National Collegiate Athletics Association

Serves as the athletics governing body for more than 1200 colleges, universities, conferences and organizations.

Member colleges and universities develop the rules and guidelines for athletics eligibility and competition for each of the three NCAA divisions

NCAA is committed to the student-athlete and to governing competition in a fair, safe, inclusive and sportsmanlike manner

Student-athlete GRADUATION is ultimate goal

NCAA Membership DivisionsDivision I – sponsor at least 7 sports each for

men and women (or 6 men/8 women), 2 team sports for each gender, contest and participant minimums for each sport, scheduling requirements, minimum and maximum financial aid requirements

Division II – sponsor at least 5 sports each for men and women (or 4 men/6 women), 2 team sports for each gender, contest and participant minimums, scheduling requirements, maximum financial aid awards

Division III – sponsor at least 5 sports each for men and women, 2 team sports for each gender, no athletics aid awarded

NCAA INITIAL

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENT

S

BECOMING A STUDENT ATHLETE5 year clock – 4 years of eligibilityTo be eligible to participate in college athletics

at any NCAA Division I or II institution, prospective student athletes (PSA’s) must have their academic and amateur credentials certified through the

NCAA ELIGIBILITY CENTER www.eligibilitycenter.com

PSA’S will fall into one of four categories:

ELIGIBILITY CATEGORIESQUALIFIER – PSA can receive athletics aid, practice and

compete during their first year of college enrollmentNONQUALIFIER – PSA can not receive athletics aid, can not

practice and can not compete during their first year of college enrollment

ACADEMIC REDSHIRT – For PSA’s initially enrolling in a Division I institution August 1, 2016 or later – can receive athletics aid and practice during first year of enrollment but can not compete. PSA must be academically successful during first semester to continue to practice the rest of the academic year

PARTIAL QUALIFIER – For PSA’s enrolling at a Division II institution (DI PSA’s can be deemed a partial through initial eligibility waivers as well) – can receive athletics aid and practice but can not compete during their first year of enrollment

DETERMINING ELIGIBILITYGRADUATIONCORE COURSESTEST SCORESGRADE POINT AVERAGEAMATEURISM

GRADUATIONPSA must graduate from high school on time.

WHAT IS A CORE COURSE?For NCAA purposes, a core course must be an

academic course in one or a combination of these areas: English, mathematics, natural/physical science, social science, foreign language, comparative religion or philosophy

Be four year college preparatoryBe taught at or above high school’s regular

academic level (no remedial, developmental, enhanced, taught at a slower pace or those that cover less content than the college prep course)

Not all classes taken to meet high school graduation requirements may be used as core courses by the NCAA

Each high school has a list of core classes accepted by the NCAA (called the 48H).

Credit by exam courses will not be used

Nontraditional courses (online, virtual, distance learning, independent student, individualized instruction, correspondence, computer software programs, etc) must include ongoing access between the instructor and student as well as regular interaction for purposes of teaching, evaluating and providing assistance

Nontraditional courses must have a defined time period for completion

Nontraditional courses should be clearly identified as such on transcript

Nontraditional courses must be four year college preparatory. They need to be comparable in length, content and rigor to courses taught in a traditional classroom setting.

Credit recovery courses must meet the NCAA definition of a core course to be accepted – these courses may be reviewed on an individual basis – SAVE EVERYTHING!!!!!

CORE COURSES – DIVISION IMust complete these 16 core classes:

4 years of English3 years of math (Algebra I or higher)2 years natural/physical science (including one

year of lab if offered by high school)1 additional year of English/math/science2 years of social science4 years of additional core courses(from any

category above or foreign language, comparative religion or philosophy)

PSA must earn a minimum required GPA in core courses

PSA must earn a combined SAT or ACT sum score that corresponds to the core course GPA (slide scale)

PSA must complete the 16 core courses within four consecutive academic years from start of 9th gradeIf PSA graduates on time, they can use one core course

after graduation before initial full time collegiate enrollment to meet NCAA core course requirements. Those students with a diagnosed learning disability can use up to 3 core courses(proper documentation must be provided to EC)

NCAA Division I Sliding Scales

Sliding Scale A - for students first enrolling at an NCAA DI institution as a full-time student during a regular academic semester BEFORE August 1, 2016

Sliding Scale B – for students first enrolling at an NCAA DI institution as a full-time student during a regular academic semester AFTER August 1, 2016

PSA’S ENROLLING ON OR AFTER AUGUST 1, 2016 – DIVISION IQualifiers must complete the 16 core courses,

however, 10 of them must be completed BEFORE the seventh semester (senior year) of high school. Seven of those 10 must be English, math or science.

Must have a minimum core course GPA of 2.3Grades earned in the 10 courses required before

senior year are “locked in” and can’t be changed

CORE COURSES – DIVISION IIPSA’s ENROLLING AUGUST 1, 2013 Must complete these 16 core courses:

3 years of English2 years of math (Algebra I or higher)2 years of natural/physical science (one year of

lab if offered by high school)3 additional years of English/math/science2 years of social studies4 years additional core courses (from any

category above, or foreign language, comparative religion or philosophy)

Must earn a 2.0 GPA or better in core coursesMust earn a combined SAT score of 820 or an

ACT sum score of 68

PARTIAL QUALIFIER – those PSA’s who did not meet all the academic requirements listed but have graduated from high school and meet one of the following:Combined SAT score of 820 or ACT sum score

of 68Completion of the 16 core courses with a 2.0

core course GPA

Division IIIDivision III college bound student athletes

are not certified through the NCAA Eligibility Center – these schools set their own admissions standards and tend to be academically rigorous

TEST SCORESPSA must achieve the required score of the

SAT or ACT before full-time collegiate enrollment (this goes for international students as well)

State administered ACT exams will be accepted by NCAA as well as those administered on national testing dates

If your ACT/SAT test fee was waived, your eligibility center fee can be waived as well – talk to your guidance counselor

All SAT and ACT scores must be reported to the NCAA Eligibility Center directly from the testing agency (test scores on transcripts will not be accepted)

When registering for the SAT or ACT, PSA should input the NCAA EC code of 9999 to make sure it’s reported directly to NCAA.

