College players have long been bound by one basic rule: four years of playing time, then your moment is up. But this January, the NCAA might redraw that old playbook. A suggested bill—broadly known as the “Fifth-Year Rule”—would give student-athletes five complete years of competition in college.
If implemented, the change would redefine the manner in which institutions like Quincy University participate in recruiting, scholarships, and athlete development. For the first time, student-athletes might play five seasons within a standard 10-semester timeframe, allowing them more flexibility to balance school, sport, and downtime.

The proposal did not just magically appear. Across the country, players at colleges take longer to graduate, often entering their fifth year. Injuries, redshirt years, transfer process, and the pandemic’s residual effects have rendered the traditional four-year path out of reach for many. The NCAA’s new proposal attempts to synchronize rules on eligibility with the realities of modern-day college athletics.
By creating five seasons rather than four, the NCAA is attempting to make it easier and more equitable to be eligible. It also reduces the need for several hundred exception waivers that colleges must file now when athletes lose time because of injury or personal hardship.

For Quincy University‘s athletes, the potential impact is enormous. Perhaps most importantly, it gives them opportunity. Most Quincy athletes have rigorous practice schedules combined with rigorous coursework. The fifth-year option could enable them to take lighter course loads, secure internships, or heal from injuries without losing a year of playing. It also changes the manner in which coaches plan their lineups. If seniors do return for another year, younger players could have playing time pushed back. That would make teams harder to defeat—but raise the overall experience and leadership quality on the field or court.

Ella Wolfard is a senior on the women’s soccer team at Quincy University and has used all of her four years of eligibility and this legislation would affect her and would give her another year of eligibility.

“Standing here at the end of my eligibility, waiting on what the NCAA decides next, reminds me that no matter the outcome, I have already won in the ways that matter: through growth, resilience, and the people this journey has given me,” Wolfard said.

Financially, the shift will have to be coordinated. Quincy’s sports program operates on NCAA Division II scholarship limits, which put caps on levels of aid individual programs are allowed to offer. Should other athletes decide to stick around for a fifth year, schools could be forced to stretch scholarships thinner or modify budgets in an effort to keep rosters in equilibrium.

Recruiting would also probably appear quite differently. Coaches might sell the Fifth-Year Rule as a helpful opportunity for high school players who want to keep playing and honing their skills. Longer eligibility means fewer roster spots open per year, so it is slightly harder for incoming recruits to crack the lineup.
Yet the long-term benefit might be greater than the disadvantage. More time to mature academically and athletically could help Quincy athletes not just be better at their sport, but also be better prepared to enter the world after college.

Katie Parks is an athletic trainer at Quincy University and helps the SAAC club.

“As a SAAC representative, I’ve seen firsthand how much our student-athletes give to their sports, their academics, and this community. The NCAA’s fifth-year eligibility proposal represents more than just another season – it’s an opportunity for athletes to continue their growth, recover from setbacks, and fully experience the careers they’ve worked so hard to build. We’re hopeful this decision will reflect the best interests of the students who make college athletics what it is,” Parks said.

If the NCAA ratifies the bill in January, it could take effect as soon as the subsequent academic year. For Quincy University student-athletes, that would be a fresh start—one in which a college career might span five seasons instead of four.

Ultimately, the proposal is a simple reality: student-athletes are students, and sometimes four years just isn’t long enough. The Fifth-Year Rule could give them the ability to finish their degrees, dispel disappointments, and truly get the most out of their brown and gold experience.