Illinois High School Association Eligibility Rules

When you become a member of an interscholastic athletic team at your high school, you will find that both your school and the IHSA will have rules you must follow in order to be eligible for interscholastic sports participation. The IHSA's rules have been adopted by the high schools that are members of the IHSA as part of the associations constitution and by-laws. They must be followed as minimum standards for all interscholastic athletic competition in any member school. Your high school may have additional requirements but they may not be less stringent than these statewide minimums.

The principal of your school is responsible for certifying the eligibility of all students representing the school in interscholastic athletics. Any question concerning your athletic eligibilty should be referred to your principal, who has a complete copy of all IHSA eligibility rules, including the association's due process procedure. If your principal has questions or wishes assistance in answering your questions, contact should be made to the IHSA office. Information contained here highlights only the most important features of the IHSA by-laws regarding your athletic eligibility. It is designed to make you aware of major requirements you must meet to be eligible to compete in interscholastic athletics. You will lose eligibility for intescholastic athletics if you violate IHSA by-laws. Therefore, it is extremely important that you review this material with your parents, your coaches, your athletic director, and your principal to thoroughly understand the IHSA by-laws and how they relate to you.

Attendance

1. You may represent only the school you attend. Participation on a cooperative team of which your school is a member is acceptable.
2. You must be enrolled and be attending classes in your high school no later than the beginning of the 11^th school day of the semester.
3. If you attend school for 10 (10) or more days during any one semester, it will count as one of the eight (8) semesters of high school attendance during which you may possibly have athletic eligibility.
4. If you have a lapse in school connection for ten (10) or more consecutive school days during a semester, you are subject to ineligibility for the rest of the semester. The specific terms of your extended absence must be reviewed by the Executive director to determine if it is "lapse in school connection or not."

Scholastic Standing

1. You must pass twenty (20) credit hours of high school work per week. Generally twenty (20) credit hours is the equivalent of four (4) "full credit" courses.
2. You must have passed and received twenty (20) credit hours of high school work for the entire previous semester to be eligible for the ensuing semester.

Residence

1. Your eligibility is dependent on the residence of your parents, not your own residence. You may be eligible if you attend the public high school in the district in which both of your parents live. If you attend a private or parochial school, you may be eligible when you enroll and attend high school for the first time as a ninth (9^th) grade student, regardless of where your parents live.
2. If you have attended the same high school for you entire high school career and your parents move from the district or community traditionally served by your school after you have completed the 11^th grade, you may remain in attendance at that school, upon approval of the local Board of Education, and be eligible in regard to residence for the 12^th grade.
3. If you do not reside with both your biological parents, your eligibility may be subject to special provisions. Check with your principal to be sure you are eligible before you participate.

Transfer

1. In all transfer cases, both the principal from which you transfer and the principal of the school into which you transfer must approve the transfer in writing on a form provided by the IHSA Office. You are not eligible when you transfer until this form is fully executed and on file in the school office.
2. If you transfer after classes begin for the current school year, you will be ineligible for thirty days from the date you start attending classes at the new high school. In addition, you will be ineligible for that entire school year in any sport in which you participated or were participating at the school from which you transferred. For example, if you were out for cross country at the school from which you transferred and transfer after classes have started for the school year, you will be ineligible for cross country that entire school year at the new school.
3. If you transfer attendance from one high school to another high school, you will be ineligible unless:

1. Your transfer is in conjunction with a change in residence by both you and your parents, custodial parent or court appointed guardian from one public school district to a different public school district;
2. Your transfer is between high schools within a public school district and both you and your parents, custodial parent or court appointed guardian change residence to the district attendance area for the school to which you transfer;
3. Your transfer is from a private/parochial school to your home public high school, you are entering a public high school for the first time, and the principals of both your former and the new school approve your transfer;
4. Your transfer is from one private/parochial school to another private/parochial school located within thirty (30) mile radius of the residence where you live with your parents, custodial parent or court appointed guardian, you are changing high schools for the first time, and the principals of both your former and the new school approve your transfer;
5. Your parents are divorced or legally separated; you transfer to a new school in conjunction with a modification or other change in legal custody between your parents by action of a judge; and required court documents are on file at the school into which your transfer;

1. In all other transfer situations, a ruling by the IHSA Executive Director is necessary to determine your eligibility. This ruling must be obtained in writing by the principal of the school into which you transfer before you participate in an interscholastic athletic contest.

Participation Limitations

1. After you enroll in ninth (9^th) grade, you may be eligible for no more than the first eight (8) semesters you attend school. If you attend school for ten (10) or more days in a semester, that counts as a semester of attendance. You are not guaranteed eight semesters or eligibility, but that is the maximum number of semesters of high school attendance during which you may have eligibility.
2. Your 7^th and 8^th semesters of high school attendance must be consecutive.
3. After you enroll in ninth (9^th) grade, you may be eligible for no more than four (4) years of competition in any sport. You are not guaranteed four (4) years of competition, but that is the maximum amount of competition you may have.

Age

You will become ineligible on the date you become twenty (20) years of age, unless your twentieth (20^th) birthday occurs during a sport season. In that case, you will become ineligible in regard to age at the beginning of the sport season during which you will turn twenty (20).

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Use of Players

You may not appear at a contest in the uniform of your school while you are ineligible. This means that you may not dress or sit on the bench if you are not eligible to play. Also, you may not compete as an "exhibition contestant" if you are not eligible.

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Participating Under a False Name

If you compete under a name other than your own, your principal will immediately suspend you from further competition, and you and any other person(s) who contributed to the violation of this by-law will be subject to penalties.

