NJCAA wants NCAA to keep academic requirements at the same level

The Charlotte-based National Junior College Athletic Association and 16 coaches associations are asking the NCAA to make rule changes they say would even the playing field for two-year athletes.

The main point of contention is that requirements differ for two-year school students transferring to a four-year school in Division I athletics.

Junior college athletes are required to have a 2.5 GPA to transfer to a four-year institution compared to either a 1.8 or 2.0 for transferring students who are already at a four-year school such as UNC-Chapel Hill. The rule creates an academic inequity for two-year athletes based on current NCAA bylaws, advocates say.

The junior college association’s Senior Vice President Michelle Meadows says that’s not fair.

“I think one thing is really important to hit on from the NJCAA's perspective is we want our student athletes to have equal opportunity,” Meadows said

Two-year college transfers have a different set of rules when it comes to financial aid guarantees. They’re not guaranteed financial aid even if they withdraw from the team or get cut from their team.

The NCAA gets far more attention, but arguably Charlotte’s most recognizable athlete, Cam Newton, came up through junior college. He transferred to Blinn College in Texas after a season at the University of Florida, before returning to four-year competition at Auburn University. Senior Vice President of Affairs Jeff White said this holds some two-year athletes back from going to the next level. NJCAA has over 65,000 students and many are the first to go to college in their family.

“A third of them are first-generation college students,” White said. “So you're taking students who are creating generational change, because that's what it is within their family, and those students don't even have the opportunity to advance to the next level because of these rules.”

Division I athletes also have another academic advantage over two-year transfers when it comes to financial aid. NCAA requires that four-year transfers' financial aid is guaranteed no less than the students' five years of eligibility or until their undergraduate degree is completed. Schools can only cancel the financial aid or reduce it if a student transfers and or loses their amateur status by playing professionally.

Athletes at four-year schools can also be cut or dismissed from the team and can still retain financial aid. However, if a student transfers from a two-year school, such as Rockingham Community College, and is cut from the team, they don't automatically retain financial aid based on current NCAA rules.

The NCAA also has significant disparity for athletes who participate in off-season activities. Division I baseball players can play in eight scrimmages or Fall Ball during the year without using a season of eligibility. However, two-year students have more strict guidelines and can only play in two contests before triggering a season of eligibility.

With the letter sent to the NCAA, the NJCAA said it is looking to resolve the issue between the organizations before exploring legal options. The NCAA didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.