It is actually the member schools and not the NCAA staff who impose the rules. At times, however, the NCAA's staff will be called on to provide interpretations of a rule. In these instances, member institutions generally have the ability to challenge the ruling if the institution believes the ruling is contrary to the way the rule was intended to apply. Violations can be classified as either secondary or major. Secondary violations are those that provide only a limited recruiting or competitive advantage.
Major violations result from actions that cause an extensive recruiting or competitive advantage.
Major violations may also result from repeated secondary violations. The penalty depends on the violation that was committed. Penalties range from a letter of reprimand for the involved coach or staff member, to reduced days that a coach may recruit, to a reduction in scholarships, to disassociation of an athletic booster to forfeiture of contests. In most cases, penalties are determined based on previous actions taken in similar cases. Penalties for secondary violations are generally less severe than for major violations.