Leave is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by University of California, Irvine, its athletics department or its conference. Everything here comes from what University of California, Irvine, its conference, the state of California and the NCAA have published, linked under Sources and read on October 24, 2026. "Not published" means the school has not published it.
The rules at UC Irvine
| Question | What is published | Source |
|---|---|---|
| School NIL policy | Not published. The compliance pages carry no NIL policy, the NIL pages of the Anteater 365 student-athlete site showed only headings on 2026-10-24, and the 2026-27 Student-Athlete Handbook mentions NIL only in passing (gear from a company is a prohibited benefit "unless signed NIL deal"; agent agreements are barred "except as permitted through NIL legislation"). The University of California's Regents Policy 3501, Policy on Student Athletes (approved 2016-05-12), does not mention NIL, and no UC system-wide NIL policy was found | UC Irvine Athletics, Compliance and Anteater 365 pages; 2026-27 Student-Athlete Handbook; UC Regents Policy 3501 |
| 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). UC Irvine's 2025 Anteater Exchange release says a business paying an athlete through the exchange "automates a disclosure to the Influencer Compliance Ledger"; no other disclosure rule of the school's own was published. California requires each NIL contract to be disclosed to an official the school designates (Educ. Code § 67456(e)(2)) | UC Irvine Athletics, Anteater Exchange launch (2025-05-06); NCAA Division I Manual 2026-27; /nil/college/california |
| Banned categories | Not published. California's statute lists none, and UC Irvine has published no category list or list of sponsors whose categories are off limits | UC Irvine Athletics, Compliance pages (read 2026-10-24); /nil/college/california |
| School marks and group licensing | UC Irvine Athletics lists three merchandise programs: the UC Irvine NIL Store from Campus Ink, opened 2024-12-10, whose release says "All merchandise on the NIL Store is officially licensed by the University of California, Irvine"; Influxer, announced 2026-05-29, whose stores carry designs "approved by the university"; and Athlete's Thread, linked from the site's NIL menu. No written rule on athletes' own use of UC Irvine marks was published | UC Irvine Athletics, NIL Store (2024-12-10), Influxer partnership (2026-05-29) and site menu |
| Revenue sharing | The College Sports Commission lists the University of California, Irvine among 2026-27 participating schools and puts the 2026-27 cap at "approximately $21.58 million per school" (read 2026-10-24). UC Irvine announced the Together We Zot Fund on 2025-08-25, "exclusively dedicated to providing scholarships, room and board stipends, summer school, institutional licensing (NIL) directly to student-athletes, and Alston awards". The Anteater Club page says "The Together We Zot Fund is managed through the UCI Foundation and is a 501(c)(3) organization", and that after the House settlement NCAA D1 institutions "now provide financial assistance to student-athletes as part of Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) activities". No breakdown by sport was published | UC Irvine Athletics, Together We Zot Fund (2025-08-25); Anteater Club, Together We Zot; College Sports Commission |
| Collective or NIL group | Not published. UC Irvine names no collective. It runs the Anteater Exchange, launched with Teamworks Influencer in 2025, which it describes as a free NIL business registry where businesses, donors and alumni can find athletes and pay them "without any transaction fees". An earlier marketplace, the Anteater Marketplace with Opendorse (announced 2023-02-16), is no longer in the site menu | UC Irvine Athletics, Anteater Exchange launch (2025-05-06) and Anteater Marketplace launch (2023-02-16) |
| Agents and representation | The 2026-27 handbook says an athlete may not agree to be represented by an agent "for the purpose of negotiating and/or marketing athletics ability or reputation in a particular sport", that an agent who contacts an athlete with eligibility remaining "should be directed to the compliance office", and lists an agent agreement as a loss of amateur status "except as permitted through NIL legislation". California law lets athletes hire licensed representation, and the Miller-Ayala Act requires athlete agents to file with the Secretary of State | UC Irvine Athletics, 2026-27 Student-Athlete Handbook; /nil/college/california |
| Compliance contact | UC Irvine Athletics Compliance; the compliance page lists Ashley Letrich, Assistant Athletic Director, Compliance (aletrich@uci.edu, 949-824-0055) | UC Irvine Athletics, Compliance page |
| State law | California Education Code § 67456 (Fair Pay to Play Act), operative since 2021-09-01, covers University of California campuses, protects NIL pay and representation, requires each NIL contract to be disclosed to an official the school designates and lists no banned categories; in force | /nil/college/california |
What is specific to UC Irvine
UC Irvine is an original member of the Big West and is staying: when UC Santa Barbara announced its move to the West Coast Conference on 2026-04-10, Chancellor Howard Gillman said in The Big West's release, "The Big West is our home." Its NIL approach is built from services rather than a rulebook. The Anteater Exchange, run with Teamworks Influencer, lets registered businesses search for athletes, agree a deal and pay through the platform, which also "automates a disclosure to the Influencer Compliance Ledger". Fans can buy athlete merchandise through three channels its site links (the NIL Store, Influxer and Athlete's Thread). For revenue sharing, UC Irvine created the Together We Zot Fund in August 2025 as a separate giving line from the Anteater Club's Eater Nation Fund, which the club says remains the main source for scholarships and the department's operating budget. What UC Irvine does not publish is a written NIL policy: no disclosure deadline of its own, no banned categories and no rule on using school marks.
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 UC Irvine
Does UC Irvine pay its athletes?
The College Sports Commission lists UC Irvine among schools participating in revenue sharing for 2026-27, with a 2026-27 cap of about $21.58 million per school. UC Irvine's Together We Zot Fund says it is dedicated in part to "institutional licensing (NIL) directly to student-athletes". No breakdown by sport or athlete is published.
What is the Together We Zot Fund?
A giving fund UC Irvine announced on 2025-08-25. UC Irvine Athletics says it is "exclusively dedicated to providing scholarships, room and board stipends, summer school, institutional licensing (NIL) directly to student-athletes, and Alston awards", and the Anteater Club says it "is managed through the UCI Foundation". UC Irvine says it does not replace the Anteater Club.
How do UC Irvine athletes report NIL deals?
Third-party deals of $600 or more go into NIL Go within five business days under NCAA rules. Deals paid through the Anteater Exchange are disclosed automatically to the Teamworks Influencer compliance ledger, according to UC Irvine. California law also requires each NIL contract to be disclosed to the school.
What NIL collective works with UC Irvine?
UC Irvine names no collective. It points businesses and supporters to the Anteater Exchange, its NIL marketplace with Teamworks Influencer, and to athlete merchandise through the NIL Store, Influxer and Athlete's Thread.
Is UC Irvine leaving the Big West?
No move has been announced. UC Irvine is one of 12 full Big West members for 2026-27, and its chancellor said on 2026-04-10, in The Big West's release, "The Big West is our home." UC San Diego and UC Santa Barbara leave for the West Coast Conference on 2027-07-01.
Be your own agent. Leave.
