IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR STUDENT ATHLETES (NCAA FRESHMEN ELIGIBILITY):
Many college athletic programs are regulated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), an organization founded in 1906 that has established rules on eligibility, recruiting and financial aid. The NCAA has three membership divisions -- Division I, Division II and Division III. Institutions are members of one or another division according to the size and scope of their athletic programs and whether they provide athletic scholarships.
If you are planning to enroll in college as a freshman and you wish to participate in Division I or Division II athletics, you must be certified by the NCAA Initial-Eligibility Center. The Center was established by the NCAA member institutions in January 1993. The Center ensures consistent application of NCAA initial- eligibility requirements for all prospective student athletes at all member institutions.
NYS Regents diploma requirements do not necessarily make a student eligible for participation in college level athletics. Eligibility requirements are clearly defined at https://web3.ncaa.org/ecwr3/. This can be a very complicated area and it is suggested that athletes and their parents refer to the website to have an understanding of the requirements. Prospective college athletes should register with the center at the beginning of their Sophomore year and request that a transcript be sent from the Student Service Center to the NCAA. Early on in their high school education (prior to sophomore year), students should be notifying their counselor that they are interested in playing a sport at a division I or II level so that appropriate course planning can be made in order to ensure the student will be academically eligible.