Rules Resulting from House Settlement Finalized and Enforced by College Sports Commission
WASHINGTON DC, October 30, 2025 – In the months since the House v. NCAA (“House”) settlement was approved by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on June 6, 2025, the NCAA Division I Board of Directors has adopted multiple sets of new and revised NCAA bylaws resulting from that agreement.
Among these changes are new NCAA bylaws requiring high school and junior college prospective student-athletes and prospective transfer student-athletes to comply with the rules around disclosure of third-party Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals, including being prepared to disclose all NIL deals worth $600 or more to the College Sports Commission (CSC) upon enrollment at a Division I institution.
These rules are enforced by the College Sports Commission, and participating institutions and student-athletes are required to comply with all settlement-related rules or face penalties, including eligibility consequences for student-athletes.
A high-level summary of many of the rules can be found below, and more information is available on the College Sports Commission website, the NCAA Division I Manual and in the NCAA’s Legislative Services Database. The CSC has also developed comprehensive resources on NIL rules and reporting requirements specifically for high school and junior college prospective student-athletes and prospective transfer student-athletes. These materials are accessible through the CSC website, the NCAA Eligibility Center, and have been distributed to campuses nationwide.
Third-Party Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) Deals
1. Student-Athletes & Third Parties
a. Noninstitutional NIL activities: A student-athlete may permit the use of the student-athlete’s NIL in noninstitutional NIL activities and receive compensation for such activities subject to Bylaw 21.1.3. [NCAA Bylaw 22.1.2]
b. Associated entities: An entity or individual associated with a student-athlete’s institution (“Associated Entity or Individual”, as defined in the House settlement), shall not enter into an agreement with or provide payment to a prospective student-athlete or student-athlete unless the agreement or payment terms are for a valid business purpose and do not exceed a reasonable range of compensation, as determined by the CSC in connection with the NIL Go platform. [NCAA Bylaws 22.02.1, 22.02.2 and 22.1.3]
c. Defining “Valid Business Purpose” and “Range of Compensation”: NIL payments from an Associated Entity or Individual must serve a valid business purpose related to the promotion or endorsement of goods or services provided to the general public for profit, with compensation at rates and terms commensurate with compensation paid to similarly situated individuals. [NCAA Bylaws 22.1.3 and 22.2.4]
d. Documentation requirements: The CSC may require student-athletes and entities to provide information and documentation to establish compliance with the valid business purpose rule. [NCAA Bylaw 22.1.3.1]
e. Pay-for-play is not a Valid Business Purpose: Raising money to induce student-athletes to attend or participate in intercollegiate athletics at an institution does not satisfy the valid business purpose requirement. [NCAA Bylaw 22.1.3]
f. NIL activation required under Valid Business Purpose: An NIL agreement or payment with an Associated Entity or Individual, must include direct activation of the student-athlete’s NIL rights. In other words, the acquisition of such rights without reasonable specificity of the NIL activation (e.g., description of the specific group licensing categories, the student-athlete’s obligations related to the activation, timing and ultimate use of the student-athlete’s NIL) may not satisfy the requirements for payments by Associated Entities or Individuals. [NCAA Bylaw 22.1.3.3]
g. Nonprofit standards: NIL deals involving a noninstitutional nonprofit or charitable organization may be considered to have a valid business purpose only if the contract or payment terms:
i. Originate with funding from the nonprofit or charitable organization; and
ii. Involve the student-athlete participating in an activity for which the primary purpose is to raise funds to support the organization’s bona fide charitable mission. [NCAA Bylaw 22.1.3.2]
h. Agents permitted: Student-athletes may use agent representation for NIL activities. [NCAA Bylaw 12.02.8]
