The law
Maryland's college NIL law is Md. Code, Educ. § 15-131 (status: in force). Everything on this page is taken from the enacted text on the legislature's own site, linked under Sources, read on October 21, 2026.
What it says
| Question | What the statute says | Section or source |
|---|---|---|
| Who is covered | A "student athlete" is a college student who participates in an intercollegiate athletic program at a "public institution of higher education", defined as the constituent institutions of the University System of Maryland and Morgan State University. Students who play only intramural or club sports are excluded. Private colleges, community colleges and St. Mary's College of Maryland are not in the definition | 15-131(a)(2), (3) |
| Disclosure to the school | A student athlete who enters into an NIL contract "shall disclose the contract to an official" the school designates. No timing is set | 15-131(e)(2) |
| Banned categories | Not addressed. The statute has no list of banned products or industries | Not addressed |
| Conflicts with team contracts | A student athlete may not enter an NIL contract with a provision that conflicts with the athlete's athletic program contract. A school's athletic program contract may not stop commercial NIL use outside official team activities, but may bar in-person advertising for a third-party sponsor during official and mandatory team activities without the athletic department's approval | 15-131(d)(1), (2); (e)(1) |
| School and coach involvement | Not addressed beyond the team-contract rules. The statute gives athletes no right to use a school's names, trademarks, logos or other intellectual property | 15-131(f) |
| Direct pay from the school | Not addressed for enrolled athletes. A public school, athletic association or conference "may not provide a prospective student athlete with compensation" for NIL. No section allows or bars a public school paying a current athlete | 15-131(c)(1) |
| Agents and attorneys | A public school, association or conference may not prevent a student athlete from obtaining representation for contracts or legal matters. Maryland's Uniform Athlete Agents Act (Business Regulation §§ 4-401 to 4-421) requires a license from the Secretary of Labor (Bus. Reg. § 1-101(h)) to act as an athlete agent: $25 application, $1,000 license, valid 2 years, $1,000 renewal. From 2026-10-01, 2026 Md. Laws chs. 492, 493 and 694 add an exception to § 4-403(a) for certain Foreign Service and active service members and spouses practicing under another state's license. It reaches anyone who negotiates an endorsement contract or "facilitates or encourages a connection" between an athlete and an agent; family members are excluded | 15-131(c)(2); Bus. Reg. 4-401, 4-403, 4-404, 4-405(a), (d), (f) |
| High school and minors | Not addressed in § 15-131. Maryland's athlete agent act counts as a "student-athlete" anyone who "is or was a member of a sports team of a high school" | Bus. Reg. 4-401(m)(2) |
| Financial literacy | Not addressed | None |
| Scholarship protection | A public school may not "reduce, rescind, or otherwise affect" a student athlete's scholarship because the athlete earns NIL pay | 15-131(b)(1)(ii) |
| Confidentiality of contracts | Not addressed | Not addressed |
| NCAA and conference penalties | The NCAA, a conference or any other body over intercollegiate athletics may not prevent a student athlete from earning NIL pay, and may not prevent a public school from competing because an athlete is paid for NIL. There is no bar on investigations or penalties against schools | 15-131(b)(2), (3) |
| Remedies and enforcement | Not addressed. The section creates no cause of action or enforcing agency. Under the athlete agent act, a school may sue an agent or former athlete for damages, the Secretary may impose a civil penalty up to $25,000, and inducing an agency contract by false promises or gifts is a misdemeanor (fine up to $10,000, jail up to 1 year) | Bus. Reg. 4-413 to 4-416 |
| Employee status | Not addressed | Not addressed |
A 2021 law that took effect in 2023
The NIL section was Section 2 of the Jordan McNair Safe and Fair Play Act. Section 1, which took effect 2021-07-01, requires athletic programs at public colleges to adopt health and safety guidelines (brain injury, heat illness, rhabdomyolysis, sickle cell trait, asthma, return to play) and requires yearly reports to the General Assembly (now § 15-130). The scholarship, financial and life skills workshop and athlete-rights provisions of the bill as introduced were struck before passage. Section 3 delayed the NIL section to 2023-07-01. The NIL rules apply only to the University System of Maryland's institutions and Morgan State University. A cross-filed House bill, HB 125, passed too and was vetoed by Governor Hogan as duplicative.
The General Assembly's bill records from 2022 through the 2026 session show no act amending § 15-131. Maryland did not add school pay, a revenue sharing rule, a bar on NCAA investigations or a records exemption after the House settlement.
Bills that did not pass
- HB 1431 (2022) and HB 1090 (2023), which would have allowed NIL pay for public high school athletes. HB 1431 stayed in the House Rules Committee; HB 1090 received an unfavorable report from Ways and Means and was withdrawn.
- HB 1528 (2025), which would have created a Task Force to Study Student Athlete Name, Image, and Likeness Programs in Maryland; it was re-referred to the Appropriations Committee and did not pass.
Agents in Maryland
Maryland licenses athlete agents under its Uniform Athlete Agents Act, Business Regulation §§ 4-401 to 4-421, rather than registering them. The definition is broad: it reaches anyone who represents to the public that they are an athlete agent or who "facilitates or encourages a connection between a student-athlete and another athlete agent" (§ 4-401(c)(2)), and an agency contract includes one to negotiate an endorsement contract (§ 4-401(b)). Agents keep records for 5 years (§ 4-412), and the athlete may cancel an agency contract within 14 days, a right that cannot be waived (§ 4-411).
