Leave is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by The Pennsylvania State University, its athletics department or its conference. Everything here comes from what The Pennsylvania State University, its conference, the state of Pennsylvania and the NCAA have published, linked under Sources and read on October 21, 2026. "Not published" means the school has not published it.
The rules at Penn State
| Question | What is published | Source |
|---|---|---|
| School NIL policy | Penn State Athletics publishes no standalone NIL policy on its compliance page, which links the Student-Athlete Handbook, NCAA rules guides and the Athlete Agent Policy. The 2026-27 Student-Athlete Handbook (file dated 2026-09-15) covers NIL employment, NIL disclosure, NIL service providers, the Brand Academy and Penn State's NIL consultant, and the Athlete Agent Registration Program policy covers NIL agents | Penn State Athletics, Compliance; Student-Athlete Handbook 2026-27; Athlete Agent Policy |
| 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). The handbook says NIL employment "taking place at any time, including PSU vacation periods (e.g., winter break), should be disclosed through the NIL GO platform in accordance with NCAA and CSC rules", and that a failure to disclose NIL activity may affect athletics eligibility and restrict how Penn State employees can support the athlete. Penn State's agent policy says any contract signed with a current athlete "must be disclosed by the student-athlete or agent to the Athletics Compliance Office prior to execution". Pennsylvania law makes disclosure of an NIL contract to the school optional ("may") | Student-Athlete Handbook 2026-27; Athlete Agent Policy; NCAA Division I Manual 2026-27; Public School Code § 2006-M(f) |
| Banned categories | Pennsylvania law bars NIL pay connected to adult entertainment, alcohol, casinos and gambling (including sports betting, the lottery and betting on video, online and mobile games), tobacco and electronic smoking products, prescription pharmaceuticals, and controlled dangerous substances (§ 2006-M(d)). Penn State publishes no NIL category list of its own; its handbook's social media guidelines list posts that depict personal use of alcohol, drugs or tobacco, or suggest gambling, as inappropriate content | Public School Code § 2006-M(d); Student-Athlete Handbook 2026-27 |
| School marks and group licensing | Not published as an NIL rule on the compliance page, in the handbook or on the Brand Academy page. The Brand Academy page lists Athletes Thread for player merchandise, ONIT for officially licensed trading cards and the INFLCR Marketplace as ways to do NIL business with Penn State athletes | Penn State Athletics, The Brand Academy |
| Revenue sharing | The College Sports Commission puts the 2026-27 cap at approximately $21.58 million per school and lists Penn State as a participating school. Penn State's athletic director wrote on 2025-06-07 that Penn State "will share revenue with our student-athletes to the maximum allowable levels", would increase scholarships through the new Legacy Fund and the Nittany Lion Club Excellence Funds, and had developed ROAR Solutions, "a powerful, dynamic group of resources assembled to deliver the best student-athlete NIL, endorsement and branding support in the country". Penn State publishes no revenue share figure | Penn State Athletics, House settlement letter (2025-06-07); College Sports Commission, Revenue Sharing and Participating Schools |
| Collective or NIL group | Penn State Athletics announced on 2023-06-08 that Success With Honor, the NIL collective for all 31 sports, and Lions Legacy Club, the football NIL collective, were uniting to create the "Happy Valley United NIL collective". Happy Valley United's own site calls itself the "Official Penn State NIL Collective" (checked 2026-10-21); that wording is Happy Valley United's, and Penn State's compliance page, handbook and Brand Academy page do not mention it. Penn State's in-house NIL program is the Brand Academy, and its handbook names Accelerate Sports Ventures as "Penn State Athletics Consultant for Name, Image and Likeness" | Penn State Athletics (2023-06-08); Happy Valley United; Student-Athlete Handbook 2026-27 |
| Agents and representation | Penn State's Athlete Agent Registration Program uses Pennsylvania's athlete agent definition, extends it to NIL representation, and names athlete agents, contract advisors, financial advisors, NIL agents and marketing representatives as common examples. Each must register with Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics every fiscal year, with a copy of a current Pennsylvania registration, before communicating with a current or prospective athlete about representation; only registered agents may do so, and in the first contact they disclose their standard rates and the Pennsylvania Department of State's complaint link. Pennsylvania law requires NIL representation to come from an athlete agent under 5 Pa.C.S. Ch. 35 (State Athletic Commission registration) or a Pennsylvania lawyer (§ 2004-M(b)) | Penn State Athletics, Athlete Agent Policy; Compliance page; Public School Code § 2004-M |
| Compliance contact | Penn State Athletics Compliance Office, 103 Bryce Jordan Center, University Park, PA 16802; 814-863-8048; compliance@athletics.psu.edu | Penn State Athletics, Compliance |
| State law | Pennsylvania's college NIL law, Article XX-M of the Public School Code (Act 89 of 2024), is in force. Athletes may earn NIL pay, disclosure to the school is optional, six categories are banned, and representation comes from a registered athlete agent or a Pennsylvania lawyer | /nil/college/pennsylvania |
What is specific to Penn State
Penn State's published NIL rules focus on the people around an athlete. Its agent registration program reaches NIL agents, marketing representatives and financial advisors, not only sports agents, and requires them to register with Penn State every year on top of their Pennsylvania registration, to tell athletes their standard rates in the first contact, and to have any contract with a current athlete disclosed to compliance before it is signed; Penn State can revoke an agent's approved status and may inform the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission. For the deals themselves Penn State points to education and support: the Brand Academy, made possible by a $2.5 million anonymous gift honoring Wally Triplett, offers programs in personal branding, entrepreneurship and commercialization, and facilitation of athlete endorsements from rooms in the Morgan Academic Center.
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 State
Does Penn State pay its athletes?
Yes. Penn State's athletic director wrote on 2025-06-07, after the House settlement was approved, that Penn State "will share revenue with our student-athletes to the maximum allowable levels". The College Sports Commission lists Penn State as a participating school for 2026-27, when the cap is approximately $21.58 million per school. Penn State publishes no revenue share figure.
What NIL collective works with Penn State?
Penn State Athletics announced on 2023-06-08 that its two collectives, Success With Honor and Lions Legacy Club, were merging into Happy Valley United, which calls itself the "Official Penn State NIL Collective" on its own site (checked 2026-10-21). Penn State's compliance page, handbook and Brand Academy page do not mention Happy Valley United. Penn State's own NIL program is the Brand Academy.
Do Penn State athletes have to tell the school about NIL deals?
Pennsylvania law makes it optional: the athlete "may" disclose a contract to the school before signing (§ 2006-M(f)). Penn State's 2026-27 handbook says NIL employment should be disclosed through NIL Go in accordance with NCAA and College Sports Commission rules, where third-party deals of $600 or more are reported within five business days, and its agent policy says any contract with a registered agent is disclosed to the Athletics Compliance Office before signing.
Does an NIL agent have to register with Penn State?
Penn State's policy says so. Its compliance page says all agents and advisors with whom athletes have a relationship related to athletic ability or NIL "shall register with the Penn State Athletics Compliance Office on an annual basis", and the Athlete Agent Registration Program asks for a copy of a current Pennsylvania registration. Pennsylvania law separately requires a registered athlete agent or a Pennsylvania lawyer for NIL representation (§ 2004-M(b)).
What NIL deals are banned for Penn State athletes?
Pennsylvania law bars NIL pay tied 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 State publishes no separate NIL category list.
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