i. Assistance by professional service providers: A professional service provider (e.g., agent, multimedia rights holder acting as a marketing agent, marketing agency) may assist in facilitating payments for NIL contracts or payment terms to a student-athlete, provided the entity that will use the student-athlete’s NIL is the originating source of the compensation and not the professional service provider. [NCAA Bylaw 22.3.2]
2. Reporting Requirements
a. NIL clearinghouse: Establishes a clearinghouse called NIL Go to evaluate noninstitutional NIL agreements to determine rules compliance. [NCAA Bylaw 22.2.2]
b. NIL reporting: All NCAA Division I student-athletes are required to report all noninstitutional NIL contracts or payment terms, including those involving Associated Entities or Individuals, as defined in the House settlement, with a total value of $600 in the aggregate or more to the designated name, image and likeness clearinghouse (NIL Go) for review. [NCAA Bylaw 22.2.2]
c. Reporting timeline: Student-athletes must submit written documentation of deal terms to NIL Go within five business days of execution or agreement to payment terms. The penalty for failure to report an NIL deal is ineligibility for the student-athlete. [NCAA Bylaw 22.2.2.2]
d. High school prospective student-athletes: Prospective student-athletes enrolling at Division I institutions must report all third-party NIL deals worth $600 or more that were executed, agreed upon, or that include payments made any time after July 1, 2025, or a prospect's first day of junior year in high school, whichever occurs later. [NCAA Bylaw 22.2.2.5.1]
i. These deals must be reported within 14 days after initial enrollment at a Division I institution or before their first game as a Division I student-athlete—whichever comes first. [NCAA Bylaw 22.2.2.5.3]
e. Junior college prospective student-athletes: Prospective student-athletes enrolling at Division I institutions must report all third-party NIL deals worth $600 or more that were executed, agreed upon, or that include payments made any time after July 1, 2025, or starting from a prospect’s initial enrollment at a two-year college, whichever occurs later. [NCAA Bylaw 22.2.2.5.1]
i. These deals must be reported within 14 days after initial enrollment at a Division I institution, or before their first game as a Division I student-athlete—whichever comes first. [NCAA Bylaw 22.2.2.5.3]
f. Prospective transfer student-athletes: Student-athletes transferring from Division II or Division III to a Division I institution must report all third-party NIL worth $600 or more that were executed, agreed upon, or that include payments made from the date their name is officially entered into the NCAA Transfer Portal. [NCAA Bylaw 22.2.2.5.2]
i. NIL deals involving student-athletes transferring from one Division I institution to another will be evaluated based on the company’s or individual’s association with the student-athlete’s new school from the time their name is officially entered into the NCAA Transfer Portal. [NCAA Bylaw 22.2.2.5.2]
Institutional Revenue Sharing & NIL Agreements
1. Institution revenue sharing and NIL: Institutions may provide additional payments, benefits and expenses to their student-athletes subject to the House settlement-related rules. [NCAA Bylaw 16.13.1]
2. Benefits cap: The amount of revenue share and benefits any institution can provide is capped by the House settlement. The cap amount is 22% of the average total revenue in certain categories as set forth in the House settlement. The value of these additional payments and/or benefits provided by the institution or on the institution’s behalf cannot exceed the cap amount during an academic year. The benefits cap amount for the 2025-26 academic year is $20.5 million. [NCAA Bylaw 16.02.2]
3. Eligibility for institutional benefits: An institution may not enter into an NIL agreement with a student-athlete that extends beyond the student-athlete’s period of eligibility to participate in intercollegiate athletics. [NCAA Bylaw 16.13.1.1]
4. Institutional NIL: Institutions may enter into exclusive/nonexclusive licenses with student-athletes for NIL use. [NCAA Bylaw 22.1.1]
5. Reporting requirements: All additional payments and/or benefits provided by an institution or on an institution’s behalf to a student-athlete shall be specified in writing in signed agreements between the institution and the student-athlete. Such agreements shall be entered and uploaded into CAPS within five business days from final signatures. [NCAA Bylaw 16.13.2]
