ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR INTERCOLLEGIATE LIVESTOCK JUDGING CONTESTS

I. A livestock judging contestant is defined as a person that is documented on the institution’s eligibility form and is a contestant/alternate in any recognized senior college contest as outlined in the coaches’ minutes.  A livestock judging contestant must be a bonafide undergraduate student enrolled in a recognized institution offering a well-rounded curriculum in the Animal Sciences with a full degree in Agriculture.  Exception being that a student may complete their eligibility in the Fall as a first term graduate/professional student. 

II. Each contestant must be regularly enrolled or must have previously completed a livestock judging course at the institution he/she represents.

III. Each contestant must have been enrolled in enough college credit hours to represent 75% of an average semester, quarter or term credit load necessary to graduate in 8 semesters or its equivalent. e.g., Students must be enrolled in a minimum of 12 semester credits or 13.5 quarter or term credits. First semester graduate students must be enrolled in 9 credit hours.

IV. Each contestant must have an accumulative grade point average of C (2.0 on 4.0 scale) or better at the University he/she represents and does not include transfer hours. This C average or better must have been maintained in a minimum of college credit hours equal to 75% of the normal two (2) semester, quarter or term loads required for normal progress in a 4 year graduation program.  e.g., 24 semester hours where 32 semester hours is a normal 2 semester load, 27 quarter or term hours where 36 quarter or term hours is a normal 2 quarter or term load, etc.  An eligibility form with the official institution seal from the registrar office must be remitted to the eligibility committee chairperson by February 1 for the Spring semester and by September 1 for the Fall semester.

V. Each contestant must establish his/her institutional residence by being enrolled in the institution he/she represents for at least 1 semester or 1 quarter or term before competing in a senior contest.

VI. Transfer and Two-Year Students:

• A. Junior College transfer students may be declared eligible for participation in livestock contests providing they have fulfilled all the requirements in rules I-V.
• B. Two-year students in a certificate program or those enrolled as special students may be declared eligible for participation in livestock judging contests providing they have fulfilled all the requirements in rules I-V.

VII. Participation of a contestant in a Junior contest shall not make him/her ineligible for later contests provided he/she meets all other undergraduate requirements for later contests.

VIII. Contestants in the Fall Senior contests shall not be eligible for further contest participation in an Intercollegiate Livestock Judging Contest after the International Contest.

IX. No contestant is eligible to compete in a contest if he/she has been ruled ineligible by his/her coach and/or institution. This rule applies to both social and scholastic probation from his/her institution.

X. No contestant is eligible to compete in a contest if he/she has any time served as an official instructor in an Animal Science Department at any Agricultural College. Nor, is he/she eligible if he/she has served as a regular Agricultural Extension Agent, regular Vocational Agriculture Instructor.  A contestant that is an active member of the current team may serve as a judge or official in a local, regional or state livestock show or National Showmanship contest and receive expense money only for services.  No contestant is eligible to judge a National livestock show prior to or while competing on the team.

XI. Eligibility is for one calendar year. Interruptions in an undergraduate course of study for military service, hardship or other reasons shall not make a student ineligible for contest participation if all other contest requirements have been fulfilled.  Contest eligibility will be granted for spring or fall contests only and not by individual contest.

XII. A contestant caught cheating at a Senior College judging contest will be disqualified and removed from the contest with no further consequences. If a student is caught cheating a second time, they will be removed from the contest will be deemed ineligible to compete in any future Senior College livestock judging contest.

XIII. No scholarships will be given to incoming students strictly for livestock judging. Students must compete for scholarships within a University, College or Departmental academic pool.

XIV. No current team member or coach (unless granted a judging contract, parent of a livestock exhibitor, or university employee managing the college’s show string) are allowed on the exhibition grounds of the NAILE event at any time prior to the contest. Exceptions as outlined in parenthesis must be confirmed with the Eligibility Committee.

XV. Each collegiate livestock judging coach and his institution will be held responsible for seeing that all of their respective contestants qualify under the contest eligibility rules of the association. If a coach and/or team member is found in violation, the administration of the university they represent will be notified of the violation and any consequences of said violation by the President of the National Livestock Coaches' Association.

XVI. All eligibility cases not covered by the regular association rules shall be submitted to the Association’s Eligibility Committee for disposition at least 15 days before the contest in question.

XVII. No organized participation (no contest affiliation, being on the floor marking cards or participating in reasons) of “junior” team members will be allowed at any of the identified contests (outlined in Rule I).

XVIII. No Senior College coaches, assistant coaches, or coordinators will be allowed to serve as officials reasons takers in Senior College contests.

XIX. These livestock contest eligibility rules governing the International Intercollegiate Livestock Coaches' Association shall be in effect after March 11, 2013

XX. A hardship case may be submitted to the eligibility committee chairman and a majority vote of the committee will lead to reinstatement