How it changed
| Act | What it did | Effective |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 Md. Laws ch. 138 (SB 439), Jordan McNair Safe and Fair Play Act, Section 2 | enacted the NIL section (as § 15-129 of the Education Article, now § 15-131): public universities may not uphold rules against NIL pay or cut scholarships over it; the NCAA and conferences may not stop athletes earning or bar a public school from competing; no NIL pay to prospective athletes; representation allowed; team-contract and disclosure rules. Section 3 delayed Section 2 to 2023-07-01; Section 1 (athletic health and safety guidelines and yearly reports, now § 15-130) took effect 2021-07-01 | 2023-07-01 (approved 2021-05-18) |
Federal law
As of 2026-10-21, S. 4668 (Protect College Sports Act) passed the Senate 77-22 on 2026-09-28 and has been held at the House desk since 2026-10-05, with no House action (congress.gov); it is not law. If enacted as passed, § 121(a)(2) covers state laws that govern, regulate or invalidate association, conference or school rules on NIL pay, transfers or eligibility. On its text that describes Maryland's limits on the NCAA and conferences in Educ. § 15-131(b)(2) and (3), and the bar on schools upholding rules against NIL pay in (b)(1)(i). Maryland's bar on NIL pay to prospective athletes (§ 15-131(c)(1)) sits next to S. 4668 § 114(a)(1)(C), which would bar schools, conferences and associated entities from paying a prospective athlete before enrollment. § 121(b)(1)(A) keeps "Uniform Athlete Agent Acts" unless they conflict with § 121(a); Maryland's agent licensing law is by its own title the Maryland Uniform Athlete Agents Act (Bus. Reg. § 4-421). S. 4668 § 102 would add a 5% cap on agent fees for endorsement contracts, a bar on agency contracts past eligibility, and a rule that an agent on an endorsement contract "register with a State" (new SPARTA § 9(a)), which SPARTA § 9(b)(2) treats as met by registration under a State's uniform agent act. Where Maryland's § 15-131(e)(2) sets no deadline, S. 4668 § 101(b) would require athletes at schools whose primary membership is in Division I (§ 101(b)(5)) to report to the school and the association or its designated entity the terms of each NIL agreement over $600 (counting payments from one source over 12 months) within 5 days of signing, and other NIL pay over $600 within 30 days of receipt (§ 101(b)(1)). Maryland's statute has no school-pay or employee-status rule for §§ 101(c) or 122 to meet.
What sits on top of it
- Division I reporting. Third-party deals of $600 or more go to NIL Go within five business days, whatever the state's own rule (NIL Go, reporting a deal, level by level).
- Your school. A school can set a stricter policy than the statute, and most set the disclosure process.
- Agents. Maryland's athlete-agent rules are on the state-by-state registration table.
- High school. High school NIL in Maryland is set by the state's athletic association, not this statute.
- Taxes. NIL taxes in plain words.
How Leave fits
In Leave, every deal thread carries a rules summary for the athlete's state and level, and keeps the contract, its dates and the disclosure deadline that applies. It is a summary, not a ruling; the school and the statute decide. Leave is software, not an agent, and takes 0% of any deal. You decide, you send.
Questions about college NIL law in Maryland
What is Maryland's NIL law in 2026?
§ 15-131 of the Education Article, from the Jordan McNair Safe and Fair Play Act (2021 Md. Laws ch. 138, SB 439, approved 2021-05-18), in force since 2023-07-01. It covers the University System of Maryland's institutions and Morgan State University, protects athletes' NIL pay and scholarships, bars the NCAA and conferences from stopping athletes earning, bars NIL pay to recruits, and requires disclosure of NIL contracts to the school. The General Assembly's bill records for 2022 to 2026 show no act amending it.
Can Maryland colleges pay athletes directly?
Maryland's statute does not say. § 15-131(c)(1) bars a public school, athletic association or conference from providing NIL compensation to a prospective student athlete, but no part of § 15-131 addresses a public school paying an enrolled athlete, and the statute does not cover private schools at all. School pay is governed by the House settlement and NCAA, conference and College Sports Commission rules rather than a Maryland statute.
Do I have to tell my school about an NIL deal in Maryland?
At a University System of Maryland school or Morgan State, yes: § 15-131(e)(2) says a student athlete who enters an NIL contract "shall disclose the contract to an official" the school designates. The statute sets no deadline. NCAA rules, including Division I deal reporting through NIL Go, are separate from state law.
Does Maryland require an NIL agent to be licensed?
Maryland licenses athlete agents. Under Business Regulation § 4-403, an individual may not act as an athlete agent in Maryland without a license from the Secretary of Labor; the fees are $25 to apply and $1,000 for a license valid 2 years, and $1,000 to renew (§§ 4-404(a), 4-405(a), (d), (f)). An agency contract includes one to negotiate an endorsement contract (§ 4-401(b)), the athlete may cancel within 14 days (§ 4-411), and both agent and athlete notify the athletic director within 72 hours or before the next athletic event (§ 4-410).
Does Maryland's NIL law apply to private colleges like Johns Hopkins?
No. § 15-131(a)(2) defines "public institution of higher education" as the constituent institutions of the University System of Maryland and Morgan State University, and the section's athlete protections and disclosure rule apply only to athletes at those schools. The athlete agent act (Bus. Reg. §§ 4-401 to 4-421) applies to agents dealing with any intercollegiate athlete in Maryland.
Be your own agent. Leave.
