AB 2079 - Student-Athlete Right to Know Act
National Letter of Intent
Pursuant to NCAA rules, a verbal commitment is not binding on either the student athlete or the institution. The National Letter of Intent is a binding agreement between a prospective student-athlete and an institution in which the institution agrees to provide a prospective student athlete who is admitted to the institution and is eligible for financial aid under NCAA rules athletics aid in exchange for the prospective student athlete's agreement to attend the institution. The National Letter of Intent must be accompanied by an institutional financial aid agreement. If the prospective student athlete signs the National Letter of Intent but does not enroll at that institution for a full academic year, they may be subject to specific penalties, including loss of a season of eligibility and a mandatory residence requirement.
The most recent cost of attendance figures for undergraduate students is posted here:
https://www.finaid.ucsb.edu/cost-of-attendance
Per NCAA Bylaw 15.02.6 a full athletics grant-in-aid includes tuition and fees, room and board, and required course-related books.
Period of award - NCAA Bylaw: 15.02.8
The period of award begins when the student-athlete receives any benefits as a part of the student's grant-in-aid on the first day of classes for a particular academic term, or the first day of practice, whichever is earlier, until the conclusion of the period set forth in the financial aid agreement. An athletics grant-in-aid shall not be awarded in excess of the student-athlete’s five-year period of eligibility.
Scholarship Reductions & Cancelations - NCAA Bylaw 15.3.4.2 (Non undergraduate four year transfers)
An athletic scholarship may be reduced or canceled during the period of the award if a student-athlete:
a. Renders them ineligible for intercollegiate competition.
b. Engages in serious misconduct warranting substantial disciplinary action.
c. Voluntarily (on their own initiative) withdraws from the sport.
d. Fraudulently misrepresents any information on an application, letter of intent or financial aid agreement or during any university proceeding.
e. Provides written notification of transfer to the institution; however, the student-athlete's financial aid may not be reduced or canceled until the end of the regular academics term in which written notification of transfer is received. If a student-athlete provides written notification of transfer to the institution between regular academic terms, the institution may reduce or cancel the financial aid immediately.
Scholarship Reductions & Cancelations - NCAA Bylaw 15.3.4.2.1 (Undergraduate Four-Year Transfers)
An athletics scholarship may be reduced or canceled during the period of the award if a student-athlete:
a. ?Transfers to another institution.
b. Loses amateur status and is no longer eligible for intercollegiate competition in applicable sport.
c. Is disqualified or suspended from receiving institutional financial aid by an institutional proceeding.
d. Does not meet any of the conditions affecting transfer status at the certifying institution by the first regular term of the student-athlete's aid agreement.
e. Receives their baccalaureate degree or have reached their five-year clock, whichever comes first.
Scholarship Renewals and Non-Renewals – NCAA Bylaw 15.3.7.1
The renewal of institutional financial aid based in any degree on athletics ability shall be made on or before July 1 prior to the academic year in which it is to be effective. The institution shall promptly notify in writing each student-athlete who received an award the previous academic year and who has eligibility remaining in the sport in which financial aid was awarded the previous academic year whether the grant has been renewed or not renewed for the ensuing academic year. Notification of financial aid renewals and non-renewals must come from the institution's regular financial aid authority and not from the institution's athletics department.
Athletic Scholarship Appeal Process
In all cases of reduction, cancellation, or non-renewal, the student-athlete may request and receive a fair and impartial hearing. To request a hearing, please submit your request in writing to the following address:
Executive Director- Office of Financial Aid and Scholarship
Attn: NCAA Hearing Request
Financial Aid Office
University of California, Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA 93106-3180
Be sure you explain your reason(s) for requesting a hearing, and include your mailing address, local phone number, and your email address. Your request must be received within 30 days from the reduction, cancellation, or non-renewal notification.
Summer School – NCAA Bylaw 15.2.8
Summer financial aid may be awarded during the summer terms provided the following are met:
a. ?The student has been in residence a minimum of one term during the academic year;
b. The student is attending a summer term and financial aid is administered; or
c. The student is a two-year or a four-year college transfer student and is receiving aid to attend the awarding institution's summer-orientation program.
