Preparing to be a Collegiate Student‐Athlete Maureen A. Harty   National Athletic Collegiate Association 

 

Opportunities  

NCAA National Collegiate Athletic Program 

Divisions I, II, and III ncaa.org 

 NAIA 

National Association of Intercollegiate 

Athletics naia.org 

 NCCAA 

National Christian College Athletic Association thenccaa.org 

 NJCAA 

National Junior College Athletic Association njcaa.org 

ATHLETICS ACADEMICS CHARACTER

Personalize your 

recruiting letters.  

Resumes are 

great.

Send  video of strengths 

and weaknesses.

Attend 

Camps.

Take unofficial visits.

Getting Noticed

Points to Consider

DemographicsAcademic

AtmosphereAcademic Reputation

Top Three Major Choices

Career Goals

Family Support

Home for Holidays

Playing Time Winning Other Costs

DIVISION IDivision I schools, on average, enroll the most students, manage the largest athletics budgets, offer a wide array of academic programs and provide the most athletics scholarships.

PARTICIPATION• 176,000 student-athletes• 346 colleges and universities

ATHLETICS SCHOLARSHIPS56 percent of all student-athletes receive some level of athletics aid

ACADEMICS2014 Graduation Success Rate: 83 percent*

OTHER STATSMedian Undergraduate Enrollment: 9,205Average Number of Teams per School: 19Average Percentage of Student Body Participating in Sports: 4 percentDivision I National Championships: 26 (1 out

of every 8.5 student-athletes participates)

DIVISION IIDivision II provides growth opportunities through academic achievement, high-level athletics competition and community engagement. Many participants are first-generation college students.

PARTICIPATION• 118,800 student-athletes• 307 colleges and universities

ATHLETICS SCHOLARSHIPS61 percent of all student-athletes receive some level of athletics aid

ACADEMICS2014 Academic Success Rate: 71 percent*

OTHER STATSMedian Undergraduate Enrollment: 2,530Average Number of Teams per School: 15Average Percentage of Student Body Participating in Sports: 10 percent Division II National Championships: 25

(1 out of every 7 student-athletes participates)

DIVISION IIIThe Division III experience provides an integrated environment that focuses on academic success while offering competitive athletics and meaningful non-athletics opportunities.

PARTICIPATION• 187,800 student-athletes• 439 colleges and universities

FINANCIAL AID82 percent of all student-athletes receive some form of academic grant or need-based scholarship; institutional gift aid totals $17,000 on average

ACADEMICS2014 Academic Success Rate: 87 percent*

OTHER STATSMedian Undergraduate Enrollment: 1,860Average Number of Teams per School: 18Average Percentage of Student Body Participating in Sports: 21 percentDivision III National Championships: 28 (1 out

of every 10 student-athletes participates)

*Graduation rate for student-athletes, including those who transfer from one school to another.

NCAA RECRUITING FACTSCollege sports create a pathway to opportunity for student-athletes.

19,000 3DivisionsTeams480,000

Student-athletes 1Association

Want to play NCAA sports? Visit www.NCAA.org/playcollegesports

July 2016

Does the NCAA award athletics scholarships?Individual schools award athletics scholarships. Divisions I and II schools provide $2.7 billion in athletics scholarships annually to more than 150,000 student-athletes. Division III schools, with more than 180,000 student-athletes, do not offer athletically related financial aid, but most student-athletes receive some form of academic grant or need-based scholarship.

Do many high school athletes earn athletics scholarships?Very few, in fact. About 2 percent of high school athletes are awarded some form of athletics scholarship to compete in college.

Do NCAA student-athletes have difficulty meeting graduation requirements with the time demands of their sport? While competing in college does require strong time-management skills and some thoughtful planning with academic advisors, on average NCAA student-athletes graduate at a higher rate than the general student body.

Do many NCAA student-athletes go on to play professionally?Fewer than 2 percent of NCAA student-athletes go on to be professional athletes. In reality, most student-athletes depend on academics to prepare them for life after college. Education is important. There are nearly half a million NCAA student-athletes, and most of them will go pro in something other than sports.

