Commencing with the 2013–14 academic year, an athletic program shall comply with all of the following:

(a) (1) If an athletic program does not renew an athletic scholarship of a student athlete who suffers an incapacitating injury or illness resulting from his or her participation in the athletic program, and the institution of higher education’s medical staff determines that he or she is medically ineligible to participate in intercollegiate athletics, the institution of higher education shall provide an equivalent scholarship that, combined with the total duration of any previous athletic scholarship or scholarships received by the student athlete, will be provided for a total of up to five academic years or until the student athlete completes his or her undergraduate degree, whichever period is shorter. Additional years may be provided at the discretion of the institution of higher education.

(2) If a student athlete takes a temporary leave of absence from an institution of higher education, the duration of that leave of absence shall not count against the five-year limit on eligibility for an equivalent scholarship imposed by paragraph (1).

(3) An athletic program shall provide an equivalent scholarship to a student athlete who was on an athletic scholarship and is in good standing, but has exhausted his or her athletic eligibility, for up to one year or until the student athlete completes his or her primary undergraduate degree, whichever is shorter, except that an athletic program with a graduation success rate that is above 60 percent, disaggregated by team, shall not be subject to the requirements of this paragraph.

(4) A student athlete whose athletic scholarship is not renewed for cause by an athletic program shall receive no benefits under this part, but may appeal this decision within the institution of higher education attended by the student or within the athletic conference or association of which that institution of higher education is a member, as appropriate.

(b) Each athletic program shall conduct a financial and life skills workshop for all of its first-year and third-year student athletes at the beginning of the academic year. This workshop shall include, but not be limited to, information concerning financial aid, debt management, and a recommended budget for full- and partial-scholarship student athletes living on or off campus during the academic year and the summer term based on the current academic year’s cost of attendance. The workshop shall also include information on time management skills necessary for success as a student athlete, and academic resources available on campus.

(c) An institution of higher education shall grant a student athlete the same rights as other students with regard to any and all matters related to possible adverse or disciplinary actions, including, but not necessarily limited to, actions involving athletically related financial aid.

(d) An athletic program shall respond within seven business days with an answer to a student athlete’s written request to transfer to another institution of higher education.

(e) An institution of higher education that receives, as an average, less than ten million dollars ($10,000,000) in annual income derived from media rights for intercollegiate athletics shall not be subject to the requirements of this section.

(f) An institution of higher education to which this section applies shall rely exclusively on revenue derived from media rights for intercollegiate athletics to defray any costs accrued under this section.

(Added by Stats. 2012, Ch. 625, Sec. 1. (SB 1525) Effective January 1, 2013.)