In the NJCAA, participation records are established once a student-athlete is submitted in the online eligibility system. If for some reason the student-athlete does not participate in an official game or contest, in any capacity, they should not be charged with a season of NJCAA eligibility. To correct the participation record in those cases, it is the member college’s responsibility to go into the online eligibility system and mark anyone who did not participate in an official game or contest as a non-participant. NJCAA bylaws (Art. V, Sec 3.B.5.b) require all non-participants to be designated by July 1 of each academic year.
After the July 1 deadline, member colleges no longer have the ability to make changes to participation records and the student-athlete will be charged with a season of NJCAA participation based on their certification in the online eligibility system. In the case where a member college fails to meet the required deadline, the NJCAA National Office will consider requests for a participation status change beyond the July 1 deadline. To request a change to a student-athlete’s participation status after the July 1 deadline, the following must be followed:
1. The Athletic Director must provide a written request to the NJCAA National Office containing:
- Name of the student-athlete
- Sport and season they were certified and did not participate
- Detail of the steps taken by the college to confirm the student-athlete in question did not participate in the season even though the NJCAA online participation record, which is created and maintained by the college, indicates that the student did participate.
- Detail of why the July 1 deadline was missed.
2. Provide any supporting documentation confirming there was no participation.
3. The NJCAA will consider requests that apply to the previous academic year. The NJCAA will not consider or rule on any request that is more than one year past the deadline. Cases beyond one year old must go through the NJCAA appeal process as outlined in Article VIII, Section 3.
It is every member college’s responsibility to ensure that student-athletes that do not participate in official games or contests are marked as non-participants no later than July 1 of the academic year in question.