South Carolina ADs adopt one-time, penalty-free transfer for 2025-26

A group of state high school athletic directors overwhelmingly voted for the new rule

South Carolina High School League adopts transfer rule. / File image

South Carolina on Wednesday adopted a one-time, penalty-free transfer rule for high school students.

What it means is students can have one penalty-free transfer during the first six semesters after initial high school enrollment as long as it happens on or before the start of practice of the sports season in which the transfer occurs.

A group of state high school athletic directors overwhelmingly voted for the new rule on the final day of the South Carolina Athletic Administrators Association spring convention. It takes effect for the 2025-26 school year.

And it was welcome news.

“It was a defining moment for our league,” South Carolina High School League Executive Committee President Nicholas Pearson told the convention attendees.

The SCHSL proposed the change, which needed to be approved by the athletic directors.

Under the new rule, transfers won’t have to show proof of residence for a change of address. They can simply transfer. 

Transfers are already widespread and some of them are controversial. The South Carolina High School League has sanctioned schools for violations under the current rules, especially for out-of-district transfers not having bona fide address changes. Marlboro County was disqualified from last season’s football state playoffs for that reason.

There are some caveats.

Students who transfer after the start of practice are ineligible for 30 calendar days or half the total number of games in that sport, whichever is less. That would mean five games for football, 13 for basketball and 13 for baseball.

Some schools are also at capacity and not able to accept transfers. For instance, the Charleston County School District each year lists schools that don’t have space available for transfer students. Waiting lists are established by lottery. 

Such policies could put some schools at a disadvantage when it comes to transfers. For instance, Lucy Beckham was the only Charleston County high school not able to accept transfer for the 2024-25 school year.

Proposed legislation introduced in the South Carolina House of Representatives would allow a one-time transfer without a waiting period if that student is otherwise eligible. House Bill 4163 also calls for abolishing the SCHSL in favor of a governing body appointed by the governor and other political figures. But the bill was assigned to a committee and is nowhere near passage yet.

The SCHSL was able to get ahead of that by adopting its own transfer rule.

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