Leave is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by University of Pennsylvania, its athletics department or its conference. Everything here comes from what University of Pennsylvania, its conference, the state of Pennsylvania 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 Penn
| Question | What is published | Source |
|---|---|---|
| School NIL policy | DRIA Student-Athlete Name, Image and Likeness Policy (effective 2021-07-01; "Updated: September 9, 2025"), linked from Penn Athletics' compliance page. The linked file was posted 2026-01-07; it keeps the September 9, 2025 date but changes the disclosure window of the file posted 2025-09-09 from seven days to five and adds that late reports may bring College Sports Commission discipline. Pay must be for "services, activities, intellectual property, appearances, or other value actually provided" and not for athletic performance; its examples of impermissible pay are $100 per goal, $10,000 for a Player of the Year award and free use of a car with nothing given in return. The 2026-27 Student-Athlete Handbook (August 2026) and the 2026 Compliance Manual repeat the policy in summary | Penn Athletics, NIL Policy (updated 2025-09-09); Penn Athletics, 2026-27 Student-Athlete Handbook and Compliance Manual |
| How deals are disclosed | NCAA: third-party deals of $600 or more are reported to NIL Go within five business days (Bylaws 22.2.2, 22.2.2.2). Penn's policy: athletes "must disclose any NIL Activity to Penn Athletics through the Teamworks Influencer platform that results in compensation within five days of either the receipt of the compensation or the execution of an agreement for future compensation, whichever occurs first"; changes within fourteen days. "If an NIL deal is above $600, an additional disclosure must be made to NIL Go" and "If an NIL deal is above $2,000, an additional disclosure must be made to the Ivy League," and "No benefits should be accepted until approval has been given by all applicable entities." The 2026-27 handbook and the 2026 compliance manual say "within seven days", as the policy file posted 2025-09-09 did, and do not mention the NIL Go or Ivy League steps. Pennsylvania law makes disclosure to the school optional (§ 2006-M(f)) | Penn Athletics, NIL Policy (updated 2025-09-09); Penn Athletics, 2026-27 Student-Athlete Handbook; NCAA Division I Manual 2026-27; /nil/college/pennsylvania |
| Banned categories | Pennsylvania law bars NIL pay connected to adult entertainment, alcohol, casinos and gambling (including sports betting and the lottery), tobacco and electronic smoking products, prescription pharmaceuticals and controlled dangerous substances (§ 2006-M(d)). Penn's policy lists the same categories, adds "any other drug category" and "Firearms", and says "The University maintains the right to expand on this list" | Penn Athletics, NIL Policy (updated 2025-09-09), section 7; /nil/college/pennsylvania |
| School marks and group licensing | Athletes may say they play "[insert name of sport] at Penn" or are "a member of the [insert name of sport] at Penn"; no other use of the University's name, logos, marks or other intellectual property in noninstitutional NIL activity. Penn may license athletes its photos and videos only for activities for which they are not directly paid, and facilities are available for NIL on the same terms and fees as any third party. The policy repeats Pennsylvania's royalty rule: anyone who produces a college team jersey, video game or trading cards for profit pays a royalty to each athlete whose NIL is used, and the University is not responsible for those payments | Penn Athletics, NIL Policy (updated 2025-09-09), sections 3, 5 and 16 |
| Revenue sharing | Penn is not on the College Sports Commission's 2026-27 list of 335 participating schools (read 2026-10-23); the Commission puts the 2026-27 cap at "approximately $21.58 million per school" for schools that take part. No Ivy League statement on revenue sharing was found on ivyleague.com, and no Penn statement on it was found. Penn's policy says athletes "are entitled to compensation only from noninstitutional entities and not from the institution" | College Sports Commission, Participating Schools and Revenue Sharing; Penn Athletics, NIL Policy (updated 2025-09-09), section 13 |
| Collective or NIL group | Not published by Penn: no Penn document found names a collective. Penn's official marketplace is the Penn-I-L Exchange on Teamworks Influencer (launched 2024-01-18), which Penn says lets "approved businesses, collectives and individuals" reach athletes and automates a disclosure for each completed deal; Penn's How To Support page also points businesses to marketplaces such as INFLCR, Opendorse and MOGL and to referrals. Men's basketball coach Fran McCaffery described an alumni-run collective that raises money and pays it out for NIL work by men's basketball players, reported by The Daily Pennsylvanian on 2025-11-07, not confirmed by the school | Penn Athletics, Penn-I-L Exchange launch (2024-01-18) and How To Support Penn Student-Athletes Through NIL; The Daily Pennsylvanian (2025-11-07) |
