NCAA INFORMATION

To play Division I sports, you need to qualify academically. To meet the minimum requirements for Division I, student-athletes enrolling in college must:

• Graduate from high school

• Complete 16 core courses, including 10 before your seventh semester

• Earn a minimum 2.300 GPA in core courses to compete in your first year of college

• Earn a combined SAT or ACT score that matches your core-course GPA on the sliding scale.

CORE COURSES

NCAA member schools require incoming student-athletes to build a foundation of high school courses that will best prepare them for the academic expectations in college.

• To play Division I sports, you must earn 16 core courses.

• Ten of them must be completed prior to the seventh semester. Those ten courses are “locked in” and can’t be retaken to improve the grade-point average.

• Seven of those 10 must be a combination of English, math or natural or physical science that fulfills the overall distribution requirements listed below.

• If you don’t earn 10 courses before your seventh semester, you are still eligible to practice and receive a scholarship, but you can’t compete.

• For a complete list of your high school’s NCAA core courses, visit www.eligibilitycenter.org.

DIVISION I CORE COURSE REQUIREMENTS

• 4 years of English.

• 3 years of mathematics (Algebra I or higher).

• 2 years of natural/physical science (1 year of lab if offered by high school).

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

• 2 years of social science.

• 4 years of additional courses (from any area above, foreign language or comparative religion/philosophy).

GRADE POINT AVERAGE

Incoming student-athletes must present a grade-point average that predicts academic success at the collegiate level.

• Beginning August 1, 2016, you must earn at least a 2.300 GPA in NCAA core courses to be eligible to compete in your first year of college.

• To get a scholarship and practice, you must earn at least a 2.000 GPA in NCAA core courses.

• Only courses that appear on your high school’s list of NCAA courses will be used to calculate your GPA for NCAA eligibility purposes. For a complete list of your school’s courses, visit www.eligibilitycenter.org.

• Once ten core courses are “locked in” prior to the start of your seventh semester, you can’t take those classes over again to improve your GPA.

• Division I uses a sliding scale to match test scores and core GPAs.

Data shows that while GPA is a better predictor of collegiate success than test scores, using the two in combination is the best method. The NCAA continues to emphasize GPA over test scores when assessing college preparedness.

• Division I uses a sliding scale to match test scores and core-course grade-point averages to determine eligibility.

• The NCAA uses only the critical reading and math SAT scores to determine eligibility. The writing score is not used.

• The NCAA uses only the sum of English, math, reading and science ACT scores to determine eligibility.

QUESTIONS TO ASK A COLLEGE ATHLETIC RECRUITER

The NCAA Student-Athlete Advisory Committee has developed a list of questions that you can ask recruiters to help you choose the best school for you.

ATHLETIC QUESTIONS

1. What position will I play on our team?

2. Can you describe the other players competing at my position?

3. Can I "redshirt" my freshman year?

4. What are the physical requirements each year?

5. How would you best describe your coaching style?

6. What is your game plan?

7. When does the contract of the head coach expire?

8. Please describe the preferred, invited and uninvited walk-on situation.

9. How many make it, compete and earn scholarships?

10. Is medical insurance required for my participation?

11. If so, is it provided by the college?

12. If I am serious hurt while competing, who is responsible for my medical expenses?

13. What happens if I want to transfer to another school?

ACADEMIC QUESTIONS

1. What are the strengths and weaknesses of the academic department I choose to major in?

2. Describe your academic support program.

3. What percentage of players on scholarship graduate in 4 years?

4. If I am diagnosed and documented with a disability, what kind of academic services are available?

5. Are there restrictions in scheduling classes around practice?

COLLEGE LIFE

1. What is the typical class size?

2. What are the residence halls like?

3. Will I be required to live on campus throughout my athletic career?

4. What is a typical day for a student-athlete?

FINANCIAL AID

1. What are the details of financial aid at your institution?

2. How long does a scholarship last? Year-to-year or is it a 4-year commitment?

3. If I am injured, what happens to my financial aid?

4. What are my opportunities for employment while I am a student?

5. How much financial aid is available for summer school?

6. Under what circumstances would my scholarship be reduced or cancelled?

7. Are there academic criteria needed to maintain my scholarship?

8. What scholarship money is available if I suffer an athletic career ending injury?

9. What scholarship money is available after eligibility is exhausted to help me complete my degree?

10. Will my scholarship be maintained if there is a change in coaches?

NCAA STUDENT PLANNING GUIDE

GRADES 9 & 10

• Read the NCAA “Guide for the College Bound Student Athlete”.

• NCAA Publications Guide

• Verify with your counselor that you are taking approved core courses to meet NCAA requirements.

• Keep in mind that student athletes must maintain a minimum 2.3 GPA in approved courses. The higher the GPA, the lower test scores required. (See page 4 of the “Guide for the College Bound Student Athlete” for more information.)

• Register with the Eligibility Center in the 10th grade

GRADE 11

• Check with your counselor to insure that you are still on course to meet core requirements.

