In a sweeping reform, the NCAA Division I Council has passed new legislation to change the current eligibility model in NCAA competition.  The rules are not final until the cabinet meeting closes on Wednesday.  The rule institutes five years of eligibility for all new student-athletes, starting with when they first enroll full-time in college or the first year after their 19th birthday.  It will not apply to those in active duty military service, are pregnant or on official religious missions.  It replaces the prior system, which enabled certain athletes with an additional year(s) of eligibility for missing seasons due a variety of reasons, including injuries, hardship, deferrals, and number of competitive seasons. 

Athletes who had no completed their eligibility prior to this date will be able to choose between the new system and the old system.  Incoming frosh who are enrolled full-time in 2026-2027 will also be able to choose.  Athletes that enroll in college in the fall of 2027 or later will be subject to the new rules.  All 2025-2026 graduates who have exhausted their eligibility will not be eligible.  In the era of Name, Image and Likeness the NCAA has been caught up in litigation involving athletes petitioning for fifth, sixth or more seasons of eligibility, or a return to college following professional careers.  However, new legal challenges may be ahead.

The NCAA roster limits have remained unchanged.  This will have an immediate impact on the 2027 and 2008 recruiting classes, as a wave of newly eligible fifth-year athletes may take up some of the available scholarships.  Also, future athletes who had intended to defer a year to train for the Olympics may effectively lose this bonus year of eligibility, unless they are enrolled full time in the 2026-2027 season.  

Link:  ESPN and NCAA Release