Student-Athlete Reinstatement

Student-Athlete Reinstatement (SAR) is a team within the NCAA's academic and membership affairs department. The SAR staff processes violations and waivers that directly affect the eligibility of a prospective student-athlete or an enrolled student-athlete. When a school discovers an NCAA rules violation has occurred, it must declare the prospective student-athlete or enrolled student-athlete ineligible and may request their eligibility be reinstated through the Requests/Self Reports Online (RSRO) system. The SAR staff reviews each student-athlete reinstatement request individually based on its own merits and set of specific facts.

SAR Philosophy

SAR subscribes to the Students-first philosophy, ensuring the individual student-athlete, as well as the general student-athlete body, is at the forefront of each decision. With respect to a violation, SAR attempts to place the student-athlete back in the position he or she would have been prior to the violation occurring. SAR does this by evaluating the totality of the circumstances surrounding each particular case.

Student-Athlete Reinstatement Submission Process Through RSRO.

On the menu bar above, click on the My Apps tab.
On the My Apps page, click on Requests/Self-Reports Online.*
Click on the Request or Self-Report.
Select from the drop-down menu to begin a request.
If you have questions or have trouble with submission of your SAR request, please send an email with your issue to rsro@ncaa.org. Please provide the case number in your email.

*If RSRO does not appear on the My Applications tab, contact your institutional Single-Source Sign-On administrator to have the application added to your privileges.

Division I Hardship Waiver Resources

For injuries or illnesses occurring on or after August 1, 2022:

Division I Hardship Waiver Template Form
July 15, 2022 Educational Column: NCAA Division I Proposal No. 2021-17 -- Hardship Waiver Criteria
Division I Newly Adopted Hardship Waiver Legislation Presentation
Division I Newly Adopted Hardship Waiver Legislation Video (View in the NCAA Learning Portal)

For injuries or illnesses that occurred prior to August 1, 2022:

The following worksheets are a required component of hardship waiver requests and/or appeals submitted to the reinstatement staff through Requests/Self-Reports Online (RSRO) for injuries or illnesses that occurred prior to August 1, 2022. Individual conference offices have discretion regarding whether the worksheets are required for hardship waivers reviewed at the conference level.

Questions regarding application of the hardship waiver legislation should be submitted as an interpretive request through RSRO. Questions regarding use of the worksheets should be directed to the student-athlete reinstatement staff.