A new era has emerged in college sports, making it ever closer to the professional realm: following the change in rules in October 2018, athletes no longer have to sit out an entire mandatory season after transferring. They can become eligible to play for their new team as soon as the following year. It is crucial to understand how this new portal works and how it can be used to benefit college athletes to improve their chances of playing professionally or finding a college that suits them more appropriately.  Here are three transfer portal basics.

Related: 3 Transfer Portal Myths and Facts

Transfer Window 

A transfer window is when college athletes can enter the portal. The portal is an online database in which other college coaches can communicate with athletes attempting to transfer to lure them to their program. This year the transfer window in Division 1 sports is between Dec. 5 and Jan. 18, 2023. There is also a window during late spring from May 1-15. However, players do not have to transfer within the window–rather, the window is designed for them to enter their name into the database, but once it is in the portal, they are free to transfer whenever they want as long as it fits within the parameters of the admissions cycle. In special cases, a window can open for players, such as a coach firing, allowing all players to have a 30-day window to enter the portal. Surprising to many, players cannot transfer and play for a new school midseason due to eligibility reasons. That is the most significant difference between going on waivers for a professional team and entering the transfer portal in the NCAA. 

Related: Transferring 101: Basic Guide to Understanding the Transfer Portal

Benefits of Transferring

The transfer portal is beneficial to college athletes in a myriad of ways. It allows players to be looked at by other coaches mid-season and provides them opportunities to play the following year immediately. Before the newly adopted rules in October 2018, if you transferred, more than likely, you would have to sit out a whole year before playing again, which would severely damage the prospects of college athletes playing at the professional level. The transfer portal provides college athletes with a leg up against their respective programs as they can leave in the blink of an eye. Many athletes, such as Jalen Hurts, have found that transferring to a new school where you will receive more playing time can significantly help your chances of playing professionally. 

Related: It's Never Too Late to Start Over: 3 Inspiring Graduate Transfer Stories

Drawbacks of Transferring

The transfer portal had dramatically affected recruitment and roster construction at the collegiate level. Colleges are pulling less from high school students to make their teams and are relying more heavily on picking players from other college programs. In addition, players transfer with the maximum frequency to better teams if they excel on a losing team. If you're dominating but playing on a team that can't make it over the hump, more than likely, you're transferring to a better program. Take Doug Edert, who transferred from Saint Peter's to Bryant after a historic run in the March Madness Tournament. Many officials are worried that the portal will affect the parity in college sports and make conferences highly top-heavy. The NCAA has severely disenfranchised college athletes for decades, so seeing the pendulum swing back the other way will be interesting. 

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* Originally published on December 16, 2022, by William Calhoun