The National Letter of Intent is a binding agreement between a prospective student-athlete and an institution. In the agreement, the institution agrees to provide the prospective student-athlete, who is admitted to the institution and is eligible for financial aid under NCAA rules, athletics aid for one academic year. In exchange, the prospect agrees to attend the institution for one academic year.
A prospective student-athlete who signs an NLI should thereafter receive neither recruiting contacts nor calls from other institutions and is ensured athletics scholarship support for one academic year. To be a valid NLI, the letter must be accompanied by an institutional financial aid agreement.
If the student-athlete does not enroll at that institution for a full academic year, he or she may be subject to specific penalties, including loss of a season of eligibility and a mandatory residence requirement.
For more information, review the National Letter of Intent Web site.