Facts about NCAA sports

ESTIMATED PROBABILITY OF COMPETING IN NCAA ATHLETICS BEYOND HIGH SCHOOL

Men’s Women’s Men’s Men’s Student-Athletes All Sports Basketball Basketball Football Baseball Ice Hockey Soccer

High School Student-Athletes 7,800,000 541,500 429,500 1,083,600 486,600 35,900 432,600

NCAA Student-Athletes 480,000 18,700 16,600 72,800 34,200 4,100 24,500

Percentage Moving from High School to NCAA 6% 3.5% 3.9% 6.7% 7% 11.3% 5.7%

Percentage Moving from NCAA to Major Professional* 2% 1.1% 0.9% 1.6% 9.7% 6.6% 1.4%

NCAA is a trademark of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

*Percent NCAA to Major Professional figures are based on the number of draft picks made in the NFL, NBA, WNBA, MLB, NHL and MLS drafts.

July 2016

FOLLOW

YOUR

PATH

For more information:eligibilitycenter.org

NCAA.org/playcollegesports

Search Frequently Asked Questions:NCAA.org/studentfaq

Follow us on Twitter:@ncaa_ec

one opportunity.

limitless

Possibilities.

Grade 9Plan

• Start planning now! Take the right courses and earn the bestgrades you can.

• Ask your counselor for a list of your high school’s NCAA corecourses to make sure you take the right classes. Or, find yourhigh school’s list of NCAA core courses at eligibilitycenter.org.

Grade 10Register

• Register with the NCAA Eligibility Center at eligibilitycenter.org.• If you fall behind on courses, don’t take shortcuts to catch up.

Ask your counselor for help with finding approved courses orprograms you can take.

Grade 11Study

• Check with your counselor to make sure you are on track tograduate on time.

• Take the ACT or SAT and make sure we get your scores byusing code 9999.

• At the end of the year, ask your counselor to upload yourofficial transcript.

Grade 12Graduate

• Take the ACT or SAT again, if necessary, and make sure weget your scores by using code 9999.

• Request your final amateurism certification after April 1.• After you graduate, ask your counselor to upload your

final official transcript with proof of graduation.

If you want to play sports at an NCAA Division I or II school, start by registering with the NCAA Eligibility Center at eligibilitycenter.org during your sophomore year.

Core CoursesThis simple formula will help you meet the Divisions I and II core-course requirement:

4x4=16

4 English courses (one per year)

+ 4 math courses (one per year)

+ 4 science courses (one per year)

+ 4 social science courses (one per year)

16 NCAA CORE COURSES

Grade-Point AverageThe NCAA Eligibility Center calculates your grade-point average (GPA) based on the grades you earn in NCAA-approved core courses. Visit eligibilitycenter.org for a full list of your high school’s core courses.

Sliding ScaleDivisions I and II use sliding scales to match test scores and GPAs to determine eligibility. The sliding scale balances your test score with your GPA. If you have a low test score, you need a higher GPA to be eligible. If you have a low GPA, you need a higher test score to be eligible. Find more information about sliding scales at NCAA.org/playcollegesports.

Test ScoresYou may take the ACT or SAT as many times as you want before you enroll full time in college, but remember to list the NCAA Eligibility Center (code 9999) as a score recipient whenever you take a test. We can accept official scores only from ACT or SAT and we won’t use the scores from your high school transcript. If you direct the ACT or SAT to send us your scores every time you take a test, we will choose the best scores from each test subject to create your sum score.

