ELIGIBILITY

It is the responsibility of each student-athlete to ensure that his/her academic affairs are in order. You are a student-athlete, not vice-versa.

Each student-athlete must be registered as a full-time student to be eligible for interuniversity competition (see item B: Eligibility Requirements, for details). If students plan to alter their academic program in any way, they must notify the coach immediately. Also, students should notify the coach IMMEDIATELY if they think that they may be having any academic difficulties. The coaches must continue to remind the student-athletes of their obligations and responsibilities to the program and the achievement of academic success. THEY MUST NOT WAIT! Both the coach and the athletes must be aware of all registration and withdrawal dates and the OUA and CIS eligibility rules.

Sanctions for student-athletes who compete while ineligible are severe. Your team will lose any points gained while it competed, the athlete will be charged with an additional year of eligibility and will not be able to compete in the upcoming year.

Sport York and its members are here to help you feel free to drop by and make an appointment for advice or assistance.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

CIS sports are those which are offered by both the OUA and the CIS and lead to both OUA and CIS championships. OUA sports are those not offered by the CIS. Student-athletes who participate in a CIS sport must meet all of the OUA and CIS eligibility requirements. The most basic eligibility rules are listed below; however, some sports have specific eligibility rules that must be met in order to be eligible to compete. The entire list of eligibility requirements is located on the OUA (www.oua.ca) and CIS (www.cis-sic.ca) websites. If you have any questions, contact York University's manager of interuniversity sport at 416-736-2100 ext. 77212.

Academic Standing

1. A continuing student-athlete must be in good standing, as defined by sections 2 through 5 below, and have paid the registration fee to be eligible for OUA and CIS competition.
2. Must be a full-time student and/or registered in three full courses, or six half courses, or 18 semester hours. A student-athlete must be registered in a minimum of nine credits in the semester/term in which he/she is competing.
3. Each continuing student-athlete must have successfully completed three full courses or the equivalent in a 12-month period in order to be eligible for competition during the following season. Athletes may take summer courses to fulfill the 18-credit requirement.
4. An athlete who enrolls full-time for academic study at an institution in January of any year must successfully complete a minimum of three half courses or nine semester hours prior to September 1 in order to be eligible to compete in the following year.
5. Athletes must complete an Athlete Profile Form and sign the Athlete Acknowledgement Agreement (after familiarizing themselves with the eligibility rules) each year and return it to the head coach.
6. A Special Needs Student (e.g., a student with a learning disability) must be considered in good standing by York in order to be eligible the following year.
7. Academic course loads of student-athletes are checked on a weekly basis. If student-athletes reduce their course load below the minimum eligibility requirement, then they will not be permitted to compete. (Note: It is important that you consult with your head coach BEFORE you drop and add courses.)

Years of Eligibility

1. CIS limits athletes to a maximum of five years of participation (non-sport specific).
2. OUA sports (non-CIS) have unlimited years of eligibility.

Undergraduate Transfers

A CIS student-athlete who transfers from another academic institution must sit out one calendar year of competition in that sport prior to competing.

Graduate and First Professional Studies

A student-athlete who enrolls in either a doctorate, master's degree, or first professional degree program at a member institution and who completed their undergraduate degree at another member institution the previous academic year shall retain any available CIS eligibility to participate immediately. This shall be a one-time allowance.

Withdrawal

An OUA/CIS athlete who withdraws prior to completing the academic term is not eligible to participate in OUA/CIS competition for a period of one calendar year from the date of withdrawal and must have regained academic eligibility (e.g. successfully passed a minimum of 18 credits) prior to being registered as eligible to participate.

Participation as a Professional

1. Must be a non-professional in order to be eligible to compete.
2. A professional is any student who at any time played in a professional league recognized by the OUA/CIS.
3. Any professional athlete may participate in CIS competition one calendar year from the date that the athlete last participated in a professional game or event in a sport.

PENALTY FOR COMPETING WHILE INELIGIBLE

An athlete who competes while ineligible is subject to sanctions as imposed by the OUA and CIS. Any athlete who participates while ineligible shall not be permitted to compete for the balance of that competitive year, shall be charged with an additional year of eligibility and shall not be permitted to compete in the succeeding year. The team on which the ineligible athlete participated will also lose any points accumulated during the period in which the athlete competed while ineligible.