NIL Go is an online platform created by the College Sports Commission and Deloitte to determine whether third-party NIL deals are made with the purpose of using a student-athlete’s NIL for a valid business purpose and do not exceed a reasonable range of compensation.
Deals must be cleared to confirm compliance with the rules and protect the student-athlete’s eligibility.
For more information on NIL Go, click here.
As of June 7, 2025, all NCAA Division I student-athletes must report all third-party NIL deals with a total value of $600 or more in the aggregate – including royalties, contingencies, and bonuses – regardless of whether the student-athlete’s school has opted into the House settlement. All deals must be reported in NIL Go within 5 business days of execution of the agreement or payment terms. If the student-athlete continues with a deal that has been deemed “not cleared” or that has not been reported, they will face enforcement consequences, which could include loss of eligibility.
A third-party NIL deal is any deal with an external entity and/or individual, meaning not owned or controlled by the student-athlete’s institution. Payment directly from the student-athlete’s institution is not considered a third-party NIL deal and does not need to be reported in NIL Go.
Yes, all Division I student-athletes, regardless of whether or not their school has opted in to revenue sharing, have to report third-party NIL deals valued at $600 or more in the aggregate into the NIL Go platform.
Yes, student-athletes can report third-party NIL deals valued under $600, though mandatory reporting only applies to deals of $600 or more in aggregate.
Third-party NIL deals are evaluated based on information provided by student-athletes to determine:
Associated Status – The relationship(s) between the Deal Sponsor and/or Deal Facilitator and a given institution
Valid Business Purpose (VBP) – Whether a deal is being made with the purpose of using a student-athlete’s NIL for a valid business purpose related to the promotion or endorsement of goods or services provided to the general public for profit
Range of Compensation (RoC) – Whether the compensation paid to the student-athlete is commensurate with compensation paid to similarly situated individuals
An associated entity is:
Yes, a publicly traded corporation may be determined to be an associated entity if it meets the definition.
An associated individual is:
No. However, a booster may be an associated entity or individual or vice versa.
Yes. An associated entity or individual may enter into an agreement with or provide payment to a prospective or current student-athlete for a valid business purpose related to the promotion or endorsement of goods or services provided to the general public for profit with compensation at rates comparable to similarly situated individual with comparable NIL value who are not prospective or current student-athletes of the institution.
No, NIL Go does not calculate Fair Market Value for each third-party NIL deal. NIL Go determines whether the deal submitted by the student-athlete exceeds a reasonable range of compensation based on multiple factors, including but not limited to, the deal’s performance obligations, the student-athlete’s athletic performance and social media reach, the local market and the market reach of his or her institution and program.
When the student-athlete executes or agrees to the NIL contract or payment terms, it must include the promotion or endorsement of goods or services provided to the general public for profit.
Any payment from or license between an associated entity or individual and a student-athlete must be at rates and terms commensurate with compensation paid to similarly situated individuals with comparable NIL value who are not current or prospective student-athletes at the institution the student-athlete is currently enrolled in or being recruited to attend.
Yes. If the proposed agreement does not meet the review standards, it may be revised and resubmitted.
If a deal is not cleared, student-athletes have three options. They can:
If the student-athlete continues with a deal that has been deemed “not cleared” or that has not been reported, they will face enforcement consequences, which could include loss of eligibility.
Yes. Student-athletes can go through a neutral arbitration process to further review the facts and circumstances of the deal.
The decision of the neutral arbitration will be binding on the student-athlete and the College Sports Commission. For more information about the neutral arbitration process, including how to submit a Form Demand for Arbitration, see our Arbitrations page.
There is no cap on student-athlete compensation from third-party NIL deals. However, third-party NIL deals valued at $600 or more in the aggregate will be reviewed and analyzed to evaluate associated status, valid business purpose and range of compensation.
Yes. The reporting requirements apply to all NCAA Division I student-athletes, including international student-athletes. International student-athletes should reach out to their school’s compliance office for guidance and consult with them before proceeding with any third-party NIL deals.
No. An NIL agreement or payment with an associated entity or individual must include direct activation of the student-athlete’s NIL rights. In other words, the acquisition of such rights without reasonable specificity of the NIL activation (e.g., description of the specific group licensing categories, the student-athlete’s obligations related to the activation, timing and ultimate use of the student-athlete’s NIL) may not satisfy the requirements for payments by associated entities or individuals.
No. Schools cannot promise a student-athlete – either verbally or in writing – a third-party NIL contract or payment.
Each year, schools can share with student-athletes up to 22% of the average revenue among schools in the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC from media rights, ticket sales and sponsorships – known as the revenue sharing cap.
The cap for the 2026-27 academic year is estimated to be $21.5 million per school, up from $20.5 million during the 2025-26 academic year.
With a few potential exceptions, the cap will increase another 4% for the 2027-28 academic year and will be re-evaluated every three years over the duration of the 10-year settlement period.
Each year, all participating schools can directly pay student-athletes up to a defined cap limit. Schools have the flexibility to allocate funds however they want, as long as they stay within the set cap limit. Receiving revenue sharing funds does not make a student-athlete an employee of their school.
Defined institutional payments to student-athletes count toward the benefits cap. Detailed accounting rules are set out in the Approved NCAA Benefits Cap Accounting and Roster Limits Inclusion Rules. Read more about what payments count toward the cap here.
| Permissible Types of Benefits / Payments / Expenses | Counts Against Cap |
|---|---|
| Total value of institutional payments to student-athletes for use of NIL (including from institutional designee or contractor) | X |
| Other direct institutional payments of additional benefits to student-athletes and/or student-athletes’ families not currently permitted or exempted by NCAA rules | X |
| Academic or graduation awards or incentives (i.e., Alston) | X* |
| Athletically related financial aid in excess of the 2024-25 AY team limit | X* |
If a school exceeds its annual benefits cap (July 1 – June 30), the College Sports Commission may assess penalties, and the amount over the cap may also be deducted from the school’s cap the following year. The penalty depends on how the overage was incurred. Overages from revenue sharing or Alston awards are treated differently from overages from new and incremental scholarships. For more information on the CSC Incremental Scholarship Counting Policy click here.
