SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WNDU) - Indiana is changing its Rule 19 to allow first-time transfers to be immediately eligible at their new high schools.

Previously, if a student transferred schools, they would have to sit out one calendar year, missing all three sports seasons. Now for a first-time transfer, as long as the student isn’t a senior, they will be immediately eligible to play sports at their new school.

RELATED: What is Rule 19?: A breakdown of Indiana’s new transfer rule for high school athletes

West Virginia has had a similar rule since 2023. In the 2024 school year, the state saw 433 athlete transfers, which was triple the year before. And the main result was their good teams got better.

“Schools with pretty good programs over time lost kids,” says Jim Treacy, sports anchor at

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