The law
Minnesota has no college NIL statute. In short: None (no college NIL statute found); athlete agents, Minn. Stat. §§ 81A.22 to 81A.37. Rows drawn from a statute come from the enacted text on the legislature's own site; rows drawn from a school or board policy name that policy. Every source is linked under Sources, read on October 21, 2026.
What it says
| Question | What applies | Section or source |
|---|---|---|
| Who is covered | No state NIL statute was found. The agent act's "student athlete" is anyone eligible to attend an educational institution who engages in, is eligible to engage in, or may be eligible in the future to engage in any interscholastic or intercollegiate sport, so it reaches high school and college athletes | Minn. Stat. § 81A.23, subd. 19 |
| Disclosure to the school | No state NIL rule. The agent act requires the athlete and the agent each to notify the athletic director within 72 hours of signing an agency contract or before the next scheduled athletic event, whichever is first. The University of Minnesota policy (2025-11-04) requires reporting third-party NIL deals of $600 or more in the aggregate under College Sports Commission rules and recommends approval before any payment; NCAA Bylaws 22.2.2 and 22.2.2.2 (2026-27 Division I Manual) set the clearinghouse report (NIL Go) within five business days of signing | § 81A.32, subds. 2, 3; UMN NIL policy § III; NCAA Bylaws 22.2.2, 22.2.2.2 |
| Banned categories | No state statute. The University of Minnesota policy bars NIL pay for adult entertainment, sports gambling, alcoholic beverages, tobacco, NCAA banned substances and weapons | UMN NIL policy § I.1 |
| Conflicts with team contracts | No state statute. The University of Minnesota policy bars any activity that would cause the university to breach or interfere with a university contract, naming its Nike sideline agreement as an example | UMN NIL policy § I.5 |
| School and coach involvement | No state statute. The University of Minnesota policy says athletes keep "independent authority" over NIL opportunities the university facilitates and over accepting university support services | UMN NIL policy § I.7 |
| Direct pay from the school | No state statute was found that allows or bars it. The University of Minnesota policy refers to payments "under the institutional licensing agreement" and lists their termination or suspension among sanctions. Since 2026, under 2026 ch. 116, Minnesota State may not use mandatory student fees or tuition increases to maintain competitive athletic facilities; SF 3759, which would have barred fees to compensate athletes, was not enacted in that form | UMN NIL policy § II; Minn. Stat. § 135A.0435 |
| Agents and attorneys | Agents register with the commissioner of commerce ($500 application, $400 renewal, two-year term). An "agency contract" covers negotiating or soliciting an endorsement contract, defined as pay to use the value of an athlete's "publicity, reputation, following, or fame obtained because of athletic ability or performance". Contracts must be in a signed record stating fees, services and duration, carry a boldface warning and come with a separate eligibility acknowledgment; a contract resulting from acting as an unregistered agent is void. Licensed professionals such as attorneys are outside the definition unless they also recruit or solicit the athlete into an agency contract, seek professional sports employment for the athlete, or charge athletes on a different basis | §§ 81A.23, subds. 2, 3, 7; 81A.25; 81A.27, subd. 4; 81A.30; 81A.31 |
| High school and minors | No state NIL statute; high school NIL is covered on the high school page (Minnesota State High School League policy). The agent act covers interscholastic athletes, and for a minor the agency contract must be signed by a parent or guardian, who may also cancel it within 14 days | §§ 81A.23, subd. 19; 81A.31, subd. 6; 81A.33 |
| Financial literacy | Not addressed by statute. The University of Minnesota policy notes NIL income can affect Pell Grant, Minnesota State Grant and other need-based aid and refers athletes to One Stop Student Services | UMN NIL policy |
