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NCAA adopts age-based five-year eligibility clock

The NCAA shifted from an enrollment-based clock to an age-based model, limiting collegiate athletes to a consecutive five-year period of eligibility.

Published Sep 10, 2026, 12:09 PM EDT | Lehigh University

The NCAA approved a new age-based eligibility model that defines and limits collegiate student-athletes to a consecutive five-year period of eligibility. Previously, athletes' eligibility began with their first full-time collegiate enrollment and gave them five years to use four seasons of competition, a system that allowed extensions or waivers for extenuating circumstances such as redshirts and medical extensions.