Leave is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Columbia University in the City of New York, its athletics department or its conference. Everything here comes from what Columbia University in the City of New York, its conference, the state of New York and the NCAA have published, linked under Sources and read on October 23, 2026. "Not published" means the school has not published it.
The rules at Columbia
| Question | What is published | Source |
|---|---|---|
| School NIL policy | Not published. Columbia Athletics' compliance pages (Compliance Home, General, Current Student-Athletes, Prospective Student-Athletes, Alumni, Parents and Friends, Local Merchants) carry no NIL policy, and the site's "Name, Image & Likeness" link opens the 2022 Opendorse announcement. The Current Student-Athletes page refers to "the Columbia Student-Athlete Handbook", which was not found on the site | Columbia Athletics, Compliance pages (read 2026-10-23) |
| How deals are disclosed | NIL Go for third-party deals of $600 or more within five business days (NCAA Bylaws 22.2.2, 22.2.2.2). New York: an athlete "shall disclose the contract in advance of executing it to an official of the college, as designated by the college" (N.Y. Educ. Law § 6438-c(6)(b)). Columbia's only published process is Opendorse, which its 2022 announcement calls "the compliance mechanism by which student-athletes can report on all name, image and likeness activity". Columbia has not published the Ivy League $2,000 review that Brown, Harvard, Penn, Princeton and Yale describe in their policies | NCAA 2026-27 Division I Manual; /nil/college/new-york; Columbia Athletics, Opendorse marketplace announcement (2022-11-15) |
| Banned categories | Not published by Columbia. New York's statute lists no banned categories; it lets a college assert a conflict where a deal "would reasonably be judged to cause financial loss or reputational damage to the college" (§ 6438-c(6)(d)(iv)) | /nil/college/new-york; Columbia Athletics, Compliance pages (read 2026-10-23) |
| School marks and group licensing | Not published. Columbia Athletics' site has no page on athletes' use of Columbia names or marks for NIL, and no group licensing program is described | Columbia Athletics (read 2026-10-23) |
| Revenue sharing | Columbia does not appear on the College Sports Commission's 2026-27 participating-schools list (read 2026-10-23), which puts the cap for participating schools at approximately $21.58 million per school. No Columbia statement on revenue sharing was found on its athletics site, and no Ivy League statement on revenue sharing was found on ivyleague.com. The league describes need-based aid "without granting athletic scholarships" | College Sports Commission, Participating Schools and Revenue Sharing; Ivy League, A League Is Born |
| Collective or NIL group | Not published. No Columbia document names a collective. Columbia's official marketplace runs on Opendorse (announced 2022-11-15), where "Columbia fans, brands, sponsors and donors can browse, book, pitch and compensate any Columbia student-athlete for NIL activities"; the release calls it "the first of its kind in The Ivy League." On 2025-11-11 Columbia announced a pilot with Cache AI, an athlete analytics and NIL technology company, for the men's and women's basketball teams, introduced by JMI Sports, which operates locally as Lions Sports Marketing | Columbia Athletics, Opendorse marketplace announcement (2022-11-15) and Cache AI announcement (2025-11-11) |
| Agents and representation | Not published by Columbia. New York law: no college may stop an athlete from hiring agents or lawyers for NIL contracts; agents must be registered under General Business Law article 39-E and lawyers licensed in New York; the agent and the athlete each notify the athletic director within 72 hours of signing or before the next athletic event, and the athlete may cancel within five days (§ 6438-c(4); GBL article 39-E) | /nil/college/new-york |
| Compliance contact | Columbia Athletics Compliance Office, led by the Associate Athletics Director for Compliance, 212-854-8666 | Columbia Athletics, Compliance Home and Staff Directory |
| State law | In force. New York's Education Law § 6438-c (since 2023-01-01) lets college athletes earn from NIL, has them disclose each contract to the college before signing, and limits representation to registered agents and New York lawyers | /nil/college/new-york |
What is specific to Columbia
Columbia's teams are not only Columbia's. Barnard College says "The Columbia-Barnard Athletic Consortium allows Barnard students to compete with Columbia undergraduates in NCAA Division I athletics and the Ivy League", and that Barnard is "the only women's college where you can compete in NCAA Division I athletics." Columbia's published NIL material is about its marketplace and tools rather than written rules: an Opendorse marketplace announced on 2022-11-15 as "the first of its kind in The Ivy League", which its release says also serves as the reporting tool, and a pilot announced on 2025-11-11 with Cache AI for the men's and women's basketball teams, giving coaches, administrators and compliance staff "AI-powered dashboards highlighting key performance, engagement, and brand indicators". The other seven Ivy schools each post an NIL policy or FAQ; Columbia has not posted written NIL rules, a banned-category list or rules on using its name and marks, so New York's statute and the NCAA's bylaws are the published rules. The Ivy League guide at /be-your-own-agent/ivy-league sets Columbia beside the other seven schools.
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 law decide. Leave is software, not an agent, and takes 0% of any deal. You decide, you send.
Questions about NIL at Columbia
Does Columbia pay its athletes?
Columbia is not on the College Sports Commission's 2026-27 list of schools sharing revenue with athletes, and no Columbia statement on revenue sharing was found. The Ivy League describes need-based financial aid "without granting athletic scholarships". Columbia athletes can be paid by outside businesses for NIL work, including through Columbia's Opendorse marketplace.
How do Columbia athletes report NIL deals?
New York's § 6438-c(6)(b) has an athlete disclose each NIL contract to a college official designated by the college "in advance of executing it". NCAA Bylaws 22.2.2 and 22.2.2.2 add NIL Go reporting for third-party deals of $600 or more within five business days. Columbia's 2022 announcement names Opendorse as its reporting tool; Columbia has not published a newer process.
Does Columbia have an NIL policy?
None is posted. Columbia Athletics' compliance pages carry no NIL policy as of 2026-10-23, and the "Name, Image & Likeness" link on its site opens the 2022 Opendorse announcement. A Columbia athlete's published rules are New York's Education Law § 6438-c, the NCAA's NIL Go bylaws and the Ivy League's ban on pay for play.
Can Barnard athletes on Columbia teams do NIL deals?
Barnard says the Columbia-Barnard Athletic Consortium "allows Barnard students to compete with Columbia undergraduates in NCAA Division I athletics and the Ivy League", so NCAA Bylaw 22.2.2 reaches them as it does every Division I athlete. Neither Columbia nor Barnard has published which school's NIL process or designated official applies to Barnard students.
What is Columbia's NIL marketplace?
An Opendorse marketplace announced on 2022-11-15, which Columbia calls the first of its kind in the Ivy League. Fans, brands, sponsors and donors can "browse, book, pitch and compensate any Columbia student-athlete for NIL activities", and each athlete can create a profile to review opportunities, accept deals and receive pay.
Does New York's NIL law apply to Columbia athletes?
New York's Education Law § 6438-c covers students enrolled at a college who take part in intercollegiate athletics; it does not define "college". It requires disclosure before signing, lets the college assert a conflict on listed grounds, and requires registered agents or New York lawyers. The New York page has the full law, and the Ivy League guide at /be-your-own-agent/ivy-league covers the league's own rules.
Be your own agent. Leave.
