid renewals and nonrenewals must come from the institution’s regular financial aid authority and not from the institution’s athletics department.

The institution’s regular financial aid authority shall notify the student-athlete in writing of the opportunity for a hearing when institutional financial aid based in any degree on athletics ability is to be reduced or canceled during the period of the award, or is reduced or not renewed for the following academic year or years.

Summer Financial Aid-Prior to Initial, Full-Time Enrollment at University of South Carolina

The following conditions apply to the awarding of athletically related financial aid to a prospect to attend USC in the summer term prior to the prospect’s initial, full-time enrollment:

• The prospect shall be admitted to USC in accordance with regular, published entrance requirements;
• The prospect is enrolled in a minimum of three hours of academic course work (other than physical activity courses) that is acceptable degree credit toward any of USC’s degree programs.
• The prospect, if recruited, is subject to NCAA transfer provisions;
• During the summer term or orientation period, the prospect shall not engage in any countable athletically related activities except for those specifically permitted by the NCAA; and
• Summer coursework is not used for the purpose of completing initial-eligibility or continuing eligibility (transfer eligibility, progress towards degree) requirements. However, the hours earned during the summer prior to initial full-time enrollment at USC may be used to satisfy the applicable progress-toward-degree requirements in subsequent years.

Summer Financial Aid-Current Student-Athletes

Summer financial aid may be awarded only to attend the awarding institution’s summer term, summer school or summer-orientation program, provided the student has been in residence a minimum of one term during the regular academic year.

A student-athlete who is eligible for institutional financial aid during the summer is not required to be enrolled in a minimum full-time program of studies. However, the student-athlete may not receive financial aid that exceeds the cost of a full grant-in-aid for attendance in that summer term.

A student-athlete shall not receive athletically-related financial aid to attend USC’s summer term unless the student-athlete received such athletically-related aid from the institution during any previous academic year at that institution or the student-athlete has been awarded athletically related financial aid for the following academic year. Further, athletics aid for summer school may be awarded only in proportion to the amount of athletically-related financial aid received by the student-athlete during the previous academic year except that this proportionality restriction shall not apply to a student-athlete who has exhausted his or her eligibility and is enrolled in a summer program of studies that will permit the student-athlete to complete his or her degree requirements.

Sports Wagering

Sports wagering includes placing, accepting or soliciting a wager (on a staff member’s or student-athlete’s own behalf or on the behalf of others) of any type with any individual or organization on any intercollegiate, amateur or professional team or contest.

The following individuals shall not knowingly participate in sports wagering activities or provide information to individuals involved in or associated with any type of sports wagering activities concerning intercollegiate, amateur or professional athletics competition: (Adopted: 4/26/07 effective 8/1/07)

• Staff members of an institution’s athletics department
• Nonathletics department staff members who have responsibilities within or over the athletics department (e.g., chancellor or president, faculty athletics representative, individual to who athletics reports);
• Staff members of a conference office; and
• Student-athletes.

Examples of sports wagering include, but are not limited to:

• The use of a bookmaker or parlay card;
• Internet sports wagering;
• Auctions in which bids are placed on teams, individuals or contest;
• and pools or fantasy leagues in which an entry fee is required and there is an opportunity to win a prize.

Playing and Practice Season Rules

Countable Athletically-Related Activities (CARA)

Countable athletically related activities include any required activity with an athletics purpose involving student-athletes and at the direction of, or supervised by, one or more of an institution’s coaching staff (including strength and conditioning coaches) and must be counted within the weekly and daily limitations. Administrative activities (e.g., academic meetings, compliance meetings) shall not be considered as countable athletically related activities.

Daily and Weekly Hour Limitations – Playing Season

The NCAA requires that a student-athlete’s participation in countable athletically-related activities be limited to a maximum of four (4) hours per day and twenty (20) hours per week with one day off per week.

Daily and Weekly Hour Limitation – Outside Playing Season

The NCAA requires that a student-athlete’s participation in countable athletically-related activities outside of the playing season be limited to a maximum of eight (8) hours per week, of which no more than four (4) hours per week may be spent on individual skill workouts with two (2) days off per week.

Additional Required Days Off (Flex Days)

An institution shall provide a student-athlete with 14 additional days off during the playing season (including vacation periods during the season) or outside the playing and practice season during a regular academic term when classes are in session. Required athletically related activities are prohibited on such days. However, a student-athlete may participate in voluntary activities. The seven-day discretionary period at the conclusion of the championship segment does not count toward this requirement. Health and medical activities (e.g., medical evaluations or treatment for prevention and/or rehabilitation of injuries) or activities that are academically related (e.g., meetings with academic advisor, tutoring sessions) are permitted during the days off.