Employment & Extra Benefits
Employment
Student-athletes are permitted to receive compensation for employment both during and outside the academic year. However, student-athletes must only be paid:
- for work they actually performed, and
- at the going rate for similar type jobs in the area in which they are working
Since July 2021, student-athletes have been permitted to profit from use of their name, image, and likeness (NIL). However, student-athletes are still strictly prohibited from receiving compensation for their athletic participation and/or performance.
To ensure employment opportunities comply with institutional policies and NCAA legislation, BYU student-athletes must communicate all employment with athletic compliance staff and complete documentation requirements.
Extra Benefits
Student-athletes may be provided athletics-based financial aid to attend BYU and participate in intercollegiate athletics. Further, they may receive benefits from the department incidental to their athletic participation (e.g., apparel, meals, etc.). Student-athletes may also receive compensation for providing fee-for-lessons, employment unrelated to athletics and use of their name, image and likeness.
However, accepting benefits not expressly authorized by NCAA legislation jeopardizes the student-athlete's eligibility to participate in intercollegiate athletics. As a rule of thumb, if a benefit is not permissibly provided by the department and not available to the general student body, it is likely an "extra benefit."
Extra benefits include (but are not limited to) student-athletes being provided:
- Cash or use of credit
- Use of personal property (e.g., cars, phones, boats, summer homes, etc.)
- Discounts on items
- Discounts on services
- Free or reduced cost housing
- Loans or co-signing on a loan
Student-athletes that are offered benefits not strictly covered in their athletics aid agreement must communicate with athletic compliance staff prior to accepting any of these benefits.
Fee-for-Lesson Instruction
Student-athletes are permitted to receive compensation for providing sports lessons with the following conditions:
- BYU facilities cannot be used;
- Playing lessons shall not be permitted;
- The student-athlete provides athletic compliance staff with documentation of the recipient of the lesson(s) and the fee for the lesson(s) provided during any time of the year;
- Fees for the lessons are paid by the lesson recipient (or the recipient's family) and not by another individual or entity;
- Instruction provided to more than one individual at a time is comparable to the instruction that each individual would be provided during a private lesson;
- The student-athlete is paid at the going rate in the area for similar services
Student-athletes wanting to receive compensation for providing sports lessons must communicate with athletic compliance staff prior to providing the lessons. Athletic compliance staff members will provide student-athletes with the appropriate forms and education about institutional policies and NCAA legislation regarding fee-for-lessons.