| Scholarship protection | Not addressed by statute. The University of Minnesota policy lists "reduction or withdrawal of athletically related financial aid" among possible sanctions for violating the policy | UMN NIL policy § II |
| Confidentiality of contracts | No NIL classification. Under the Data Practices Act government data are public unless classified otherwise; educational data relating to a student are private data, and no section of chapter 13 names NIL contracts | Minn. Stat. §§ 13.03, subd. 1; 13.32, subd. 3 |
| NCAA and conference penalties | Not addressed. No Minnesota statute was found that bars the NCAA, the Big Ten or the College Sports Commission from penalizing a school or athlete | None |
| Remedies and enforcement | Under the agent act, a school may sue an agent or former athlete for damages (§ 81A.361), the commissioner may assess a civil penalty up to $25,000 (§ 81A.362), and conduct barred by § 81A.35, including inducements, is a gross misdemeanor (§ 81A.36). Separately, § 325E.33 bars contracting to get a student athlete a professional sports contract before a waiver of eligibility filed with the Secretary of State and the athletic director takes effect, with a civil penalty of up to $100,000 or three times the inducement, whichever is greater | §§ 81A.36, 81A.361, 81A.362; 325E.33, subd. 3 |
| Employee status | Not addressed | None |
Bills since 2020, and what passed instead
Minnesota's college NIL bills came before the NCAA's interim NIL policy of July 2021. In 2020, HF 3908 (Rep. Tabke) and SF 2995 (Sen. Chamberlain) would have let athletes at Minnesota colleges earn NIL pay; each was introduced and referred to a higher education committee, and neither passed. In the 2021 special session, SF 63 (Sens. Duckworth and Chamberlain) renewed the idea with a working group on community college athletes; it was introduced on 2021-06-24, referred to Rules and Administration, and went no further.
In 2026 the debate moved to who pays. SF 3759 (Sens. Abeler and Fateh, introduced 2026-02-23) would have barred public colleges from mandatory student fees or tuition increases "for the purpose of compensating student athletes", with a 1 percent appropriation cut as the penalty. The omnibus higher education act that passed, HF 4252 (2026 ch. 116, signed 2026-05-27), kept the section number but changed the target: Minn. Stat. § 135A.0435 bars the Minnesota State board of trustees from fees or tuition increases to maintain competitive athletic facilities, and only "requests" that the University of Minnesota Regents consider a matching policy. No Minnesota statute was found that addresses school payments to athletes.
The agent act, in practice
Minnesota adopted the Revised Uniform Athlete Agents Act in 2018 (ch. 192, effective 2018-08-01). Two features matter for NIL. First, an "agency contract" includes authority to negotiate or solicit an endorsement contract, so someone who signs a college athlete to represent them in endorsement deals is an athlete agent who must register with the commissioner of commerce before signing. Second, the act reaches beyond deal-making: an individual who, for pay, advises an athlete on "finances, business pursuits, or career management decisions" or manages bills, payments, contracts or taxes is also an athlete agent unless they are a school employee acting exclusively for the school (§ 81A.23, subd. 3). Minnesota also keeps an older law, § 325E.33, under which a student athlete's waiver of college eligibility takes effect only after it has been on file for seven days with the Secretary of State and the athletic director; it applies to professional sports contracts, not NIL deals.
University of Minnesota policy
The University of Minnesota's NIL policy is dated 2025-11-04 (effective 2025-11-01) and is posted by Gopher Athletics. It bars six business sectors, requires approval to miss team obligations for an NIL activity, requires an agreement before any commercial use of the university's name, the block M or other marks, says compensation "must be reviewed by CSC" and "cannot be based on athletic performance", and treats a violation as a breach of the Student-Athlete Code of Conduct, with sanctions up to dismissal and termination or suspension of payments under the institutional licensing agreement. Reporting runs through the College Sports Commission's process; see how NIL Go works.
