NIL - FAQ
NIL refers to a student-athlete’s ability to leverage their name, image and likeness for commercial or promotional purposes. This means student-athletes can partner with brands to endorse or advertise products and services.
They can earn income by licensing their NIL for royalties, offering private lessons, selling merchandise, and making public appearances. However, they cannot accept financial or trade compensation without providing something in return to the compensating party.
With the passing of the House Settlement that took effect on July 1, 2025, universities are now permitted to directly share revenue with student-athletes, in exchange for licensing their NIL, in addition to continuing to offer scholarships, housing, meals, and other essential benefits. Revenue sharing for schools will be capped at approximately $20.5 million in 2025-26, with increases in subsequent years.
The College Sports Commission oversees the new system that enables schools to share revenue directly with student-athletes while ensuring that NIL agreements are fair and compliant with established rules.
NIL Go is an online platform developed by the College Sports Commission to review third-party NIL agreements. Its purpose is to ensure that deals genuinely use a student-athlete’s name, image, and likeness for legitimate business activities and that the compensation is fair and within a reasonable range. Students are required to disclose any deal with a cumulative value of $600 or more (including cash and trade).