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Physical Examination

You must annually have placed on file with your principal a certificate of physical fitness, signed by a licensed physician, in order to practice or participate. Your physical examination each year is good for only one (1) year from the date of the exam. The physician's report must be on file with your high school principal.

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Amateur Status

1. If you win or place in actual competition, you may accept a medal or trophy for that accomplishment, without limit to its costs.
2. For participating in competition in an interscholastic sport, or for athletic honors or recognition in a sport, you may receive any type of award (except cash, check or legal tender) that does not exceed $20 fair market value. There is no limit on the value of your school letter.
3. The amateur rule does not prohibit you from being paid to referee, receiving pay for teaching lessons, or coaching in a little kids league, etc. It only applies to your own competition in an athletic contest.
4. If you violate the amateur rule, you become ineligible in the sport you violate. You must be reinstated by the Executive Director before you can compete again.

Recruiting of Athletes

1. The rules prohibit recruiting of high school students for athletics. If you are solicited to enroll in or transfer to a school to participate in athletics, you are being illegally recruited, and your eligibility is in jeopardy.
2. You will lose your eligibility if you enroll in or transfer to a school in response to recruiting efforts by any person or group of persons connected with or not connected with the school, related to athletic participation.
3. You may lose your eligibility if you receive special benefits or privileges as a prospective student-athlete which are not uniformly made available to all students who attend your school.
4. You may not receive an "athletic scholarship" or any other special benefit from your school because you participate in athletics.
5. It is in violation for any student-athlete to receive or be offered remuneration or any special inducement which is not made available to all applicants who apply to or enroll in the school.

1. Offer or acceptance of money or other valuable consideration such as free or reduced tuition during the regular year or summer school by anyone connected with the school.
2. Offer or acceptance of room, board, or clothing or financial allotment for clothing.
3. Offer or acceptance of pay for work that is not performed or that is in excess of the amount regularly paid for such service.
4. Offer or acceptance of free transportation by any school connected person.
5. Offer or acceptance of a residence wit any school-connected person.
6. Offer or acceptance of any privilege not afforded to non-athletes.
7. Offer or acceptance of free or reduced rent for parents.
8. Offer or acceptance of payment of moving expenses of parents or assistance with the moving of parents.
9. Offer or acceptance of employment of parent(s) in order to entice the family to move to a certain community if someone connected with the school makes the offer.
10. Offer or acceptance of help in securing a college athletic scholarship.

1. It is also a violation to induce or attempt to induce or encourage any prospective student to attend any member school or the purpose of participating in athletics even when special remuneration or inducement is not given. Please remember that you may not be offered or receive any benefit, service, privilege, or opportunity which is not also provided or made available to all prospective students at that school.

School Team Sports Seasons

1. Each sport conducted by IHSA member schools has a starting and ending date. Your school may not organize a team, begin practice or participate in contests in a given sport until the authorized ending date. This means that:

1. You may not participate on a non-school team coached by any member of your school’s coaching staff unless it meets specific criteria established by the IHSA Board of Directors.
2. No school coach may require you to participate in an out-of-season sport program as a requirement for being a member of the school team.

2. Violation of the sport season by-laws shall result in a penalty to you and/or to your school’s coaching personnel.

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Playing in Non-School Competition

1. During the time you are participating on a school team in a sport at your high school, you may neither play on a school team nor compete in non-school competition as an individual in the same sport.
2. If you participate in non-school competition during the sport season and subsequently wish to join the school team in the same sport, you will not be eligible.
3. If you are trying out or competing as a representative of the United States in a recognized national or international competition during your high school’s sport season in the same sport, you must obtain approval from the IHSA Office. Your principal must initiate the request for approval in writing prior to any such participation.
4. You may try out for a non-school team while you are on your school’ steam in the same sport; but you may not practice, receive instruction, participate in workouts, or participate in competition with the non-school team in that same sport until you cease being a member of your school’s team. You cease being a member of your school’s team when the team(s) of which you are a member terminates for the school year.
5. You will become ineligible if you play on any junior college, college, or university team during your high school career.

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All- Star Participation

1. After you have completed your high school eligibility for football, basketball, soccer, or volleyball, you may participate in one (1) all-star contest in that sport and still play for other school teams, provided:

1. The high-school season in that sport has been completed.
2. The all-star contest has been approved by the IHSA.

2. You are not restricted from participating in all-star competition in sports other than football, basketball, soccer, or volleyball, except that you may not do so during the school season for the sport.

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Coaching School

1. A coaching school is defined as "any program sponsored by an organization or individual which provides instruction in sports theory and skills to group of persons." The term "groups of persons" is defined as more than two (2) students from the same school..
2. During the school year, you may not attend a coaching schoool or clinic for any interscholastic sport.
3. You may attend a coaching school, camp, or clinic during the summer (that period between the close of school in the spring and the opening of school in the fall) within the following criteria:

1. You may not attend a coaching school, camp or clinic for any fall sport (s) after July 31.
2. You may not attend a coaching school, camp, or clinic for any winter or spring sport after the day your school begins in the fall.

Misbehavior during contests

1. If you violate ethics of competition or the principles of good sportsmanship, you may be barred from interscholastic athletic contests, either as a participant, spectator, or both.
2. If you are ejected from a contest for un-sportsman like conduct, you will be ineligible for your team's next contest. You also are subject to other penalties.
3. Any other person found to be in violation of the ethics of competition or principles of good sportsmanship also may be barred from interscholastic contests.