When to Tell Your College Coach That You Want to Transfer

Contributor Rick Paine is an expert on the college recruiting process. He is also the Director of Swimming at American College Connection (ACC).

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As you know, the NCAA changed its rules in October regarding transfers. The new rules make it much easier to transfer than ever before; however, there are still some things to think about before you decide to up and change schools.

NCAA rules

• College coaches are allowed to take your swimming scholarship away for the next semester after you declare your intent to transfer. If you let the coach know in November that you want to transfer they can take your scholarship away starting in January. If you let them know once the second semester starts of your intent to transfer they can’t take your scholarship away until the following year.
• You must be academically eligible to return to your original school before you will be eligible for a new school.
• The old onetime transfer rule is still in effect.
• Conference rules regarding transfers supersede NCAA rules. Most conferences require an intra-conference transfer to sit out a year.

Things to consider:

Be prepared. Once you declare your intent to transfer the college coach can tell you to hit the road and clean out your locker and find another place to train. Why would a coach allow a swimmer who doesn’t want to be on the team to train with the team?

At some point in the past, you thought this school and team was the ideal place for you. Analyze what happened. Did you change? Did the coach change? Did the team change?

Our swimmers come to us when they want to transfer and the first thing we ask is, “have you had a meeting with the coach?” Invariably the answer is No. You MUST communicate with the coaches when you have an issue. They are the ones who can help.

They also can help or hurt your chances to find another team. You can count on other coaches contacting your current college coach to ask about you and try to determine if you might be a fit for their program. So you want to leave on good terms.

Before you decide to transfer make sure you have done everything you can to make it work are your original school.

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