NCAA Eligibility

FALSE: If you want to play NCAA sports at a Division I or II school, you need to register with the NCAA Eligibility Center at eligibilitycenter.org. Plan to register during your freshman year of high school. The information below is intended to help guide you through the registration process.

TRUE: If you received a waiver of the SAT/ACT fee (not the same as a U.S. state voucher), you are eligible for a waiver of the Certification account registration fee. After you complete your registration, ask an your counselor to submit your fee waiver documentation online.

FALSE: Only about 2% of high school athletes are awarded athletics scholarships to compete in college. Of the student-athletes participating in sports with professional leagues, very few become professional athletes.

Division I schools may provide tuition and fees, room and board, books and other expenses related to attendance at the school. Division II full scholarships cover tuition and fees, room, board and course-related books and supplies. Most student-athletes who receive athletics scholarships receive an amount covering a portion of these costs.

FALSE: If you have lower than a 2.2 GPA you are considered an Academic Redshirt during your first year of eligibility at a Division I school (please see PDF below for details). If you have below a 2.0 GPA you will be considered a NONQUALIFIER You will not be able to practice, compete or receive an athletics scholarship during your first year of enrollment at a Division I school. Check yourself.

Grade 9

• Ask your counselor for a list of your high school’s NCAA core courses to make sure you take the right classes.

Grade 10

• Register with the NCAA Eligibility Center at eligibilitycenter.org.

Grade 11

• Check with your counselor to make sure you will graduate on time with the required number of NCAA core courses.

• Take the ACT or SAT and submit your scores to the NCAA using code 9999.

• At the end of the year, ask your counselor to upload your official transcript to the NCAA Eligibility Center.

Grade 12

• Finish your last NCAA core courses.

• Take the ACT or SAT again, if necessary, and submit your scores to the NCAA using code 9999.

• Complete all academic and amateurism questions in your NCAA Eligibility Center account at eligibilitycenter.org.

• After you graduate, ask your counselor to submit your final official transcript with proof of graduation to the NCAA Eligibility Center.

Division I academic eligibility

To be eligible to compete in NCAA sports during your first year at a Division I school, you must graduate high school and meet ALL the following requirements:

• Complete 16 core courses:

  • Four years of English

  • Three years of math (Algebra 1 or higher)

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

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

  • Two years of social science

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

• Complete 10 core courses, including seven in English, math or natural/physical science, before your seventh semester. Once you begin your seventh semester, you may not repeat or replace any of those 10 courses to improve your core-course GPA.

• Earn at least a 2.3 GPA in your core courses.

• Earn an SAT combined score or ACT sum score matching your core-course GPA on the Division I sliding scale, which balances your test score and core-course GPA. If you have a low test score, you need a higher core-course GPA to be eligible. If you have a low core-course GPA, you need a higher test score to be eligible.

For more details about the Eligibility Center’s response to COVID-19, click here.

What if I don’t meet the requirements?

If you have not met all the Division I academic requirements, you may not compete in your first year at college. However, if you qualify as an academic redshirt you may practice during your first term in college and receive an athletics scholarship for the entire year.

To qualify as an academic redshirt, you must graduate high school and meet ALL the following academic requirements:

• Complete 16 core courses:

  • Four years of English

  • Three years of math (Algebra 1 or higher)

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

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

  • Two years of social science

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

• Earn at least a 2.0 GPA in your core courses.

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

If you are concerned you may not meet the Division I academic requirements, consider taking the following actions:

• Ask for advice and accountability from your high school counselor. Check in with the admissions or compliance office at the college you hope to attend.

• Get tutoring or other study help.

• Graduate on time. Division I schools allow college-bound student-athletes who graduate on-time to take one core course during the year after they graduate high school.

• Avoid quick fixes through credit recovery programs. These courses may not be accepted by the NCAA.

• Keep your coursework. If the NCAA Eligibility Center needs to review your record due to irregularities, you may be asked to provide your coursework.

• Follow your high school's policies. The best thing to do is work within the rules.

Amateurism

The NCAA promotes amateurism to create a level playing field for all student-athletes. The young men and women who compete in college sports are students first, athletes second. If you want to compete in NCAA sports at a Division I school you must be an amateur athlete.

http://www.ncaa.org/student-athletes/play-division-i-sports

Grade 9

• Ask your counselor for a list of your high school’s NCAA core courses to make sure you take the right classes.

Grade 10

• Register with the NCAA Eligibility Center at eligibilitycenter.org.

Grade 11

• Check with your counselor to make sure you will graduate on time with the required number of NCAA core courses.

• Take the ACT or SAT and submit your scores to the NCAA using code 9999.

• At the end of the year, ask your counselor to upload your official transcript to the NCAA Eligibility Center.

Grade 12

• Finish your last NCAA core courses.

• Take the ACT or SAT again, if necessary, and submit your scores to the NCAA using code 9999.

• Complete all academic and amateurism questions in your NCAA Eligibility Center account at eligibilitycenter.org.

• After you graduate, ask your counselor to submit your final official transcript with proof of graduation to the NCAA Eligibility Center.

Division II Academic Eligibility

To be eligible to compete in NCAA sports during your first year at a Division II school, you must meet academic requirements for your core courses, grade-point average (GPA) and test scores.

You must graduate high school and meet ALL the following requirements:

• Complete 16 core courses:

  • Three years of English.

  • Two years of math (Algebra 1 or higher).

  • Two years of natural or physical science (including one year of lab science if your high school offers it).

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

  • Two years of social science

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

• Earn at least a 2.2 GPA in your core courses.

