Valid NLI
NLI must be accompanied by an athlecs
nancial aid agreement (aid from an athlecs
source).
NLI must include the NCAA ID. The NCAA ID
will be available to the prospecve student-
athlete once registered with the NCAA
Eligibility Center and will be available to the
instuon once the prospecve student-
athlete is placed on the Instuonal Request
List (IRL). All junior college prospecve
student-athletes must also have an NCAA ID
included on the NLI.
NLI may not be signed prior to the signing
dates for the applicable sport.
NLI must include a parent or legal guardian
signature if the prospecve student-athlete is
under the age of 21, regardless of marital
status.
The Conference Oce validates the NLI to
ensure the NLI and athlecs aid agreement
are complete and meet all NLI and NCAA
requirements.
What is the National Letter of Intent (NLI)?
The NLI is a binding agreement between a prospecve student-athlete and an NLI member instuon.
• Prospecve student-athlete agrees to aend the instuon full-me for one academic year
(two semesters or three quarters).
• Instuon agrees to provide athlecs nancial aid for one academic year (two semesters or
three quarters).
Penalty for not fullling the NLI agreement: Serve one year in residence (full-me two semesters or
three quarters) at the next NLI member instuon and lose one season of compeon in all sports.
What is the Recruiting Ban? Other instuons must respect the prospecve student-athlete’s NLI signing by ceasing all communicaon.
The recruing ban remains in eect unl the prospecve student-athlete enrolls at the signing instuon. Once enrolled, the student-athlete is
governed by NCAA recruing regulaons.
If the prospecve student-athlete does not enroll at the signing instuon, the recruing ban will be lied aer the instuon’s academic year has
elapsed (e.g., prospecve student-athlete signs during 2023-24, the recruing ban applies through the end of the 2024-25 academic year).
Quick Reference Guide to the NLI
Signing Dates for
2024-25 Enrollment
Division I Basketball (Early Period)
November 8 - November 15, 2023
Division I Basketball (Regular Period)
April 17 - May 15, 2024
Division I Football (Early Period)
December 20 - 22, 2023
Division I and II Football
(Midyear JC Transfer)
Dec. 20, 2023 - Jan.15, 2024
Football (Regular Period)
February 7 - April 1, 2024 (Division I)
February 7 - Aug. 1, 2024 (Division II)
All Other Division I and II Sports
November 8, 2023 - August 1, 2024
www.nationalletter.org
How does the institution process the NLI?
Instuon issues NLI and oer of athlecs aid to
the prospecve student-athlete.
Prospecve student-athlete and parent signs NLI
and athlecs aid agreement.
• Must be signed within 7 days of issuance date.
(7 day deadline does not apply to the football
early signing period or when 7 days are not
le in the signing period)
Instuon veries required informaon and
uploads NLI to its Conference Oce for validaon.
• Must be led with the Conference within 14
days of nal signature.
• Denied admission.
• Does not meet NCAA, instuonal or conference
eligibility requirements.
• One-Year Absence.
- Signee does not enroll (two-year or four-year
instuon) for at least one academic year and
the scholarship (in its same amount) is no longer
available. Also applies to a signee who serves in
the U.S. Armed Forces or Church Mission for one
year. NLI remains binding if the scholarship (in
its same amount) is available.
• Disconnued Sport.
- Sport is no longer oered, includes
student-athletes who are already
enrolled.
• Recruing Rules Violaon.
- NLI may be declared null and void if
the violaon is substanated and
prompts the need for reinstatement
by the NCAA sta. It is the
prospecve student-athlete’s choice
to null and void the NLI under these
circumstances.
This reference guide is intended to be a resource. Additional NLI regulations and procedures are located at
www.nationalletter.org.
Head Coaching Change
If a head coach change occurs before the signee
aends the signing instuon or parcipates in
preseason pracce, whichever is earlier, the
signee has the opon to submit an NLI release
request and the signing instuon must grant the
complete release.
Prospecve student-athletes and parents can sign
NLIs with electronic or digital signatures.
How is the NLI declared null and void?