| Agents and representation | Penn's policy: "An individual may not act as an athlete agent in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania without holding a certificate of registration," and the certificate is presented to Penn through its Agent Registration Form (which offers "Sports Agent" and "NIL Agent" boxes); notice is due "no later than 72 hours after entering into a contract or before the next scheduled athletic event the student-athlete may participate, whichever is sooner", with the contract provided to Penn, and the contract must say it does not obligate the athlete beyond NIL representation. A professional service provider for NIL "may not also serve as the student-athlete's agent" as Penn defines it. State law: a registered athlete agent or a Pennsylvania lawyer (§ 2004-M(b)) | Penn Athletics, NIL Policy (updated 2025-09-09), section 4; Penn Athletics, Agent Registration Form (11/2022); /nil/college/pennsylvania |
| Compliance contact | Penn Athletics Compliance Office, athlcomp@upenn.edu; staff listed on the compliance page are the Associate Athletic Director, Compliance/SWA and the Director of Compliance | Penn Athletics, Compliance |
| State law | Pennsylvania's Article XX-M of the Public School Code (Act 89 of 2024) lets college athletes earn NIL pay, makes disclosure to the school optional, bans six categories, requires a registered athlete agent or Pennsylvania lawyer and shields schools that pay athletes directly from NCAA and conference action; in force | /nil/college/pennsylvania |
What is specific to Penn
Penn's NIL program is built on one software stack. In November 2023 it became, by its own account, the first Ivy League school to partner with Teamworks Elite, and in January 2024 it launched the Penn-I-L Exchange, where registered businesses pay athletes directly and each completed deal produces a disclosure and a single year-end 1099. Its policy layers three filings: Teamworks Influencer within five days for Penn, NIL Go above $600 and the Ivy League above $2,000, with no benefits accepted until every approval is in. Because Penn is in Pennsylvania, its policy also carries state rules other Ivy schools do not: agents need a Pennsylvania certificate of registration, agent contracts must say they cover only NIL, and makers of team jerseys, video games and trading cards owe athletes a royalty. Penn's policy requires Nike footwear and apparel in training and competition, and Penn announced a multi-year Nike and BSN Sports partnership for all 33 varsity sports on 2026-04-13. The Ivy League guide at /be-your-own-agent/ivy-league compares the eight 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 Penn
Does Penn pay its athletes?
Penn is not on the College Sports Commission's 2026-27 list of schools sharing revenue with athletes, and its NIL policy says athletes are paid by third parties and not by the institution, including for Penn's own promotional appearances. Outside businesses can pay Penn athletes for NIL work, including through the Penn-I-L Exchange.
How do Penn athletes report NIL deals?
Penn's NIL policy (updated September 9, 2025) says paid NIL activity is disclosed through Teamworks Influencer within five days of payment or signing, whichever comes first, with an added NIL Go filing above $600 and an Ivy League filing above $2,000, and no benefits accepted until all approvals. Penn's 2026-27 handbook says seven days. NCAA rules set five business days for NIL Go.
Is there an NIL collective at Penn?
Penn has not published one. A collective for men's basketball, described by coach Fran McCaffery and run by alumni, was reported by The Daily Pennsylvanian on 2025-11-07, not confirmed by the school. Penn's own channel is the Penn-I-L Exchange, which it says connects athletes with approved businesses, collectives and individuals.
Do NIL agents have to register to work with Penn athletes?
Penn's policy says an athlete agent needs a Pennsylvania certificate of registration, presented to Penn on its Agent Registration Form, with notice within 72 hours of a contract or before the next event and a copy of the contract. Pennsylvania law allows NIL representation only by a registered athlete agent or a Pennsylvania lawyer.
Can Penn athletes wear other brands in NIL deals?
Penn's policy lets athletes work with Penn sponsors and their competitors except in footwear and apparel: athletes wear Nike while training or competing for Penn unless Nike grants an exemption. In NIL activity, the policy limits Penn's name to a line such as "[sport] at Penn".
Be your own agent. Leave.