• Earn an SAT combined score or ACT sum score matching your core-course GPA on the Division II sliding scale, which balances your test score and core-course GPA. If you have a low test score, you need a higher core-course GPA to be eligible. If you have a low core-course GPA, you need a higher test score to be eligible.

For more details about the Eligibility Center’s response to COVID-19, click here.

What if I don’t meet the requirements?

If you enroll full-time at a Division II school, and you have not met all the Division II academic requirements, you may not compete in your first year. However, if you meet the requirements to be a partial qualifier, you may practice and receive an athletics scholarship in your first year at college. To be a partial qualifier, you must graduate high school and meet ALL the following requirements:

• Complete 16 core courses:

  • Three years of English.

  • Two years of math (Algebra 1 or higher).

  • Two years of natural or physical science (including one year of lab science if your high school offers it).

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

  • Two years of social science

  • Four additional years of English, math, natural or physical science, social science, foreign language, comparative religion or philosophyEarn at least a 2.0 GPA in your core courses.

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

If you are concerned you may not meet the Division II academic requirements, consider taking the following actions:

• Ask for advice and accountability from your high school counselor. Check in with the admissions or compliance office at the college you hope to attend.

• Get tutoring or other study help.

• Graduate on time. Division I schools allow college-bound student-athletes who graduate on-time to take one core course during the year after they graduate high school.

• Avoid quick fixes through credit recovery programs. These courses may not be accepted by the NCAA.

• Keep your coursework. If the NCAA Eligibility Center needs to review your record due to irregularities, you may be asked to provide your coursework.

• Follow your high school's policies. The best thing to do is work within the rules.

Amateurism

The NCAA promotes amateurism to create a level playing field for all student-athletes. The young men and women who play college sports are students first, athletes second. If you want to play NCAA sports at a Division II school you must be an amateur athlete.

http://www.ncaa.org/student-athletes/play-division-ii-sports

Play Division III sports

Division III schools provide an integrated environment focusing on academic success while offering a competitive athletics environment. Division III rules minimize potential conflicts between athletics and academics and focus on regional in-season and conference play.

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.

http://www.ncaa.org/student-athletes/play-division-iii-sports

Recruiting Calendars

NCAA member schools have adopted rules to create an equitable recruiting environment that promotes student-athlete well-being. The rules define who may be involved in the recruiting process, when recruiting may occur and the conditions under which recruiting may be conducted. Recruiting rules seek, as much as possible, to control intrusions into the lives of student-athletes.

The NCAA defines recruiting as “any solicitation of prospective student-athletes or their parents by an institutional staff member or by a representative of the institution’s athletics interests for the purpose of securing a prospective student-athlete’s enrollment and ultimate participation in the institution’s intercollegiate athletics program.”

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a contact?

A contact occurs any time a college coach says more than hello during a face-to-face contact with a college-bound student-athlete or his or her parents off the college’s campus.

What is a contact period?

During a contact period a college coach may have face-to-face contact with college-bound student-athletes or their parents, watch student-athletes compete and visit their high schools, and write or telephone student-athletes or their parents.

What is an evaluation period?

During an evaluation period a college coach may watch college-bound student-athletes compete, visit their high schools, and write or telephone student-athletes or their parents. However, a college coach may not have face-to-face contact with college-bound student-athletes or their parents off the college’s campus during an evaluation period.

What is a quiet period?

During a quiet period, a college coach may only have face-to-face contact with college-bound student-athletes or their parents on the college’s campus. A coach may not watch student-athletes compete (unless a competition occurs on the college’s campus) or visit their high schools. Coaches may write or telephone college-bound student-athletes or their parents during this time.

What is a dead period?

During a dead period a college coach may not have face-to-face contact with college-bound student-athletes or their parents, and may not watch student-athletes compete or visit their high schools. Coaches may write and telephone student-athletes or their parents during a dead period.

What is the difference between an official visit and an unofficial visit?

Any visit to a college campus by a college-bound student-athlete or his or her parents paid for by the college is an official visit. Visits paid for by college-bound student-athletes or their parents are unofficial visits.

During an official visit the college can pay for transportation to and from the college for the prospect, lodging and three meals per day for both the prospect and the parent or guardian, as well as reasonable entertainment expenses including three tickets to a home sports event.

The only expenses a college-bound student-athlete may receive from a college during an unofficial visit are three tickets to a home sports event.

What is a National Letter of Intent?

A National Letter of Intent is signed by a college-bound student-athlete when the student-athlete agrees to attend a Division I or II college or university for one academic year. Participating institutions agree to provide financial aid for one academic year to the student-athlete as long as the student-athlete is admitted to the school and is eligible for financial aid under NCAA rules. Other forms of financial aid do not guarantee the student-athlete financial aid.

The National Letter of Intent is voluntary and not required for a student-athlete to receive financial aid or participate in sports.

Signing an National Letter of Intent ends the recruiting process since participating schools are prohibited from recruiting student-athletes who have already signed letters with other participating schools.

A student-athlete who has signed a National Letter of Intent may request a release from his or her contract with the school. If a student-athlete signs a National Letter of Intent with one school but attends a different school, he or she will lose one full year of eligibility and must complete a full academic year at their new school before being eligible to compete.

What are recruiting calendars?

Recruiting calendars help promote the well-being prospective student-athletes and coaches and ensure competitive equity by defining certain time periods in which recruiting may or may not occur in a particular sport.

http://www.ncaa.org/student-athletes/resources/recruiting-calendars?division=d3