PSA can take the ACT or SAT more than one time. The best sub scores from each test will be added to get the total score

Writing components of SAT/ACT will not be used

GRADE POINT AVERAGEPSA’S grade point average of core courses is

calculated based on a 4.0 scaleBest grades from classes taken that are listed

on the 48H will be used to calculate the GPATo determine quality points earned for each

course, multiply quality point for the grade by the amount of credit earned:A = 4 points B = 3 pointsC = 2 points D = 1 point

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-Some high schools “weight” honors or AP courses – please refer to your high school’s 48H to see if the NCAA will grant that weight to help boost GPA

To calculate the core course GPA, divide the total number of quality points for all core courses by the total number of core courses completed. This is the GPA the NCAA Eligibility Center will use to determine initial eligibility

TRANSCRIPTSIf you’ve attended more than one high school,

official transcripts from EACH school must be sent in to the Eligibility Center

Faxed or emailed transcripts will not be accepted, however, some can be accepted electronically through Docufide/Parchment, Scrip Safe, ConnectEDU, National Transcript Center/Pearson Edustructure, USMO ET and Xap.

AMATEURISMTo participate in NCAA Division I or II

athletics, a PSA must be certified as an amateur athlete.

When PSA registers with Eligibility Center, they will be asked questions regarding their athletics participation. These answers will be reviewed and a determination of amateur status will be made. Amateurism must be certified for each sport you wish to participate in.

Pre-enrollment activities that may be reviewed:Contracts with a professional teamSalary for participating in athleticsPrize moneyPlay with professionalsTryouts, practice or competition with a pro

teamBenefits from an agent/prospective agentAgreement to be represented by an agentDelayed initial full-time collegiate enrollment

to participate in organized sports competitionAny financial assistance based on athletics

skills or participation

STEPS TO ACHIEVING ELIGIBILITYFreshmen and Sophomores –

Start planning now!Get best grades possibleTake classes that match the high school’s 48HAt beginning of sophomore year, complete

online registration at www.eligibilitycenter.org

Juniors –Register to take the ACT, SAT or both – use the

NCAA Eligibility Center code “9999” as a score recipient

Continue taking college prep courses. Work with high school guidance counselor to ensure they are not only meeting high school graduation requirements, but NCAA core course requirements as well

Before registering for senior year classes, check with counselor again to verify courses needed

Have high school guidance counselor send NCAA Eligibility Center copy of transcript at end of junior year ALL high schools attended must send in official

transcripts to NCAA Eligibility Center

Seniors –Take ACT/SAT again if necessary to help

achieve best cumulative scoreContinue taking college prep coursesVerify courses match high school’s 48HReview amateurism responses and request

final amateurism certification on or after April 1 (October 1 for spring enrollees)

Graduate on timeContinue getting best grades possible!After graduation, high school guidance

counselor needs to send NCAA Eligibility Center the final transcript with PROOF OF GRADUATION

RECRUITING RULESCollege coaches are expected to know and

abide by the rules governing recruiting – as a prospective student athlete, you are expected to follow the rules as well. Violations of recruiting rules CAN NEGATIVELY IMPACT YOUR ELIGIBILITY!!!

Each sport has a recruiting calendar – there are specified times when a coach is permitted to have face to face contact with you (contact period), when they can watch you play or practice (evaluation period), when they can have in person contact with you and parents only on college campus (quiet period) and when they can’t have any in person contact with you or your parents (dead period).

Official visits – visit to a college campus that is paid for by the college – allowed up to 5 – can only be taken during senior year(except basketball). You must be registered with Eligibility Center and provide college with copy of your transcript and test score. Transportation, room, meals and reasonable entertainment can be provided.

Unofficial visit – visit to college campus financed by the prospect – no expenses can be provided with exception of complimentary admission to a home athletics event. These can be taken at any time with no limit on number.

You should NEVER be given any kind of gift or extra benefit while being recruited

There are limits to the types and number of communications you can receive from a college coach as well as a limit on the number of contacts and evaluations they can have with you– these are sport specific and change yearly. Familiarize yourself with your sport’s recruiting rules!

Verbal Commitment – this phrase is used to describe a prospect’s commitment to a school before they sign (or are able to sign) an NLI. A verbal commitment is not binding for either the prospect or the college.

National Letter of Intent – signed during your senior year, this binds you to the college and binds the college to you. Make sure you CAREFULLY read the rules and provisions of the NLI before signing!! A National Letter of Intent must be accompanied by an athletics financial aid agreement for it to be valid.

Picking a CollegeBe realistic – academically, financially

and athleticallyBe informed – get to know your coach and

the program, investigate what the campus and surrounding area has to offer

Be prepared – academics doesn’t stop once you’re a qualifier – PTD requirements have to be met each year to maintain your eligibility!

Be proactive – don’t wait until the last minute! Respond to requests and keep track of deadlines.

www.eligibilitycenter.orgThe Guide for the College Bound Student

Athlete - excellent resource for questions

regarding eligibility, amateurism, and recruiting

REMEMBER – YOU are responsible for your eligibility – keep up with your assigned tasks in Eligibility Center!