DIVISION IITo play sports at a Division II school, you must graduate from high school and meet ALL the following requirements:

Before August 1, 2018

1. Complete 16 NCAA core courses.

2. Earn at least a 2.0 GPA in your NCAA core courses.

3. Earn an ACT sum score of 68 or an SAT combined score of 820.

After August 1, 2018

1. Complete 16 NCAA core courses.

2. Earn at least a 2.2 GPA in your NCAA core courses.

3. Earn an ACT sum score or SAT combined score that matches your core-course GPA on the Division II sliding scale.

Core Courses for Division II

To play sports at a Division II school, you must complete these

NCAA core courses:

• 3 years of English

• 2 years of math (Algebra 1 or higher)

• 2 years of natural or physical science (including one year of lab

science if your high school offers it)

• 2 years of social science

• 3 additional years of English, math or natural or physical

science

• 4 additional years of English, math, natural or physical science,

social science, foreign language, comparative religion or

philosophy.

DIVISION IIIDivision III schools provide an integrated environment focusing

on academic success while offering a competitive athletics

environment. While Division III schools do not offer athletics

scholarships, 75 percent of Division III student-athletes receive

some form of merit- or need-based financial aid.

If you are planning to attend a Division III school, you do not need

to register with the NCAA Eligibility Center. Division III schools

set their own admissions standards.

ACADEMIC STANDARDS

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DIVISION ITo play sports at a Division I school, you must graduate from high school and meet ALL the following requirements:

eligibilitycenter.org

1. Complete 16 NCAA core courses:

• 4 years of English

• 3 years of math (Algebra 1 or higher)

• 2 years of natural/physical science (including one year of lab science if your high school offers it)

• 2 years of social science

• 1 additional year of English, math or natural/physical science

• 4 additional years of English, math, natural/physical science, social science, foreign language, comparative religion or philosophy

2. Complete 10 NCAA core courses, including seven in English, math or natural/physical science, before your seventh semester.

3. Earn at least a 2.3 GPA in your NCAA core courses.

4. Earn an ACT sum score or SAT combined score that matches your core-course GPA on the Division I sliding scale.

Full Qualifier: College-bound student-athletes may practice, compete and receive athletics scholarships during their first year of enrollment at an NCAA Division I school.

Academic Redshirt: College-bound student-athletes may receive athletics scholarships during their first year of en-rollment and may practice during their first regular academic term, but may NOT compete during their first year of enrollment.

Nonqualifier: College-bound student-athletes cannot prac-tice, receive athletics scholarships or compete during their first year of enrollment at an NCAA Division I school.

Division i academic requirementsCollege-bound student-athletes will need to meet the following academic requirements to practice, receive athletic scholarships, and/or compete during their first year.

Core-Course RequirementComplete 16 core courses in the following areas:

Full Qualifier• Complete 16 core courses.

• Ten of the 16 core courses must be completed before the seventh semester (senior year) of high school.

• Seven of the 10 core courses must be in English, math or science.

• Earn a core-course GPA of at least 2.300.

• Earn the ACT/SAT score matching your core-course GPA on the Division I sliding scale (see back page).

• Graduate high school.

Academic Redshirt• Complete 16 core courses.

• Earn a core-course GPA of at least 2.000.

• Earn the ACT/SAT score matching your core-course GPA on the Division I sliding scale (see back page).

• Graduate high school.

ENGLISH MATH (Algebra I or higher)

NATURAL/ PHYSICAL SCIENCE

(One year of lab, if offered)

ADDITIONAL ENGLISH, MATH OR NATURAL/PHYSICAL SCIENCE

SOCIAL SCIENCE

ADDITIONAL COURSES

(Any area listed to the left, foreign

language or comparative

religion/philosophy)

