The ACC eliminated its intraconference transfer rule on Monday in a unanimous decision by its board of directors.
The intraconference transfer rule, created in 1996, required student-athletes without a degree to sit out one year if they were transferring from one ACC school to another. The move does not come as a surprise, considering pending NCAA legislation that would grant student-athletes a one-time transfer with immediate eligibility in all sports.
In January, the NCAA Division I council delayed a vote that would loosen those restrictions but said it remains committed to making changes.
"The time has come for our student-athletes to have the opportunity to compete at another school within the institution," ACC commissioner Jim Phillips said Monday. "We don't have many restrictions in higher ed. We allow professors to change positions. We allow coaches and commissioners and athletic directors [to move]. We've fallen behind in these five sports that it's time to get modernized."