The room and board rates for students who live on campus can be found here:
https://www.housing.ucsb.edu/apply/rates
Degree Completion Program -- Basketball. An active member institution shall provide a former basketball student-athlete with financial aid to complete their first baccalaureate degree, pursuant to the requirements of Bylaw 15.01.5.2.1
Financial aid under this program will include tuition & fees and course related books toward completion of first undergraduate degree at UC Santa Barbara. This is not intended to include coursework toward additional majors, minors, or certificates.
To qualify for this financial assistance, you must meet
all the following criteria:
a. ?Have received athletically related financial aid while previously enrolled from the institution;
b. Fewer than 10 years have elapsed since departure;
c. Most recent enrollment as a full-time student was at UCSB;
d. Previously enrolled as a full-time student at the institution for a minimum of two academic years;
e. Meets all institutional admissions and financial aid requirements;
f. Has exhausted other available degree completion funding options; and
g. In good academic standing at the institution and meeting all NCAA and institutional progress-towards-degree requirements.
Please contact the UCSB Compliance Office if you believe that you qualify for this financial assistance,
sean.strauch@ucsb.edu
TRANSFER INFORMATION
NCAA Bylaw 14.5.5.2.10: One Time Transfer Exception
The student transfers to the certifying institution from another four-year collegiate institution, and all of the following conditions are met.
(a) The student has not transferred previously from one four-year institution unless, in the previous transfer, the student-athlete received an exception (discontinued/non-sponsored sport exception);
(b) At the time of transfer to the certifying institution, the student would have been academically eligible had the student remained at the institution from which the student transferred, except that the student is not required to have fulfilled the necessary percentage-of-degree requirements at the previous institution;
(c) The head coach of the certifying institution and the student shall certify that no athletics staff member or other representative of the institution’s athletics interest communicated or made contact with the student-athlete, or any individual associated with the student, directly or indirectly, without first obtaining authorization through the notification of transfer process; and
(d) An undergraduate student must have provided written notification of transfer to the institution during a period specified for the applicable sport in Bylaw 13.1.1.3.1-(a) through (d), unless the student-athlete met an exception or transferred from a non-Division I four-year collegiate institution; and
(e) A student-athlete who will participate as postgraduate student at another institution must provide written notification of transfer to the institution by the following dates:
(1) Fall and winter sports: May 1, or by the end of the final period specified for the applicable sport, whichever occurs later.
(2) Spring sports: July 1, or by the end of the final period specified for the applicable sport, whichever occurs later.
Transferring to UC Santa Barbara – Full time attendance at any 2 year or 4 year institution makes a student a transfer, even if they never participated in athletics at the prior institution. To be eligible, a Big West Historical Form must be completed by the student-athlete and appropriate documentation must be collected from the past institution for a determination of eligibility.
Transferring from UC Santa Barbara – If you (a current student-athlete) are interested in transferring to another institution, you must first declare your intent to transfer from UC Santa Barbara before another NCAA institution may contact you (or your parents). In order to declare your intent, you must provide a request to the Compliance Office in writing through the ARMS online system and ensure to watch the NCAA learning module and complete the required acknowledgment. UC Santa Barbara will upload your name into the NCAA Transfer Database within 48 business hours of receiving the student-athlete’s ARMS request and completing all necessary requirements. If you or your parents contact another institution prior to your name being added to the NCAA Transfer Database, the other institution is obligated to contact UC Santa Barbara, and it may impact your ability to compete at that other institution. If you do not declare your intent to transfer through this process, the other institution shall not encourage the transfer or engage in recruiting conversation with you. Please note that there are sport windows that you are required to enter the transfer portal during if you would like to utilize the one-time transfer exception. Education on transfer portal windows will be sent to student-athletes during the academic year. Please contact the Compliance Office for additional information.
Upon receipt of you declaration of intent, UCSB Compliance will contact your Head Coach and Sport Supervisor, so we highly encourage you to discuss this with your sport coach ahead of time. Please note that declaring your intent to transfer does permit UCSB to cancel your athletics aid (if applicable) at the end of the term in which you submit your intent to transfer. Declaring intent to transfer is not the same as quitting the team, and as such, a student-athlete who submits their intent to transfer may still be expected to participate as a regular member of the team and follow all UCSB, conference, and NCAA rules. You will also continue to have access to all student-athlete resources and support. These expectations and resources will remain in place until and unless you quit or are cut from your respective team.