How it changed
| Act | What it did | Effective |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 Minn. Laws ch. 192 (HF 2363) | enacted the Revised Uniform Athlete Agents Act (Minn. Stat. §§ 81A.22 to 81A.37), repealing most of the 2002 athlete agent act and renumbering its fee, penalty and remedy sections into the new act; registration with the commissioner of commerce, agency contracts that cover endorsement contracts, a 14-day cancellation right, notice to the athletic director. The revisor's history notes and its 2025 and 2026 statute-change tables show no amendment since | 2018-08-01 |
| SF 63 (92nd Legislature, 2021 1st Special Session) | would have authorized NIL compensation for student athletes at the University of Minnesota, the Minnesota state universities and private colleges, and set up a community college NIL working group; introduced 2021-06-24 and referred to Rules and Administration, no further action | not enacted |
| 2026 Minn. Laws ch. 116 (HF 4252), sec. 2 | added Minn. Stat. § 135A.0435, barring the Minnesota State board of trustees from mandatory student fees or tuition increases to maintain competitive athletic facilities and requesting the University of Minnesota Regents to consider a matching policy; SF 3759, which would have barred public colleges from fees "for the purpose of compensating student athletes", was not enacted in that form | in force by 2026-08-01 (signed 2026-05-27; no effective-date clause, so Minn. Stat. § 645.02 applies) |
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 bill status); it is not law. No Minnesota statute was found that governs NCAA, conference or school NIL rules, so § 121(a)(2) would have little to preempt; Minn. Stat. § 135A.0435 limits fees for athletic facilities, not athlete pay. Chapter 81A is the Revised Uniform Athlete Agents Act, the kind of "Uniform Athlete Agent Acts" § 121(b)(1)(A) preserves unless it conflicts with § 121(a), and registration under it is the State registration that new SPARTA § 9 (added by § 102) requires of agents representing student athletes in endorsement contracts. The bill would add, in Minnesota, a 5 percent cap on agent fees for endorsement contracts (ch. 81A sets none), a bar on agency contracts running past eligibility, and a federal private right of action for athletes (§ 102); for athletes at schools whose primary membership is in Division I (§ 101(b)(5)), reporting to the school and the association or its designated entity 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)); and federal authority for schools, conferences and collectives to "pay, provide, or facilitate" NIL compensation (§ 101(c)).
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. Minnesota's athlete-agent rules are on the state-by-state registration table.
- High school. High school NIL in Minnesota 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 Minnesota
Does Minnesota have an NIL law in 2026?
No college NIL statute was found as of 2026-10-21. SF 63 (2021 special session), which would have authorized NIL pay and created a working group, was referred to Rules and Administration on 2021-06-24 with no further action. Minnesota's law touching NIL is its athlete agent act, Minn. Stat. chapter 81A, which covers agents for endorsement deals.
Can Minnesota colleges pay athletes directly?
No Minnesota statute was found that allows or forbids it. The University of Minnesota's NIL policy (2025-11-04) refers to payments under an "institutional licensing agreement"; school payments are governed by the House settlement and NCAA and College Sports Commission rules. A 2026 bill to bar public colleges from using student fees to compensate athletes (SF 3759) was not enacted in that form; the higher education law that passed (2026 ch. 116) instead bars Minnesota State from fees or tuition increases for competitive athletic facilities.
Do I have to tell my school about an NIL deal in Minnesota?
No state statute requires reporting an NIL deal itself. The University of Minnesota policy requires reporting third-party deals of $600 or more under College Sports Commission rules, which for Division I means NIL Go within five business days of signing (NCAA Bylaws 22.2.2 and 22.2.2.2). If an athlete signs with an agent, Minn. Stat. § 81A.32 requires both the athlete and the agent to notify the athletic director within 72 hours or before the next scheduled athletic event, whichever is first.
Does Minnesota require an NIL agent to be licensed?
Registered, yes. Under Minn. Stat. § 81A.25 an individual may not act as an athlete agent in Minnesota without a certificate of registration from the commissioner of commerce, and an agency contract includes one to negotiate or solicit endorsement contracts (§ 81A.23, subds. 2, 7). The fee is $500, renewal $400 (§ 81A.30), and registration lasts two years (§ 81A.27, subd. 4). The athlete may cancel within 14 days, and the right cannot be waived (§ 81A.33).
Does Minnesota's agent law cover high school athletes?
Yes. Minn. Stat. § 81A.23, subd. 19 defines "student athlete" to include anyone who engages in or may be eligible to engage in an interscholastic sport. For a minor, the agency contract must be signed by a parent or guardian, and the parent or guardian may cancel it within 14 days (§§ 81A.31, subd. 6; 81A.33).
Be your own agent. Leave.