Yes. Those deals are reported by the school via the CAPS platform and subject to the revenue sharing cap. Such deals are not subject to analyses regarding the range of compensation or valid business purpose via NIL Go.
No. Institutional NIL deals are reported by the school via the CAPS platform and subject to the revenue sharing cap. These deals do not need to be reported in NIL Go.
No, these payments won’t count toward the revenue sharing cap.
However, they will be reviewed by NIL Go to ensure they are made with the purpose of using a student-athletes’ NIL for a valid business purpose and do not exceed a reasonable range of compensation.
No. Revenue sharing does not create an employment relationship between the school and student-athletes.
Each school is responsible for the disbursement of funds to student-athletes. The CAPS platform does not process payments, but rather it is the official revenue sharing compliance and reporting tool of record for schools participating in revenue sharing.
Each participating institution designates specific administrators who are responsible for managing their school’s use of the CAPS platform. These individuals configure user permissions, oversee data entry, and ensure all information is accurate and compliant with settlement rules.
The cap fiscal year runs from July 1 through June 30 of the following year. All payments and agreements distributed during that time period counts towards that “cap year”. This means that if a student-athlete has an agreement that runs from January 1 through December 31 (with evenly distributed monthly payments), then their revenue share will be split across two cap years.
The CAPS platform is designed to comply with all relevant data privacy laws. Access within the system is strictly controlled by each institution.
Division I schools outside the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC can opt in or out annually by May 1 of the preceding academic year subject to a process administered by the CSC. A school may decide to opt in or out any year during the ten-year settlement term.
Yes. Any institution not in the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC may make the decision to opt out of the settlement any year during the ten-year term of the settlement.
Each year, schools outside of the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC have the option to opt in to or out of revenue sharing. These schools have been provided instructions on how to opt in or opt out – a process which takes place by May 1 of each year.
For participating schools, NCAA scholarship limits have been removed and roster limits have been established for each sport.
Participating institutions have the option to offer partial or full scholarships to every student-athlete on a team’s roster, as long as the total number of student-athletes stays within the sport’s specific roster limit.
Schools now have the flexibility to better support their student-athletes and their education and support the long-term success of broad-based sports programs. This change has provided more opportunities for student-athletes to receive scholarships, including those in non-revenue-generating sports.
For more details, click here.
No. The number of scholarships that may be provided has increased significantly across all sports, with each school deciding how many scholarships athletes will receive.
Fall sports teams must be declared and remain at or below roster limits by their first day of competition.
Winter sports must be declared and remain at or below roster limits by their first day of competition or December 1, whichever comes first.
Spring sports must be declared and remain at or below roster limits by their first day of competition or December 1, whichever comes first.
Teams may add players after their roster is declared, IF they were below their roster limit. Any changes to rosters during the season must adhere to roster limits rules and be recorded in CAPS.
All participating institutions must submit their rosters to the CAPS platform and formally certify that a team’s roster complies with all applicable rules.
CAPS integrates directly with the NCAA Eligibility Center database to ensure every student-athlete is accounted for and that all roster limits and movements are accurately tracked.
To initiate the arbitration process, the student-athlete must complete the Form Demand for Arbitration and submit it to the CSC at arbitration@collegesportscommission.org.
The arbitration must be initiated within 14 days of the student-athlete receiving notice of the CSC’s decision. If the student-athlete does not initiate arbitration within that timeframe, the CSC’s decision becomes final and binding.
Student-athletes and Institutions must initiate arbitration within 14 days of receiving notice of the decision. If they don’t initiate arbitration within that time frame, the decision becomes final and binding.
All arbitrations are completed on an expedited basis within 45 calendar days from the start of the process, unless the arbitrator decides to extend the deadline.
The arbitrator will issue a written decision within 5 days after the hearing ends – or after final written materials are submitted if there is no hearing – unless good cause is shown to extend the deadline.
During arbitration, enforcement of any discipline imposed in connection with the violation will be put on hold and student-athletes will remain eligible to practice and compete, unless the arbitrator decides otherwise.
Arbitrations are conducted by one neutral arbitrator selected randomly from a panel pre-approved by both the House class counsel and the defendants.
Yes. The arbitrator’s decision is final and binding for both the student-athlete and the College Sports Commission.
Student-athletes are not charged any arbitration fees or expenses, regardless of whether they win or lose the arbitration. If a student-athlete chooses to be represented by legal counsel, the student-athlete is responsible for paying the attorneys’ fees and costs, unless the student-athlete’s college or university chooses to pay for such costs.
Yes, schools may, but are not required to, pay for student-athletes’ attorneys’ fees and costs. If a school pays these fees, or otherwise contests the discipline of the student-athlete, the school will also be responsible for paying the arbitrator’s fees and expenses for the arbitration.
The total amount being paid in past damages as part of the House settlement is approximately $2.78 billion over the 10-year settlement term. The CSC is not involved in the distribution of these payments.
Individuals can learn more about damages for eligible current and former student-athletes at https://www.collegeathletecompensation.com/
Past damage payments will be distributed to eligible current and former student-athletes over the 10-year settlement term.
House class counsel, through the settlement administrator, will distribute those damages; the CSC is not involved. For more information on damages, visit https://www.collegeathletecompensation.com/.