MEDICAL EXPENSES INFORMATION
An institution, Conference or the NCAA may provide medical and related expenses and services to a student-athlete.
Medical Treatment and Expenses
Most injuries and illness can be evaluated and treated on campus at the UCSB Sports Medicine facilities. However, some procedures and services must be performed off campus, as arranged by the UCSB Sports Medicine Staff. Whether on or off campus, all medical treatment and medication bills for which UCSB Sports Medicine is responsible for payment must be approved for payment in advance in accordance with NCAA and University regulations.
INSURANCE COVERAGE AND PROCEDURES
All UC students are required to have health insurance. If student-athletes are covered by a personal or family policy, and need a service for which billing is necessary, their insurance company will be billed first. UCSB Athletics and its secondary plan insurance carrier will not accept responsibility for the expenses for a pre-existing injury, or an injury that did not directly result from participation in a covered UCSB Athletics Event. Coverage provided by the Department is in compliance with the guidelines issued by the NCAA. Student-athletes must provide information about personal insurance coverage annually, or as changes to their policies occur.
UCSB Athletics carries insurance that covers injuries to student-athletes sustained during UCSB intercollegiate athletics participation. The plan is designed to ensure that neither students nor their families will incur any expenses for UCSB athletics-related medical conditions. The insurance is a “secondary plan,” meaning it will cover any deductibles, co-payments or other expenses not covered by your family’s insurance plan. If student-athletes are injured during intercollegiate athletics practice or competition, an insurance claim will be filed first with their insurance company by the authorized provider of services. The Athletic Department’s insurance carrier will then pay any deductibles or co-payments not paid by your plan. All medical expenses related to a UCSB Athletics injury must be approved in advance by UCSB Sports Medicine. UCSB Athletics is not responsible for any expense not pre-approved through UCSB Sports Medicine. Athletics-related injuries sustained while participating in UCSB Intercollegiate sports events or official practices are covered for up to two years from the date of the original injury. Only standard and customary service types and costs will be considered for coverage. If no longer enrolled, former students you must carry a primary plan in order for the Athletic insurance to continue to cover a sports-related condition as a secondary policy.
Any bill or statement a student-athlete or student-athlete’s parent receives for a UCSB Athletics-related injury should be given to the student-athlete’s athletic trainer as soon as possible after receipt. Student-athletes should be sure to check mail, as medical bills are often mailed to local or home addresses. Health insurance privacy laws ensure that bills cannot be mailed directly from a provider to UCSB Athletics, so they only way UCSB Athletics knows a student-athlete has an outstanding bill is for the student-athlete to submit the bill. Failure to do so may result in unpaid bills. UCSB Athletics cannot be held responsible for bills not submitted.
Helpful Links:
AB 2079
Financial Aid Information
https://www.finaid.ucsb.edu/scholarships
https://www.finaid.ucsb.edu/policies-and-disclosures
https://www.finaid.ucsb.edu/financial-aid-summer
NCAA:
http://www.ncaa.org/about/resources/ncaa-scholarships-and-grants
http://www.ncaa.org/student-athletes/future/scholarships
Housing Rates/Payment Info
https://www.housing.ucsb.edu/
Medical Information
https://ucsbgauchos.com/sports/2023/7/10/uc-santa-barbara-sports-medicine.aspx
NCAA:
http://www.ncaa.org/sport-science-institute/athletics-health-care-administration-best-practices-0
Transfer Releases
NCAA:
http://www.ncaa.org/studHent-athletes/current/want-transfer
California Senate Bill 1349
Social Media Privacy Act
Educational institutions and their employees/representatives, are not permitted to require or request a student, prospective student, or student group to surrender their social media information. Specifically, the following requests are prohibited: 1) Disclose a user name or password for accessing personal social media, 2) Access personal social media in the presence of the institution’s employee or representative, and 3) Divulge any personal social media information.
However, this act does not affect an institution’s existing rights and obligations to protect against/investigate alleged student misconduct or violations. Additionally, this shall not prohibit institutions’ right to take adverse action against a student, prospective student, or group for any lawful reason.
Link to bill text: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201120120SB1349
