Asking for an NLI ReleaseI (2024)

FAQs

Asking for an NLI ReleaseI? ›

A request for release must be initiated by the NLI signee by submitting the NLI Release Request online. An institution may release a signee from his or her NLI obligation by selecting the “Complete Release” option on the NLI Release Request. It is the institution's discretion to grant a release or not.

If you are under the age of 21, NLI policy requires that a parent or legal guardian agrees to the NLI release request. This acknowledgement must be recorded by your parent or legal guardian. You can proceed with the release process by logging in.

ONE-TERM OF ATTENDANCE: If you attend the signing institution for one full-time academic term (e.g., semester or quarter), you can submit an NLI release request and the signing institution must grant the NLI complete release.

The signing institution has a 30-day deadline to render your NLI release decision. You can contact the signing institution for questions related to your NLI release decision. If you are not granted a complete release, you have an opportunity to submit an appeal to the NLI Committee.

National Letter of Intent release rules

If your student-athlete changes their mind about the school they signed an NLI with, they must ask to be released from the program through the online release process located on the NLI website. If they are not granted a release form, the player will lose one year of eligibility.

The NLI is a binding agreement between a prospective student-athlete and an NLI member institution. A prospective student-athlete agrees to attend the institution full-time for one academic year (two semesters or three quarters).

The NLI would remain binding if you quit the team. You have to remain at the institution for one academic year to fulfill the NLI agreement.

The NLI basic penalty is that you lose one year of competition in all sports and must serve one year in residence at your next NLI institution.

Can a student-athlete change their mind or decommit after signing a letter of intent? Yes, a student-athlete can change their mind after signing a letter of intent, however, it may risk losing one year of eligibility at your new school.

Yes. A verbal commitment, stating publicly one's intentions to attend a certain institution, is a non-binding, oral agreement between you and the institution. The only binding nature of the commitment is your word and the institution's promise. The NLI program does not recognize verbal commitments.

Can you back out of a college sports commitment? ›

Since it is non-binding, a verbal commitment can be broken or taken back at any time by either the coach or the player. Read “What It Means to Commit to a School” to learn what student-athletes need to know before, during, and after signing their NLI.

A National Letter of Intent is used as a contract between a school and a recruit, and once the document is signed, the commitment is official. The document is legally binding. However, athletes can get out of the contract in exceptional situations.

No. Once you sign an NLI, all other institutions are obligated to cease contacting you and your family members. Accordingly, you have an obligation to notify any coach from an NLI institution that you have signed an NLI. Any contact in excess of an exchange of a greeting is not permitted regardless of the conversation.

The signee will submit the NLI appeal online. The NLI appeal submission will show within the signee's release request record. After submitting the NLI appeal, along with any uploaded supporting documents, the appeal will be received by the NLI office and the signing institution.

Since it is non-binding, a verbal commitment can be broken or taken back at any time by either the coach or the player. Read “What It Means to Commit to a School” to learn what student-athletes need to know before, during, and after signing their NLI.

Appeals can be requested through RSRO under the withdraw/appeal/reconsider tab. In its request for an appeal, the institution is required to provide a rationale statement within the RSRO appeal text box noting why the reinstatement staff's decision should be modified or overturned by the committee.