The Utah High School Activities Association (UHSAA) Board of Trustees recently voted to approve new rules and regulations relating to student transfers and international students in relation to extracurricular activities. Each UHSAA member school will vote on the proposed changes and if two-thirds of the schools vote in favor, the student transfer changes will be effective for the 2024-25 school year. One of the changes to the eligibility considerations is that student-athletes who are on F-1 visas would not be eligible to compete in state tournaments. The F-1 visa students would be eligible to play in preseason and region games but not in the state tournament. The UHSAA Board of Trustees stated, “The UHSAA recognizes the concerns of its member schools related to displacement of Utah students by students from foreign countries as recruiting of foreign players to be placed with Utah high schools. These rules are intended to preserve interscholastic competitive opportunities for Utah students and promote the unique competition fostered by the UHSAA.”
Students who come to the United States on J-1 visas will continue to be eligible to play varsity sports. The new rules also allow for students who transfer from one school to another and don’t qualify for a waiver will sit out the first 50% of the season’s varsity or junior varsity competitions, or 30 days whichever is greater. Additionally, more stringent regulations will be in place for student transfer rules, such as not allowing guardianship changes if the student still has a living parent. Family moves will only be approved if they involve a full family move and meet the Change of Residency UHSAA guidelines.