Policy

Transferring Out

If you wish to transfer from CU to another institution, various NAIA regulations apply. If you transfer to another Mid‐South Conference institution, it is mandatory that you fulfill one year residence prior to being eligible to compete. Four year institutions cannot have contact with you regarding a transfer without first obtaining the written permission of CU’s athletics director. It is YOUR responsibility to seek accurate information from CU’s athletics office regarding transferring.


The request and appeal process for transferring out are as follows:

  • A student‐athlete who wishes to discuss the possibility of transfer with a College and/or University (NCAA, NAIA, Junior College, etc.) must contact the Head Coach who will advise the Director of Athletics and the Assistant Director of Athletics.

  • If the Head Coach, Director of Athletics, and Assistance Director of Athletics approve the request, the paperwork is processed.

  • The Assistant Director of Athletics provides a release letter to a requesting institution for the student‐athlete. A copy of the release is kept on file in the Assistant Director of Athletics office.

  • If the request is denied, the Director of Athletics (or his designee) shall inform the student‐athlete in writing, within 14 calendar days from a student‐athlete’s written request, that he or she, on request, shall be provided a hearing opportunity. The notification shall include a copy of the University’s policies and procedures for conducting the hearing, including the deadline by which the student‐athlete must request such a hearing.

  • The Athletic Appeals Committee shall be chaired by the Faculty Athletics Representative (FAR). The chairperson shall, at his/her discretion, name the other committee members, which shall be any University employee (except athletics department employees). The committee shall not be restricted in its size. Each committee member shall be familiar with NAIA Bylaws governing the appeal. The committee shall give each side involved in each case the opportunity to be heard (the student‐athlete and/or his/her parents/guardians, in addition to the Director of Athletics and Head Coach of the sport involved).

  • If the student‐athlete requests a hearing before the deadline, the Athletic Appeals Committee shall conduct the hearing within 30 consecutive calendar days of receiving a student‐athlete’s request for the hearing.

  • The committee, at its discretion, may hear the appeal in a variety of communication forms (in writing, in person, by telephone, by videoconference, etc.). However, once the method of communication has been established for that particular case, that method shall be used to hear both sides.

  • Once a decision for a particular case has been reached, the committee chair (FAR) shall inform each side involved in writing.


*Any student‐athlete, who quits a sport, is removed from a team, transfers to another institution or graduates from Cumberland University will be asked to complete a Cumberland University Student‐Athlete Exit Interview