High school NIL: Allowed

North Carolina high school NIL rules

Yes. High school athletes in North Carolina can take NIL deals, with conditions.

Tell the school: 10 business days before signing, copy within 5 after
Agents: Allowed
If a rule is broken: Loss of eligibility
Reaches middle school: Yes

High school

Who sets the rules

North Carolina State Board of Education policy ATHL-008 (Name, Image, and Likeness), enforced and applied by the NCHSAA for its member schools (NCHSAA Handbook 1.2.13); the private-school NCISAA is a separate association with its own NIL policy.

The rule

ATHL-008 lets a student in interscholastic athletics enter an NIL agreement (appearances, commercials, autographs, camps/clinics, NFTs, endorsements, social media promotions) provided compensation is not conditioned on athletic performance, a parent/guardian is a party if the student is under 18, the agreement holds the school unit, the administering organization (NCHSAA) and the State Board/DPI harmless, and the student completes the NFHS NIL course (parent too if under 18) at least 10 business days before signing.

Tell the school

10 business days before signing, copy within 5 after

Complete unredacted copy of the proposed agreement or amendment to 'school administrators' (principal, AD, superintendent, PSU board chair, and head coach of any sport played during the term) at least 10 business days BEFORE execution; executed copy within 5 business days AFTER; NFHS course certificates 10 business days before; the AD forwards executed agreements to the NCHSAA within 30 days and the NCHSAA reports a summary to the State Board each June 30. No dollar threshold.

Off limits

No reference to any school, PSU, conference or administering organization; no compensation for or display of school/PSU/conference/NCHSAA/NFHS intellectual property (name, uniform, mascot, mark, logo); no promoting the NIL partner during competition or school events (including partner apparel unless part of the standard uniform). Prohibited promotions: adult establishments/entertainment, alcohol, tobacco/vaping/nicotine, cannabis, controlled substances, opioids/prescription drugs, weapons/firearms/ammunition, casinos/gambling including sports betting, and activities that disrupt school operations. ADs, coaches, PSU employees, board members, booster club and NIL-collective representatives may not use NIL promises to recruit or act as a student's agent/marketing representative.

Agents

Allowed

An 'NIL agreement' expressly includes an agency contract under G.S. 78C-86(1), so a student may sign with an agent, subject to the same disclosure rules; school staff, boosters and collectives may not act as agents.

If a rule is broken

ATHL-007 (Amateur Rules) 1.e: a student may not participate in interscholastic athletics after entering an NIL agreement unless the student complied with ATHL-008, i.e., ineligibility. Adult recruiting/agency violations are penalized under the administering organization's regulations and SBE Policy ATHL-012.

Middle school, club and travel ball

The State Board's interscholastic athletics rules define interscholastic athletics as school-sponsored activity involving students in grades 6 through 12, and 'participating school' includes middle and junior high schools, so ATHL-008 reaches public middle school athletes, not just high school. NCHSAA Application Note 1.2.13 extends it to all NCHSAA membership entities including non-boarding parochial members. Applicability clause: any NIL agreement executed while enrolled, even if benefits accrue after graduation. Non-school club play is not governed.

Recent changes

Rule history: NCISAA allowed NIL July 2024; a Wake County Superior Court order of Oct. 14, 2024 (Brandon v. State Board) forced NIL to take effect for public school athletes; the State Board's ATHL-008 is now the operative rule and is carried in the NCHSAA 2026-27 Handbook (update dated Oct. 2026). No 2026 change identified.

College state law

Narrow law

The law

G.S. 78C-85 to 78C-105 (Uniform Athlete Agents Act, Art. 9 of Ch. 78C), amended by S.L. 2025-46 s. 7 (H.B. 378, approved July 1, 2025) to add NIL agency contracts (78C-86(6a)-(6b)); G.S. 132-1.2(11), added by S.L. 2025-46 s. 8, exempts NIL contract records from public records retroactively. College NIL otherwise rests on Gov. Cooper's 2021 Executive Order 223 and NCAA/House-settlement rules. Citation OK.

Disclosure

No state NIL-deal disclosure requirement for college athletes.

Schools paying athletes

Not addressed by statute. SB 563 (2025, 'Michael Jordans of Tomorrow Act') would have authorized UNC System direct pay, tax credits and a state clearinghouse and allowed HS NIL with parental consent; referred to Senate Rules March 26, 2025 and not enacted.

For high school recruits

Indirectly: the Athlete Agents Act defines 'student-athlete' as anyone who 'may be eligible in the future' to play an intercollegiate sport, so agents signing NIL agency contracts with high school athletes must be registered with the NC Secretary of State, and an NIL agency contract is void if the athlete later enrolls at the agent's educational institution (S.L. 2025-46 s.7). ATHL-008 cross-references these agency contracts.

Recent changes

S.L. 2025-46 (effective July 1, 2025) added NIL agency-contract rules and the public-records exemption.

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 North Carolina make NIL money?

Yes. High school athletes in North Carolina can take NIL deals, with conditions. ATHL-008 lets a student in interscholastic athletics enter an NIL agreement (appearances, commercials, autographs, camps/clinics, NFTs, endorsements, social media promotions) provided compensation is not conditioned on athletic performance, a parent/guardian is a party if the student is under 18, the agreement holds the school unit, the administering organization (NCHSAA) and the State Board/DPI harmless, and the student completes the NFHS NIL course (parent too if under 18) at least 10 business days before signing.

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

10 business days before signing, copy within 5 after. Complete unredacted copy of the proposed agreement or amendment to 'school administrators' (principal, AD, superintendent, PSU board chair, and head coach of any sport played during the term) at least 10 business days BEFORE execution; executed copy within 5 business days AFTER; NFHS course certificates 10 business days before; the AD forwards executed agreements to the NCHSAA within 30 days and the NCHSAA reports a summary to the State Board each June 30. No dollar threshold.

Does a travel ball or club deal count in North Carolina?

State association rules follow the athlete, not where the deal came from. A deal through a travel team is fine as long as nothing ties back to the school team. The State Board's interscholastic athletics rules define interscholastic athletics as school-sponsored activity involving students in grades 6 through 12, and 'participating school' includes middle and junior high schools, so ATHL-008 reaches public middle school athletes, not just high school. NCHSAA Application Note 1.2.13 extends it to all NCHSAA membership entities including non-boarding parochial members. Applicability clause: any NIL agreement executed while enrolled, even if benefits accrue after graduation. Non-school club play is not governed.

Can a North Carolina high school athlete use an agent for NIL?

Allowed. An 'NIL agreement' expressly includes an agency contract under G.S. 78C-86(1), so a student may sign with an agent, subject to the same disclosure rules; school staff, boosters and collectives may not act as agents.

Sources

Last verified November 4, 2026. High school rule text: NCHSAA 2026-2027 Handbook (update file 10/6/26), sections 1.2.11 and 1.2.13 reproducing SBE policies ATHL-007 and ATHL-008.

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