More info on the topic, taken from NCAA D1 Manual found here:
www.ncaapublications.com/p-4511-2017-2018-ncaa-division-i-manual-august-version-available-august-2017.aspx12.8.4
Hardship Waiver.
A student-athlete may be granted an additional year of competition by the con-
ference or the Committee on Student-Athlete Reinstatement for reasons of “hardship.” Hardship is defined as
an incapacity resulting from an injury or illness that has occurred under all of the following conditions:
(Re
-
vised: 1/10/92 effective 8/1/92, 1/14/97, 8/1/97, 4/26/01 effective 8/1/01, 11/1/01, 4/3/02, 8/8/02, 3/10/04, 5/11/05,
9/18/07, 11/1/07 effective 8/1/08, 4/24/08, 7/31/14)
(a)
The incapacitating injury or illness occurs in one of the four seasons of intercollegiate competition at any two-
year or four-year collegiate institutions or occurs after the first day of classes in the student-athlete’s senior year
in high school;
(b)
The injury or illness occurs prior to the first competition of the second half of the playing season that con-
cludes with the NCAA championship in that sport (see Bylaw 12.8.4.3.4) and results in incapacity to com-
pete for the remainder of that playing season;
(c)
In team sports, the injury or illness occurs when the student-athlete has not participated in more than three
contests or dates of competition (whichever is applicable to that sport) or 30 percent (whichever number is
greater) of the institution’s scheduled or completed contests or dates of competition in his or her sport. Only
scheduled or completed competition against outside participants during the playing season that concludes
with the NCAA championship, or, if so designated, during the official NCAA championship playing season
in that sport (e.g., spring baseball, fall soccer), shall be countable under this limitation in calculating both the
number of contests or dates of competition in which the student-athlete has participated and the number of
scheduled or completed contests or dates of competition during that season in the sport. Dates of competition
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that are exempted (e.g., alumni contests, foreign team in the United States) from the maximum permissible
number of contests or dates of competition shall count toward the number of contests or dates in which the
student-athlete has participated and the number of scheduled or completed contests or dates of competition
in the season, except for scrimmages and exhibition contests that are specifically identified as such in the
sport’s Bylaw 17 playing and practice season regulations. Scrimmages and exhibition contests that are not
exempted from the maximum permissible number of contests or dates of competition may be excluded from
the calculation only if they are identified as such in the sport’s Bylaw 17 playing and practice season regula-
tions; and
(d)
In individual sports, the injury or illness occurs when the student-athlete has not participated in more than
three dates of competition or 30 percent (whichever number is greater) of the maximum permissible number
of dates of competition as set forth in Bylaw 17 plus one date for a conference championship (e.g., gymnas-
tics: 13+1=14, wrestling: 16+1=17), regardless of whether the team participates in the conference champion-
ship, provided the institution is a member of a conference and the conference holds a championship event
in the applicable sport. Dates of competition that are exempted per Bylaw 17 (e.g., alumni contests, foreign
team in the United States) from the maximum permissible number of dates of competition do not count
toward the number of dates in which the student-athlete has participated.
5-year rule waiver:
12.8.1.7
Five-Year Rule Waiver.
The Committee on Student-Athlete Reinstatement, or its designated com-
mittee, by a two-thirds majority of its members present and voting, may approve waivers of the five-year rule as
it deems appropriate.
(Revised: 7/30/10, 7/31/14)
12.8.1.7.1
Waiver Criteria.
A waiver of the five-year period of eligibility is designed to provide a student-
athlete with the opportunity to participate in four seasons of intercollegiate competition within a five-year
period. This waiver may be granted, based upon objective evidence, for reasons that are beyond the control
of the student-athlete or the institution, which deprive the student-athlete of the opportunity to participate
for more than one season in his or her sport within the five-year period. The Committee on Student-Athlete
Reinstatement reserves the right to review requests that do not meet the more-than-one-year criteria detailed
in this bylaw for circumstances of extraordinary or extreme hardship. A student-athlete who has exhausted
his or her five years of eligibility may continue to practice (but not compete) for a maximum of 30 consecu-
tive calendar days, provided the student-athlete’s institution has submitted a waiver request. The student-
athlete may not commence practice until the institution has filed such a request. Further, if such a request
is denied prior to exhausting the 30-day practice period, the student-athlete must cease all practice activities
upon the institution’s notification of the denial.
(Revised: 4/17/91, 1/11/94, 8/10/94, 10/12/95, 4/27/00,
7/30/10, 7/31/14)
12.8.1.7.1.1
Circumstances Beyond Control.
Circumstances considered to be beyond the con-
trol of the student-athlete or the institution and do not cause a participation opportunity to be used
shall include, but are not limited to, the following:
(Adopted: 8/10/94, Revised: 10/12/95, 8/12/97,
1/9/06, 7/30/10, 7/31/14)
(a)
Situations clearly supported by contemporaneous medical documentation, which states that a
student-athlete is unable to participate in intercollegiate competition as a result of incapacitating
physical or mental circumstances;
(b)
The student-athlete is unable to participate in intercollegiate athletics as a result of a life-threat-
ening or incapacitating injury or illness suffered by a member of the student-athlete’s immediate
family, which clearly is supported by contemporaneous medical documentation;
(c)
Reliance by the student-athlete upon written, contemporaneous, clearly erroneous academic
advice provided to the student-athlete from a specific academic authority from a collegiate insti-
tution regarding the academic status of the student-athlete or prospective student-athlete, which
directly leads to that individual not being eligible to participate and, but for the clearly errone-
ous advice, the student-athlete would have established eligibility for intercollegiate competition;
(d)
Natural disasters (e.g., earthquake, flood); and
(e)
Extreme financial difficulties as a result of a specific event (e.g., layoff, death in the family)
experienced by the student-athlete or by an individual upon whom the student-athlete is le-
gally dependent, which prohibit the student-athlete from participating in intercollegiate athlet-
ics. These circumstances must be clearly supported by objective documentation (e.g., decree of
bankruptcy, proof of termination) and must be beyond the control of the student-athlete or the
individual upon whom the student-athlete is legally dependent.
12.8.1.7.1.2
Circumstances Within Control.
Circumstances that are considered to be within the
control of the student-athlete or the institution and cause a participation opportunity to be used in-
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clude, but are not limited to, the following:
(Adopted: 8/10/94, Revised: 10/12/95, 10/9/96, 7/30/10,
7/31/14)
(a)
A student-athlete’s decision to attend an institution that does not sponsor his/her sport, or de-
cides not to participate at an institution that does sponsor his/her sport;
(b)
An inability to participate due to failure to meet institutional/conference or NCAA academic
requirements, or disciplinary reasons or incarceration culminating in or resulting from a convic-
tion;
(c)
Reliance by a student-athlete upon misinformation from a coaching staff member;
(d)
Redshirt year;
(e)
An inability to participate as a result of a transfer year in residence or fulfilling a condition for
restoration of eligibility; and
(f )
A student-athlete’s lack of understanding regarding the specific starting date of his or her five-
year period of eligibility
