NIL for schools, leagues and associations

Colleges: running revenue sharing

Division I schools in the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC take part in the House settlement; other Division I schools decide each year, by May 1, whether to opt in. A participating school:

• May provide athletes up to the annual cap, 22% of average Power Five conference revenue from media rights, tickets and sponsorships. See the House settlement.
• Must put every payment or benefit in a signed written agreement and enter it in CAPS within five business days of final signature.
• May license athletes' NIL directly, and may include an offset tied to third-party deals, but that cannot reduce what counts against the cap.
• May not sign an NIL agreement that extends beyond an athlete's eligibility.
• Must attest yearly that CAPS is complete and accurate and that no athlete was guaranteed payments or benefits outside a written agreement.

Penalties can be higher for deliberate, serious or repeated violations and lower for prompt self-reporting, cooperation and strong compliance programs.

Colleges: roster limits and scholarships

Participating schools may give full or partial scholarships to everyone on a roster up to the sport's limit, such as 105 in football and 15 in men's and women's basketball. Rosters are submitted and certified in CAPS by the day before the first contest or December 1, whichever is earlier, and any athlete who receives athletics aid or settlement payments must be on the roster for that year.

Colleges: third-party NIL and state law

Schools may act as marketing agents and help athletes find outside deals, but may not promise or guarantee them. Athletes report third-party deals of $600 or more to NIL Go, and schools must respond promptly when the College Sports Commission asks about the entities involved.

State laws add their own duties. Examples from our state pages:

• Florida requires two financial literacy, life skills and entrepreneurship workshops of at least five hours before an athlete graduates.
• New York requires Division I programs to offer athlete assistance programs.
• Virginia requires board-approved NIL policies and bars using student fees to pay athletes.
• Louisiana (Act 810 of 2026) requires every school to adopt NIL policies covering compensation, school involvement, marks, representation, workshops, enforcement and a compliance contact.
• Connecticut bars using state appropriations for athlete endorsement or revenue-sharing agreements.

High schools: what the school's role is

In high school, the state association's rules decide whether NIL is allowed. Where it is, the school's role is usually limited:

• Receive and record the student's notice of each deal, within the required time.
• Keep school staff, coaches, boosters and collectives out of arranging or paying for deals, as most rules require.
• Protect school names, logos, uniforms and facilities.
• Watch for NIL used in recruiting or transfers, which every association bans.
• Provide or point families to education; North Carolina requires NIL training, and Louisiana's 2026 law requires its association to provide educational materials.

Leagues, conferences and state associations

Conferences and state associations write and enforce the rules their members follow. In high school sports, the state association's NIL rule is usually the main rulebook, sometimes alongside a state law or board rule. Good practice from the associations we reviewed:

• Publish the rule in plain language with examples of what is and is not allowed, as Michigan's association does.
• Use a simple disclosure form and a clear deadline.
• Publish data; North Carolina reported 24 approved high school deals in 2025-26.
• Review the rule each year, as West Virginia's commission planned after its first season.

Frequently asked questions

Next steps

Sources

1. Rules and Policies — College Sports Commission
2. Revenue Sharing — College Sports Commission
3. Roster Limits — College Sports Commission
4. Florida Statutes § 1006.74 (2025) — The Florida Senate
5. New York Education Law § 6438-C — The New York State Senate
6. Code of Virginia § 23.1-408.1 — Virginia General Assembly
7. Résumé Digest, Act 810 (HB 513), 2026 — Louisiana State Legislature
8. Number of NIL deals for NC high school athletes reaches 24 — HighSchoolOT