Approximately 48,000 prospecve
student-athletes sign NLIs to aend
NCAA Division I or II instuons.
How can a signee be released
from the NLI?
Release Request:
A request for release must be
iniated by the NLI signee by
subming the NLI Release
Request online.
An instuon may release a
signee from his or her NLI
obligaon by selecng the
“Complete Release” opon on
the NLI Release Request. It is
the instuon’s discreon to
grant a release or not.
The NLI release cannot include
condions to be released to
specic instuons.
The NLI Recruing Ban is lied
once an NLI signee submits an
NLI Release Request.
Appeal Process:
For consideraon of an appeal,
the signee must present
extenuang circumstances to
the NLI Commiee.
PAGE 2
Enrollment in a Junior College (Two-Year College) - After Signing an NLI
If a prospecve student-athlete signs an NLI and later aends a junior college, the prospecve
student-athlete must graduate from the junior college under the following condions:
• To sasfy NCAA 2-4 or 4-2-4 transfer rules, if necessary to meet NCAA, conference or
instuonal regulaons.
• To fulll a previously signed NLI. In this case, the previous NLI is considered fullled if
the prospecve student-athlete graduates from the junior college. The NLI can be signed
prior to graduaon.
Enrollment in a Junior College (Two-Year College) - No Previously Signed NLI
If a prospecve student-athlete did not sign an NLI prior to enrolling at a junior college, he or
she is permied to sign while aending a junior college.
The following rule applies for Division I:
A nonqualier 2-4 transfer is not permied to sign an NLI in the rst year of junior college
enrollment. A nonqualier in the rst year of enrollment does not meet the NCAA
requirement to receive athlecs aid unl aending the junior college for at least three
semesters or four quarters.
QUICK REF ER ENCE GU ID E TO TH E NLI
NLI Membership
650 NCAA Division I and II institutions are NLI members.
Not NLI members:
Ivy League, Service Academies, Division III institutions,
NAIA institutions, preparatory schools and two-year
colleges.
All members of the NLI program are required to offer
athletics scholarships.
Coaching Contact Prohibited at Time of Signing
A coach or instuonal representave may not hand deliver the NLI o campus or be present o
campus at the me of signing. The NLI may be delivered by express mail, regular mail, email, fax,
mobile applicaons or any other electronic means.
Early Signing Period Penalties
Prospecve student-athletes who will parcipate in football
are prohibited from signing an NLI during a signing date
earlier then the inial signing date for Division I or II foot-
ball. A student who signs an NLI during an earlier signing
date in a sport other than football will be ineligible for com-
peon in the sport of football during the student’s rst
year of enrollment at an NLI member instuon, and shall
forfeit one season of compeon in the sport of football.
In circumstances where a student’s primary sport is not
football, but ancipates parcipang in football, the student
should delay signing an NLI unl either the football signing
period or a later signing date for the other sport.
Compleng a playing season does
not fulll the NLI obligaon. The
enre academic year at the signing
instuon must be completed.
4-4 transfers are no longer
prospecve student-
athletes. Four-year
transfers shall not sign NLIs,
including internaonal
college/university transfers.
The NLI penalty does not
preclude a student-athlete
from receiving athlecs aid or
praccing while serving the
one academic year of
residence for the NLI penalty.
If a prospecve student-athletes signs an NLI for enrollment in the upcoming
academic year, but decides to not enroll, the NLI remains binding.
If the NLI is declared invalid, null and void or a complete
release is granted, a prospecve student-athlete
is permied to sign another NLI in the same NLI signing year.
An instuon is not
permied to provide
release agreements to
a prospecve
student-athlete prior
to signing.
The NCAA manages the daily
operaons of the NLI program
while the Division I Collegiate
Commissioners Associaon
provides governance oversight.
Athletics Aid Agreement
An NLI must be accompanied by an athlecs aid agreement. A prospecve student-athlete
not receiving athlecs aid is not permied to sign an NLI. If the prospecve student-
athlete declines the athlecs aid in order to receive other instuonal aid, the NLI must be
declared null and void. The athlecs aid agreement is subject to NCAA rules.