I'll outline the important changes below, but players are encouraged to refer to the above website and read the rules in full.
- Amendment to Rule C.12: To make DII eligibility consistent and easier to figure out, DII eligibility is now defined as all first- and second-year players (in time, not credits).
- Amendment to Rule C.11: Partly in response to community input, ACF has revised its criteria for undergraduate eligibility. In basic terms, players will now have undergraduate eligibility for up to five years after first enrolling in a collegiate program, or through the competition year in which they first receive a bachelor's degree. Previously, the undergraduate period was tied to high school graduation.
- Amendment to Rule C.5: Previously, ACF voted (and announced) that it was doing away with teams including players from multiple institutions and teams including non-students, and that it was eliminating the ability of students from branch campuses to play with students from other branch campuses. These rules have now been formalized.
- Amendment to Rule C.4: Previously, ACF voted (and announced) that it was revising its policy on playing for multiple schools in the same competition year. These rules have now been formalized; students may play for any school that they're eligible to play for without special permission or dispensation.
- Amendment to Rule C.2: ACF has overhauled and streamlined eligibility. The hope is that the new policy will be easier to understand while still reflecting community principles.
- Students who meet the definition of "undergraduate" in Rule C.11 may establish eligibility simply by taking any class or class equivalent for credit.
- Students who do not meet the definition of "undergraduate" may establish eligibility by taking classes within a specific degree program offered by an institution. A second bachelor's counts, but nebulous taking of classes does not. There are specific rules involving ABD Ph.D. students and graduate students working on their theses.
- Students who do not meet the definition of "undergraduate" and are not in a specific degree program may establish eligibility by taking at least three full-credit courses during the year. Internships or class equivalents are not available for this rule. In most cases, high school students attempting to establish eligibility by taking college courses will be required to satisfy this rule.
- In all of the above methods of establishing eligibility, the player must be taking the requisite number of courses either on or before the date of the tournament for which eligibility is sought. For example, a player may not play ACF Fall if he intends to register for classes in the spring, but is not currently enrolled.
- The ACF eligibility committee has been empowered to investigate and rule on issues arising from these rules, and to prohibit players from playing if they are determined to have registered for minimal course loads simply to establish eligibility.