6. No guaranteed third-party NIL: As of July 1, 2025, schools can not promise or guarantee a student-athlete – either verbally or in writing – a third-party NIL contract or payment. Deals guaranteed before July 1 for the 2025-26 academic year are allowed and count toward the school’s benefits cap, unless the student-athlete receives payments from a third party up to that amount. [NCAA Bylaw 22.1.1.1]
7. Institutions as marketing agents: Institutions may serve as marketing agents for student-athletes in third-party NIL agreements. [NCAA Bylaw 22.1.1]
8. Excess benefits rollover: In addition to any penalties that may be assessed by the CSC, if an institution exceeds the value of an applicable period's benefits cap, the excess amount shall be counted against the institution’s benefits cap in the immediately following annual period. [NCAA Bylaw 16.13.1.8]
9. Benefits Cap Attestation: Institutions must attest on a yearly basis that all information in CAPS is complete, accurate and compliant with the benefits cap rules and polices, that all countable benefits provided to student-athletes were uploaded into CAPS, and student-athletes were not guaranteed payments or benefits not in a written agreement entered into CAPS. [NCAA Bylaw 16.13.3]
Roster Limits
1. Roster limits: Scholarship limits are eliminated and sport-specific roster limits for institutions providing settlement-related benefits are established. [NCAA Bylaws 17.2 and 16.13.1.5]
2. Roster submission deadlines: Rosters must be submitted by the day before the first contest of the season or December 1, whichever is earlier. [NCAA Bylaw 17.2.1]
3. Roster additions: Institutions may add student-athletes only if roster limits haven't been reached, with changes required to be reported before the next contest. [NCAA Bylaw 17.2.1.1]
4. Mandatory roster inclusion: With limited exceptions, an institution must include any student-athlete who receives athletically related financial aid or settlement-related payments on a sport's submitted roster during the academic year in which they receive such payments. [NCAA Bylaw 17.2.2]
5. Designated student-athlete rule: Institutions must have reported “designated student-athletes” who would have been removed due to roster limit implementation by July 6, 2025. Upon being designated, such a student-athlete may continue to participate in practice and competition without counting towards the institution’s roster limit. [NCAA Bylaw 17.02.8 and 17.2.2]
Enforcement
1. College Sports Commission (CSC): The CSC is designated as the enforcement entity responsible for enforcement of NCAA bylaws adopted based on the House settlement, including investigating alleged violations, assessing penalties for violation determinations, and serving as the party seeking enforcement of any penalties contested through neutral arbitration. [NCAA Bylaw 23.02.1]
2. Investigations: Participating institutions agree that the CSC has the authority to investigate an alleged violation of an NCAA bylaw developed as a part of the House settlement. [NCAA Bylaw 23.01.1]
3. Penalties: If the CSC concludes that a violation of settlement-related rules occurred, the CEO of the CSC has sole authority to prescribe penalties for those violations. [NCAA Bylaw 23.2.1]
4. Arbitration: Student-athletes have access to a neutral arbitration process to contest any decision made by the CSC. A neutral arbitrator shall reach a final written decision within 45 days from commencement of the proceedings and the written decision shall be considered final and binding. [NCAA Bylaw 23.3]
a. During the pendency of arbitration, any prescribed penalties are stayed. The presiding arbitrator, if good cause is shown, may lift a stay. [NCAA Bylaw 23.3.1.1]
b. A student-athlete who elects to use the neural arbitration process has the right to be represented by counsel of the student-athlete’s choice. [NCAA Bylaw 23.3.1.2]
About the College Sports Commission
The College Sports Commission (CSC) is an independent body established in 2025 to oversee and enforce compliance with rules governing student-athlete compensation in college sports, including institutional revenue sharing and third-party Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) agreements. Dedicated to the principles of fairness, integrity and opportunity, the College Sports Commission provides structure and accountability to ensure that student-athletes and institutions benefit from a transparent and equitable collegiate athletics system.
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