Student Athletes: NCAA & NAIA 

Student Athletes

Students who initially enroll full time in college during 2026/2027 academic year and intend to play NCAA Division I or II or NAIA Division 1 athletics will not be required to take a standardized test to meet NCAA initial-eligibility requirements.

• Student-athletes enrolling in a Division I school during the 2026-27 academic year will be academically eligible by earning a 2.3 grade-point average in 16 NCAA-approved core courses, with 10 core courses (seven in English, math and science) completed by the start of their seventh semester in high school (before senior year).

• Student-athletes enrolling in a Division II school during the 2026-27 academic year will be academically eligible by earning a 2.2 grade-point average in 16 NCAA-approved core courses.

NCAA and NCIA Portals

Student-Athletes: In order to be recruited, it is recommended that students complete their NCAA and NAIA applications by the beginning of their Junior Year. Students will need to ask their high school counselor to submit their transcript for NCAA/NAIA validation. The SAT/ACT is no longer required. 

See link to create an account.

NCAA: NCAA Eligibility Center  

NAIA:  https://play.mynaia.org/

Scrool down for more information about NCAA and NCIA 

Academic Eligibility for Div 2 Schools

If you enroll in a Division II college and want to participate in athletics or receive an athletics scholarship during your first year, you must:

• Graduate from high school;

• Complete these 16 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 offered by your high school);

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

  • 2 years of social science;

  • 4 years of additional core courses (from any category above, or foreign language, nondoctrinal religion or philosophy).

• Earn a 2.00 grade-point average or better in your core courses.

Div III Schools

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.

National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)

NCAA schools require college-bound student-athletes to build a foundation of high school courses to prepare them for college coursework. Students who plan to compete in NCAA sports at Division I or II schools must pass 16 CHS pre-approved NCAA core courses. College-bound student-athletes preparing to enroll in a Division I or Division II school need to register with the NCAA. NCAA Prospective student-athletes are strongly recommended to consult the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Clearinghouse regarding eligibility issues at Division 1 and Division II Colleges. You are urged to read the "NCAA Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete". Register with the NCAA Clearinghouse HERE

Junior Year

• Register by your Junior year of high school and then tell your high school counselor that you registered. High school counselors must go on line and validate your transcript.

• Speak with your coach about your desire to play at the college level, so they can assist you with the recruitment process. 

• Update your transcript and information each year.

• Begin preparing film and stats to show to college recruiters. 

• Upload any SAT or ACT test results. Send SAT and ACT to 9999 code.

Senior Year

• Request final amateurism certification: Students enrolling in the Fall semester of college can log in to their NCAA account and request your final amateurism certification on or after April 1 of that year.

• Be sure to continue working with your coaches throughout the recruitment and college search process.  

***To request final amateurism certification, please follow these steps:

• Log in to your NCAA Eligibility Center account at eligibilitycenter.org. You will be taken to your Dashboard. Already logged in on your laptop or tablet? Select Dashboard from the menu on the left-hand side of the screen. Already logged in on your phone? Scroll to the bottom and click Return to Dashboard.

• Check your progress on your Dashboard. The first circle (Account Creation) must be complete prior to requesting your amateurism certification.

• Ensure you have completed all assigned amateurism-related tasks in your task list.

• You may have tasks open in the second circle (Send Test Scores and Transcripts) and still request your amateurism certification.

• In the third box on your Dashboard, select the green “Submit request now” button, as shown at right.

• Select the button for the sport you want to request amateurism.

• You may request your final amateurism certification even if you are not being recruited by an NCAA Division I or II school. However, we may wait to begin your certification until after an NCAA Division I or II school adds you to their Institutional Request List (IRL). Please provide the school(s) recruiting you with your NCAA ID number.

• Tip: If you changed your enrollment period after requesting final certification, you will need to return to the Dashboard and re-request final amateurism for each sport in the third box. If you have not requested final amateurism in the past, follow the timeline above. 

Reminder:

• You cannot be spoken to or meet with a college recruiter until you have been cleared through the NCAA. 

• Do not accept any gifts or money from a recruiter.

Please see your high school counselor if you are being contacted by a recruiter. Check the Eligibility Center to ensure they have met amateurism standards and are academically prepared for college coursework.   

NCAA Core Courses

NOTE: This section was taken directly from the NCAA website.

What are core courses? Not all high school classes count as NCAA core courses. Only classes in English, math (Algebra 1 or higher), natural or physical science, social science, foreign language, comparative religion or philosophy may be approved as NCAA core courses. Remedial classes and classes completed through credit-by-exam are not considered NCAA core courses.

Classes that are NCAA core courses include:

Search Chico Senior High School Course List HERE 

College courses or Junior College courses that will transfer to a four-year college regardless of online or in-class seat time. 

Classes that are not NCAA core courses include:

Classes in non-core areas, fine arts, or vocations such as art, music, physical education, or welding, and all Career Technical Ed courses, including the Animal Sciences, regardless if they are A-G approved for four-year colleges.

Personal skill classes such as personal finance or consumer education.

Classes taught below grade level, at a slower pace or with less rigor or depth. These classes are often titled basic, essential, fundamental or foundational: Math C, and ELD.

Classes that are not academic in nature, such as film appreciation, teachers aid, Sports and Film.

Notes:

If you take a high school class such as Integrated Math 1 before you start ninth grade, the class may count for your 16 core courses if it is on your high school’s list of approved core courses and is shown on your high school transcript with a grade and a credit.

You can earn credit for a core course only once. If you take a course that repeats the content of another core course, you earn credit for only one of these courses, and the higher grade counts toward your core-course GPA.

Generally, you receive the same number of credits from the NCAA for a core course that you receive from your high school for the class. One academic semester of a class counts for 5 of a core course credit. A one-year class taken over a longer period of time is considered one core course and is not awarded more than one credit.

NCAA Guide and Worksheets

2025/2026  http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/eligibility_center/Student_Resources/CBSA.pdf

Division 1 Academic Standards: http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/eligibility_center/Student_Resources/DI_ReqsFactSheet.pdf

Division 2 Academic Standards: http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/eligibility_center/Student_Resources/DII_ReqsFactSheet.pdf

Division I and II Worksheet: http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/eligibility_center/DI_and_DII_Worksheet.pdf

NCAA's Three Divisions

The NCAA’s three divisions were created in 1973 to align like-minded campuses in the areas of philosophy, competition, and opportunity.

*Numbers do not include provisional or reclassfiying schools