• Continue to maintain a high GPA.

• When taking the ACT or SAT, request that your test scores be sent to the Eligibility Center (use code 9999).

• Begin your amateurism questionnaire.

• Request that UHS send out your transcripts at the close of the 11th grade year.

GRADE 12

• If you take the ACT or SAT, request that scores are sent to the Eligibility Center (code 9999).

• Complete the amateurism questionnaire and sign the final authorization signature online: If you plan to register for the Fall semester, sign on or after April 1. If you plan to register for the Spring semester, sign on or after October 1 of the year prior to your enrollment.

• Stay on track with your grades to meet the core and GPA requirements.

• Request a final transcript through parchment be sent to the Eligibility Center at the conclusion of your senior year.

NCAA ELIGIBILITY CENTER INFORMATION

It has come to our attention that a number of juniors and seniors who wish to play Division I or Division II athletics may not have registered for the Clearinghouse. The NCAA Eligibility Center website will help you register, research eligibility requirements, and help you view which UHS classes the NCAA Eligibility Center accepts. If you have any questions, please see your counselor.

Remember that you cannot participate in Division I or II collegiate sports if you do not register with the Eligibility Center. The following information will help you contact the Eligibility Center for any questions or needs you may have.

• You may access the Eligibility Center Home Page directly from the NCAA Eligibility Center website at NCAA Eligibility Center or through links from the NCAA's Website.

• Go to Prospective Student Athlete

• Go to Domestic Student release Form

• Complete the registration form and pay the $75 fee (waivers are available for qualified students – please see your counselor for details).

• UHS code – 053586

• Sign up with Parchment/transcripts request through the Upland High School website in order to send your transcript to the NCAA.

• Sign up with SAT’s at collegeboard.com to have scores sent to the clearinghouse (their number is 9999.

NCAA Eligibility Center mailing address:

NCAA Eligibility Center

P.O. Box 7136

Indianapolis, IN 46207

NCAA Eligibility Center overnight mailing address:

NCAA Eligibility Center

1802 Alonzo Watford Sr. Drive,

Indianapolis, IN 46202

Customer service hours - 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern time Monday through Friday.

Toll-free phone number (U.S. callers) - Customer service line - 877/262-1492

Phone number (international callers) - Customer service line - 317/223-0700

Fax number: 317/968-5100

NEW INITIAL-ELIGIBILITY STANDARDS FOR NCAA DIVISION I COLLEGE-BOUND STUDENT-ATHLETES

The initial-eligibility standards for NCAA Division I college-bound student-athletes are changing. College-bound student-athletes first entering a Division I college or university on or after August 1, 2015, will need to meet new academic rules in order to receive athletics aid (scholarship), practice or compete during their first year. For details please visit NCAA ELIGIBILITY CENTER QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE:

First, here are three terms you need to know:

Full Qualifier: A college-bound student-athlete may receive athletics aid (scholarship), practice and compete in the first year of enrollment at the Division I college or university.

Academic Redshirt: A college-bound student-athlete may receive athletics aid (scholarship) in the first year of enrollment and may practice in the first regular academic term (semester or quarter) but may NOT compete in the first year of enrollment. After the first term is complete, the college-bound student-athlete must be academically successful at his/her college or university to continue to practice for the rest of the year.

Nonqualifer: A college-bound student-athlete cannot receive athletics aid (scholarship), cannot practice and cannot compete in the first year of enrollment.

Here are the new requirements:

Full Qualifier must:

• Complete 16 core courses (same distribution as in the past);

  • 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 English, math or science.

• Have a minimum core-course GPA of 2.300;

• Grades earned in the 10 required courses required before the senior year are “locked in” for purposes of GPA calculation.

• A repeat of one of the “locked in” courses will not be used to improve the GPA if taken after the seventh semester begins.

• Meet the competition sliding scale requirement of GPA and ACT/SAT score (this is a new scale with increased GPA/test score requirements); and

• Graduate from high school.

Academic Redshirt must:

1. Complete 16 core courses (same distribution as in the past)

2. Have a minimum core-course GPA of 2.000;

3. Meet the academic redshirt sliding scale requirement of GPA and ACT/SAT score; and

4. Graduate from high school.

Nonqualifer is a college-bound student-athlete who fails to meet the standards for a qualifier or for an academic redshirt.

The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., is a governing body of small athletics programs that are dedicated to character-driven intercollegiate athletics. Since 1937, the NAIA has administered programs dedicated to championships in balance with the overall college educational experience. Each year more than 77,000 NAIA student-athletes have the opportunity to play college sports, earn over $800 million in scholarships, and compete for a chance to participate in 27 national championships.

NAIA History

The seed of the NAIA began in 1937 with the tipoff of a men's basketball tournament in Kansas City that has become the longest running event in college basketball. Out of the tournament grew the NAIA, an association that has been an innovative leader. The NAIA was the first collegiate athletics association to invite historically black institutions into membership and the first to sponsor both men’s and women’s national championships.