4 years 3 years 2 years 1 year 2 years 4 years

DIVISION IFULL QUALIFIER SLIDING SCALE

CORE GPA SAT ACT SUM

READING/MATH

3.550 400 37

3.525 410 38

3.500 420 39

3.475 430 40

3.450 440 41

3.425 450 41

3.400 460 42

3.375 470 42

3.350 480 43

3.325 490 44

3.300 500 44

3.275 510 45

3.250 520 46

3.225 530 46

3.200 540 47

3.175 550 47

3.150 560 48

3.125 570 49

3.100 580 49

3.075 590 50

3.050 600 50

3.025 610 51

3.000 620 52

2.975 630 52

2.950 640 53

2.925 650 53

2.900 660 54

2.875 670 55

2.850 680 56

2.825 690 56

2.800 700 57

2.775 710 58

DIVISION IFULL QUALIFIER SLIDING SCALE

CORE GPA SAT ACT SUM

READING/MATH

2.750 720 59

2.725 730 60

2.700 740 61

2.675 750 61

2.650 760 62

2.625 770 63

2.600 780 64

2.575 790 65

2.550 800 66

2.525 810 67

2.500 820 68

2.475 830 69

2.450 840 70

2.425 850 70

2.400 860 71

2.375 870 72

2.350 880 73

2.325 890 74

2.300 900 75

2.299 910 76

2.275 910 76

2.250 920 77

2.225 930 78

2.200 940 79

2.175 950 80

2.150 960 81

2.125 970 82

2.100 980 83

2.075 990 84

2.050 1000 85

2.025 1010 86

2.000 1020 86

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Test ScoresWhen a student registers for the SAT or ACT, he or she can use the NCAA Eligibility Center code of 9999 so his or her scores are sent directly to the NCAA Eligibility Center from the testing agency. Test scores on transcripts will NOT be used in his or her academic certification.

A combined SAT score is calculated by adding reading and math subscores. An ACT sum score is calculated by adding English, math, reading and science subscores. A student may take the SAT or ACT an unlimited number of times before he or she enrolls full time in college. If a student takes either test more than once, the best subscore from different tests are used to meet initial-eligibility requirements.

If a student took the SAT before March 2016 and then took the redesigned SAT at a later date, the NCAA Eligibility Center will not combine section scores from the old and redesigned SAT when determining his or her initial eligibility. The NCAA Eligibility Center will only combine section scores from the same version of the test. Because the redesigned SAT varies in design and measures different academic concepts than the old SAT, a numerical score on the old test may not be equivalent to the same numerical score on the redesigned test.

NC

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ssociation.

Page 1 of 1

Division II Academic Requirements

College-bound student-athletes enrolling at an NCAA Division II school need to meet the following academic rules to practice, compete and receive athletics scholarships during their first year.

Core-Course Requirement

Complete 16 core courses in the following areas:

3 years of English

2 years of math (Algebra I or higher)

2 years of natural or physical science (including one year of lab science if offered)

2 years of social science

3 additional years of English, math or natural or physical science

4 additional years of English, math, natural or physical science, social science, foreign language, comparative religion or philosophy

Full Qualifier Partial Qualifier

Complete 16 core courses Complete 16 core courses

Earn a core-course GPA of at least 2.000

Earn an SAT combined score of at least 820 or an ACT sum score of at least 68

Graduate high school

Earn a core-course GPA of at least 2.000 OR

Earn an SAT combined score of at least 820 or an ACT sum score of at least 68

Graduate high school

Full Qualifier: College-bound student-athletes may practice, compete and receive athletics scholarship during their first year of enrollment at an NCAA Division II school. Partial Qualifier: College-bound student-athletes may receive athletics scholarships during their first year of enrollment and may practice during their first regular academic term but may NOT compete during their first year of enrollment. Nonqualifier: College-bound student-athletes may not practice, compete or receive athletics scholarships during their first year of enrollment at an NCAA Division II school. Test Scores If you take the current SAT before March 2016 and then take the redesigned SAT at a later date, the NCAA Eligibility Center will not combine section scores from the current and redesigned SAT when determining your initial eligibility. The NCAA Eligibility Center will only combine section scores from the same version of the test. Because the redesigned SAT varies in design and measures different academic concepts than the current SAT, a numerical score on the current test may not be equivalent to the same numerical score on the redesigned test.

Updated January 8, 2016

Full Qualifier: College-bound student-athletes may practice, compete and receive athletics scholarships during their first year of enrollment at an NCAA Division II school.

