High school NIL: Not allowed

Hawaii high school NIL rules

No. Hawaii does not allow high school athletes to earn NIL money while they keep school eligibility.

Tell the school: Not applicable
Agents: Not applicable
If a rule is broken: Ineligible
Reaches middle school: Generally no

High school

Who sets the rules

Hawaii High School Athletic Association (HHSAA)

The rule

HHSAA Administrative Regulations Section I: a student must be an amateur to be eligible in a given sport and forfeits amateur status, and therefore eligibility, in that sport by, among other things, 'having entered into a name image likeness contract related to that sport.' A student who loses amateur status in one sport remains eligible in any other sport where amateur status is retained.

Tell the school

Not applicable

None. No NIL disclosure or reporting process exists because NIL contracts related to a sport are disqualifying.

Off limits

The regulation does not define permitted categories; any NIL contract 'related to' a sport forfeits eligibility in that sport. Other listed forfeiture triggers: converting an award in that sport to cash, signing a professional contract in that sport, competing for cash prizes unless amateur status is declared in advance and winnings are held in trust until eligibility ends. No separate rules on agents, parents, collectives or recruiting inducements tied to NIL.

Agents

Not addressed

If a rule is broken

Ineligible for further high school competition in that same sport; eligibility in other sports is unaffected. No reinstatement procedure stated in the regulation.

Middle school, club and travel ball

HHSAA regulations govern member high schools (grades 9-12 eligibility windows, eight semesters from entering 9th grade). Intermediate/middle school play is governed by the five island leagues, not addressed here. Rule reaches only sport-related NIL contracts; a contract unrelated to any HHSAA sport is not addressed.

Sport by sport

YES: rule is expressly sport-by-sport; a deal related to one sport costs eligibility in that sport.

Recent changes

Administrative Regulations revised October 2025 (current version on sportshigh.com), which contains the explicit NIL-contract language.

College state law

No state law

The law

None. Athlete-agent law: HRS chapter 481Z (Revised Uniform Athlete Agents Act); the older chapter 481E was repealed by L 2019, c 193.

Disclosure

None in statute.

Schools paying athletes

Not addressed by statute; UH operates under NCAA rules and private fundraising.

For high school recruits

None. The 2026 bills defined 'student-athlete' as a person enrolled at a UH campus; HHSAA and high school athletes were not covered.

Recent changes

Two 2026 bills failed. HB 2384 (UH statewide NIL framework) passed the House 48-3 on March 5, 2026 but died after Senate committee referral. SB 3263 CD1 (UH NIL policies, $600 third-party disclosure threshold, NIL endowment fund, 2030 sunset) passed the House but failed Senate final reading 12-11 on May 8, 2026. No Hawaii NIL statute exists.

NCAA Division I, everywhere

Every deal worth $600 or more (added up per payer) entered since July 1, 2025 or the start of junior year, whichever is later, must be reported through NIL Go within 14 days of starting classes or before the first game.

Recruits enrolling on or after August 1, 2026 may hire agents under the April 15, 2026 Division I rule. The NJCAA still ends eligibility for a written agent agreement.

The full college-bound guide

Quick answers

Can high school athletes in Hawaii make NIL money?

No. Hawaii does not allow high school athletes to earn NIL money while they keep school eligibility. HHSAA Administrative Regulations Section I: a student must be an amateur to be eligible in a given sport and forfeits amateur status, and therefore eligibility, in that sport by, among other things, 'having entered into a name image likeness contract related to that sport.' A student who loses amateur status in one sport remains eligible in any other sport where amateur status is retained.

Do Hawaii athletes have to tell the school about an NIL deal?

None. No NIL disclosure or reporting process exists because NIL contracts related to a sport are disqualifying.

Does a travel ball or club deal count in Hawaii?

State association rules follow the athlete, not where the deal came from. A travel-sourced deal can still cost school eligibility. HHSAA regulations govern member high schools (grades 9-12 eligibility windows, eight semesters from entering 9th grade). Intermediate/middle school play is governed by the five island leagues, not addressed here. Rule reaches only sport-related NIL contracts; a contract unrelated to any HHSAA sport is not addressed.

Can a Hawaii high school athlete use an agent for NIL?

Not addressed.

Sources

Last verified November 4, 2026. High school rule text: HHSAA Administrative Regulations, Revised 10-2025 (Current)

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