NCAA Transfer Portal: What is it, how does it work?

If you are a hardcore football fanatic, the college football circuit is the right place for you. Here, you get to see the youngest and finest talents of the country battle it out against each other and become household names even before they step onto the grandest stage of the NFL.

These youngsters are ready to give their all for their alma mater and bring home the dub. But sometimes, just like pro athletes, college athletes also want to explore a transfer to a different institution. For all those instances, there’s the NCAA transfer portal. Let’s find out more about what it is.

What is the transfer portal?

The NCAA Transfer Portal serves as a centralized online system aimed at making the first steps for athletes who wish to transfer between college institutions simple and easy. Athletes begin the process by informing their current school of their wishes to explore a transfer through the regulatory agency (NCAA).

According to Cincinnati.com, the school is then required to update the specific details of this athlete on the transfer portal within a period of two business days in order to ensure a smooth transition. The coaches and athletes still have to keep the process going behind the scenes, but the establishment of the portal has made things a lot more streamlined than they were before 2018.

What is the transfer portal window?

The window for updating an athlete’s name in the transfer portal opens for exactly 30 days, right after the college football season ends. This year, the portal opened on December 4, 2023, and a lot of athletes registered their names. The window closed a few days ago, on January 2, 2024.

The transfer portal window will also open during the spring, albeit for a shorter period of time to accommodate the spring influx of students. April 15–30 are the tentative dates set for the opening of the window again. However, it must be noted that these are subject to change.

The opening of the transfer portal also brings forth a lot of challenges for institutions. The biggest of which is to keep the players from switching alma maters after the regular season ends. Michigan State employed a new tactic this year by launching their Those Who Stay campaign, which is aimed at providing players with lucrative college contracts to entice them into continuing for another season.

What are your thoughts on the NCAA transfer portal? Let us know in the comments.