Partial Qualifier: College-bound student-athletes may receive athletics scholarships during their first year of en-rollment and may practice during their first regular academic term, but may NOT compete during their first year of enrollment.

Nonqualifier: College-bound student-athletes may not prac-tice, compete or receive athletics scholarships during their first year of enrollment at an NCAA Division II school.

2018 Division II New Academic RequirementsCollege-bound student-athletes first enrolling at an NCAA Division II school on or after August 1, 2018, need to meet new academic rules to practice, compete and receive athletics scholarships during their first year.

Full Qualifier• Complete 16 core courses.

• Earn a core-course GPA of at least 2.200.

• Earn the ACT/SAT score matching your core-course GPA on the Division II full qualifier sliding scale (see back page).

• Graduate high school.

Partial Qualifier• Complete 16 core courses.

• Earn a core-course GPA of at least 2.000.

• Earn the ACT/SAT score matching your core-course GPA on the Division II partial qualifier sliding scale (see back page).

• Graduate high school.

Core-Course RequirementComplete 16 core courses in the following areas:

ENGLISH MATH (Algebra I or higher)

NATURAL/ PHYSICAL SCIENCE

(including one year of lab science,

if offered)

ADDITIONAL (English, math, or natural/physical

science)

SOCIAL SCIENCE

ADDITIONAL (English, math,

natural/physical science, social science, foreign

language, compar-ative religion

or philosophy)

3 years 2 years 2 years 2 years 3 years 4 years

Test ScoresIf a student took the SAT before March 2016 and then took the redesigned SAT at a later date, the NCAA Eligibility Center will not combine section scores from the old and redesigned SAT when determining his or her initial eligibility. The NCAA Eligibility Center will only combine section scores from the same version of the test. Because the redesigned SAT varies in design and measures different academic concepts than the old SAT, a numerical score on the old test may not be equivalent to the same numerical score on the redesigned test.

DIVISION IIFULL QUALIFIER SLIDING SCALE

USE FOR DIVISION II BEGINNING AUGUST 2018

CORE GPA SAT ACT SUM

READING/MATH

3.300 & above 400 37

3.275 410 38

3.250 420 39

3.225 430 40

3.200 440 41

3.175 450 41

3.150 460 42

3.125 470 42

3.100 480 43

3.075 490 44

3.050 500 44

3.025 510 45

3.000 520 46

2.975 530 46

2.950 540 47

2.925 550 47

2.900 560 48

2.875 570 49

2.850 580 49

2.825 590 50

2.800 600 50

2.775 610 51

2.750 620 52

2.725 630 52

2.700 640 53

2.675 650 53

2.650 660 54

2.625 670 55

2.600 680 56

2.575 690 56

2.550 700 57

2.525 710 58

2.500 720 59

2.475 730 60

2.450 740 61

2.425 750 61

2.400 760 62

2.375 770 63

2.350 780 64

2.325 790 65

2.300 800 66

2.275 810 67

2.250 820 68

2.225 830 69

2.200 840 & above 70 & above

DIVISION IIPARTIAL QUALIFIER SLIDING SCALE

USE FOR DIVISION II BEGINNING AUGUST 2018

CORE GPA SAT ACT SUM

READING/MATH

3.050 & above 400 37

3.025 410 38

3.000 420 39

2.975 430 40

2.950 440 41

2.925 450 41

2.900 460 42

2.875 470 42

2.850 480 43

2.825 490 44

2.800 500 44

2.775 510 45

2.750 520 46

2.725 530 46

2.700 540 47

2.675 550 47

2.650 560 48

2.625 570 49

2.600 580 49

2.575 590 50

2.550 600 50

2.525 610 51

2.500 620 52

2.475 630 52

2.450 640 53

2.425 650 53

2.400 660 54

2.375 670 55

2.350 680 56

2.325 690 56

2.300 700 57

2.275 710 58

2.250 720 59

2.225 730 60

2.200 740 61

2.175 750 61

2.150 760 62

2.125 770 63

2.100 780 64

2.075 790 65

2.050 800 66

2.025 810 67

2.000 820 & above 68 & above

NCAA is a trademark of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

Valid NLI

NLI must be accompanied by an athletics financial aid agreement (aid from an athletics source).

