NCAA Regulations

16.2 COMPLIMENTARY ADMISSIONS AND TICKET BENEFITS

16.2.1 Permissible Procedures

16.2.1.1 Institutional Contests in the Student-Athlete’s Sport.An institution may provide four complimentary admissions per home or away intercollegiate athletics event to a student-athlete in the sport in which the individual participates (either practices or competes), regardless of whether the student-athlete competes in the contest.

16.2.1.1.1 Partial Qualifier.An institution may provide a partial qualifier with four complimentary admissions per home intercollegiate athletics event in the sport in which the individual participates. (Adopted: 3/19/97)

16.2.1.1.2 Exception - NCAA Championships and Bowl Games.An institution may provide each student-athlete who participates in or is a member of a team participating in a conference championship, NCAA championship or bowl game with six complimentary admissions to all intercollegiate athletics events at the site at which the student (or team) participates. (Adopted: 1/9/96 effective 8/1/96 revised 11/1/01 effective 8/1/02)

16.2.1.1.3 Tournaments.Complimentary admissions may be provided to members of the institution’s team for all intercollegiate athletics events in a tournament in which the team is participating, rather than only for the games in which the institution’s team participates. However, the contests must be at the site at which the institution’s team participates.

16.2.1.2 General Regulations.Complimentary admissions shall be provided only through a pass list for individuals designated by the student-athlete. “Hard tickets” shall not be issued. The institution shall be responsible for this administrative procedure, and the student-athlete’s eligibility shall be affected by involvement in action contrary to the provisions of Bylaws 16.2.1.1 and 16.2.2.1 (i.e., receipt of more than the permissible four complimentary admissions or the sale or the exchange of a complimentary admission for any item of value).(Revised: 1/11/94 effective 8/1/94)

16.2.1.2.1 Issuance Procedures. The individual utilizing the complimentary admission must present identification to the person supervising the use of the pass list at the admission gate. The individual then shall be provided a ticket stub or other identification of a specified reserved seat, directed to a specific reserved-seating section or seating area, or treated as a general-admission ticket holder. (Revised 11/1/01 effective 8/1/02)

16.2.1.3 Institution’s Home Events in Other Sports.An institution may provide admission for each student-athlete to all of the institution’s regular-season home intercollegiate athletics contests in sports other than that in which the student-athlete is a participant, via a printed student-athlete pass or gate list. Proof of identity shall be required upon admission

16.2.1.3.1 Partial Qualifier or Nonqualifier.A partial qualifier or nonqualifier (per Bylaw 14.02.9.2) may receive a complimentary admission to all of the institution’s regular-season home intercollegiate athletics contests in the first academic year of residence.

16.2.1.3.2 Complimentary Admissions to an Institution’s Home Contest Honoring a Student-Athlete.An institution may provide a maximum of three complimentary admissions to a student-athlete for an institution’s game or contest during which a student-athlete is being honored but not participating, provided such complimentary admissions are used by the student-athlete’s parents, legal guardians and/or spouse.(Adopted: 4/27/00 effective 8/1/00)

16.2.2 Nonpermissible Procedures

16.2.2.1 Sale of Complimentary Admissions. A student-athlete may not receive payment from any source for his or her complimentary admissions and may not exchange or assign them for any item of value.

16.2.2.2 Payment to Third Party. Individuals designated by the student-athlete to receive complimentary admissions are not permitted to receive any type of payment for these admissions or to exchange or assign them for any item of value.Receipt of payment for complimentary admissions by such designated individuals is prohibited and considered an extra benefit.

16.2.2.3 Student-Athlete Ticket Purchases.An institution may not provide a special arrangement to sell a student-athlete ticket(s) to an athletics event. Tickets shall be available for purchase by student-athletes according to the same purchasing procedures used for other students.

16.2.2.4 Sale Above Face Value.A student-athlete may not purchase tickets for an athletics contest from the institution and then sell the tickets at a price greater than their face value.

16.2.2.5 Professional Sports Tickets. An institution or any representative of its athletics interests may not purchase or otherwise obtain tickets to a professional sports contest and make these tickets available to student-athletes enrolled in an NCAA member institution. Such a gift of tickets would represent an unacceptable extra benefit. (see 16.7.1.1 for permissible provision of professional sports tickets as team entertainment related to an away-from-home contest.)

16.7.1.1 Professional Sports Tickets. Complimentary tickets to professional sports contests shall not be provided to student-athletes, unless the tickets are provided by the institution (or by a representative of athletics interests through the institution) for entertainment purposes to student-athletes involved in an away-from-home contest. Under the latter circumstances, the institution may pay actual costs for reasonable entertainment that takes place during a team trip.