The purpose of this study was to examine student athletes' and non-athletes' academic performance within the criterion of being a transfer or non-transfer student at a Division I-A institution. Data was collected on a total of 2,740 students, through submission from the University of North Carolina's Institutional Research Department. Measurements of academic success were analyzed by using one-sample t-test, independent t-test, and descriptive statistics. Results indicated significant differences among all four comparisons (1) non-transfer non-student-athletes v. non-transfer student-athletes; (2) transfer non-student-athletes v. transfer student-athletes; (3) non-transfer nonstudent-athletes v. transfer non-student-athletes; (4) non-transfer student-athletes v. transfer student-athletes). Non-student-athletes were found to have the greatest academic success. Of the non-student-athletes, non-transfer non-student-athletes reached a higher level of academic success than transfer non-student-athletes. Transfer-student-athletes showed to have a higher probability of gaining more academic success than non-transfer student-athletes, but were generally out-performed by transfer non-student-athletes. When excluding transferring from the equation, non-transfer non-student-athletes' academic success surpassed non-transfer student-athletes. Data from this study will hopefully provide a foundation to lead into additional research examining if the NCAA transfer rule is too restrictive or lenient.