NLI must include the NCAA ID. The NCAA ID will be available to the prospective student-athlete once registered with the NCAA Eligibility Center and will be available to the institution once the prospective student-athlete is placed on the Institutional Request List (IRL). All junior college prospective student-athletes must also have an NCAA ID included on the NLI.

NLI may not be signed prior to the signing dates for the applicable sport.

NLI must include a parent or legal guardian signature if the prospective student-athlete is under the age of 21, regardless of marital status.

The Conference Office validates the NLI to ensure the NLI and athletics aid agreement are complete and meet all NLI and NCAA requirements.

What is the National Letter of Intent (NLI)?

The NLI is a binding agreement between a prospective student-athlete and an NLI member institution.

Prospective student-athlete agrees to attend the institution full-time for one academic year (two semesters or three quarters).

Institution agrees to provide athletics financial aid for one academic year (two semesters or three quarters).

Basic Penalty for not fulfilling the NLI agreement: Serve one year in residence (full-time two semesters or three quarters) at the next NLI member institution and lose one season of competition in all sports.

What is the Recruiting Ban? Other institutions must respect the prospective student-athlete’s NLI signing by ceasing all communication.

The recruiting ban remains in effect until the prospective student-athlete enrolls at the signing institution. Once enrolled, the student-athlete is gov-erned by NCAA recruiting regulations.

If the prospective student-athlete does not enroll at the signing institution, the recruiting ban will be lifted after the institution’s academic year has elapsed (e.g., prospective student-athlete signs during 2016-17, the recruiting ban applies through the end of the 2017-18 academic year).

Quick Reference Guide to the NLI

Signing Dates for 2017-18 Enrollment

Basketball (Early Period)

November 9, 2016-

November 16, 2016

Basketball (Regular Period)

April 12, 2017 -

May 17, 2017 (Division I)

August 1, 2017 (Division II)

Football (Midyear JC Transfer)

December 14, 2016 - January 15,

2017

Football (Regular Period)

February 1, 2017-

April 1, 2017

Soccer and Men's Water Polo

February 1, 2017-

August 1, 2017

All Other Sports (Early Period)

November 9, 2016-

November 16, 2016

All Other Sports

(Regular Period)

April 12, 2017-

August 1, 2017

Contact the NLI Office:

317-223-0706 (phone)

317-968-5105 (fax)

www.national-letter.org

How does the institution process the NLI?

Institution issues an NLI and offer of athletics aid to the prospective student-athlete.

Prospective student-athlete then signs two copies; returns one to institution and keeps one.

Must be signed within 7 days of issuance date. (7 day deadline does not apply when 7 days are not left in the signing period)

Institution verifies required information and sends to its Conference Office for validation.

Must be filed with the Conference within 14 days of final signature.

Denied admission.

Does not meet NCAA, institutional or conference eligibility requirements.

One-Year Absence.

- Signee does not enroll (two-year or four-year institution) for at least one academic year and the scholarship (in its same amount) is no longer available. Also applies to a signee who serves in the U.S. Armed Forces or Church Mission for one year. NLI remains binding if the scholarship (in its same amount) is available.

Discontinued Sport.

- Sport is no longer offered, includes student-athletes who are already enrolled.

Recruiting Rules Violation.

- NLI may be declared null and void if the violation is substantiated and prompts the need for reinstatement by the NCAA staff. It is the prospective student-athlete’s choice to null and void the NLI under these circumstances.

This reference guide is intended to be a resource. Additional NLI regulations and procedures are located at

www.national-letter.org.

Coaching Change

A prospective student-athlete signs

an NLI with an institution. If the

coach leaves, the NLI signee is still bound by the provisions of the

NLI.

Over 44,000 prospective student-athletes sign NLIs to

attend NCAA Division I or II institutions.

Less than two percent request a release.

How is the NLI declared null and void?

How can a signee be released from the NLI?

Release Request:

A request for release must be initiated by the NLI signee by submitting the NLI Release Request online.

An institution may release a signee from his or her NLI obli-gation by selecting the “Complete Release” option on the NLI Release Request. It is the institution’s discretion to grant a release or not.

The NLI release is not the same as NCAA permission to contact (e.g., releases cannot include conditions to be released to specific institutions).

Appeal Process:

For consideration of an appeal, the signee must present extenuating circumstances to the NLI Committee.

PAGE 2

Enrollment in a Junior College (Two-Year College) - After Signing an NLI

If a prospective student-athlete signs an NLI and later attends a junior college, the prospective student-athlete would have to graduate from the junior college under the following conditions:

To satisfy NCAA 2-4 or 4-2-4 transfer rules, if necessary to meet NCAA, conference or institutional regulations.

To fulfill a previously signed NLI. In this case, the previous NLI is considered fulfilled if the prospective student-athlete graduates from the junior college. The NLI can be signed prior to graduation.

Enrollment in a Junior College (Two-Year College) - No Previously Signed NLI

If a prospective student-athlete did not sign an NLI prior to enrolling at a junior college, he or she is permitted to sign while attending a junior college.

The following rule applies for Division I:

A nonqualifier 2-4 transfer is not permitted to sign an NLI in the first year of junior college enrollment. A nonqualifier in the first year of enrollment does not meet the NCAA requirement to receive athletics aid until attending the junior college for at least three se-mesters or four quarters.

Q UIC K R EFER ENC E GUID E TO THE N L I

NLI Membership

650 NCAA Division I and II institutions are NLI members.

Not NLI members:

Ivy League, Service Academies, Division III institutions,

NAIA institutions, preparatory schools and junior

colleges.

All members of the NLI program are required to offer

athletics scholarships.

Coaching Contact Prohibited at Time of Signing A coach or institutional representative may not hand deliver the NLI off campus or be present off campus at the time of signing. The NLI may be delivered by express mail, courier service, regular mail, e-mail or fax. An NLI submitted to an institution by electronic means is permissible.

Early Signing Period Penalties Prospective student-athletes who will participate in football are prohibited from signing an NLI during the early signing period (November). A student who signs an NLI during the early period in a sport other than football will be ineligible for practice and competition in the sport of football during the student’s first year of enrollment at an NLI member institu-tion, and shall forfeit one season of competition in the sport of football.

In circumstances where a student’s primary sport is not foot-ball, but anticipates participating in football, the student should delay signing an NLI until either the football signing period or during the regular signing period for all other sports.

Completing a playing season does not fulfill the NLI obligation. The

entire academic year at the signing institution must be completed.

4-4 transfers are no longer prospective student-

athletes. Four-year trans-fers shall not sign NLIs, including international

transfers.

The NLI penalty does not preclude a student-athlete from receiving athletics aid or practicing while serving the one academic year of

residence for the NLI penalty.

If a prospective student-athletes signs an NLI for enrollment in the upcoming academic year, but decides to not enroll, the NLI remains binding.

If NLI is declared null and void or a

complete release is granted, a

prospective student-athlete is not

permitted to sign another NLI

until the next signing year.

If NLI is declared invalid,

a prospective student-athlete is

permitted to sign another NLI

during the same signing year.

An institution is not permitted to provide

any release agreements to the

prospective student-athlete prior to

signing.

The NCAA manages the daily

operations of the NLI program

while the Division I Collegiate

Commissioners Association

provides governance oversight.

Athletics Aid Agreement An NLI must be accompanied by an athletics aid agreement. A prospective student-athlete not receiving athletics aid is not permitted to sign an NLI. If the prospective student-athlete declines the athletics aid in order to receive other institutional aid, the NLI must be declared null and void. The athletics aid agreement is subject to NCAA rules.