College Athletics

NAIA General Information

The NAIA is an alternative organization to the NCAA. Membership consists of nearly 300 smaller colleges and universities from the United States and Canada. The NAIA recruitment process is less cumbersome, with fewer restrictions on the contact a student-athlete and coach can make. For more information visit: https://www.naia.org/landing/index

NCAA General Information

The NCAA, or National Collegiate Athletic Association, was established in 1906 and serves as the athletics governing body for more than 1,280 colleges, universities, conferences and organizations. The national office is in Indianapolis, but the member colleges and universities develop the rules and guidelines for athletics eligibility and athletics competition for each of the three NCAA divisions. The NCAA is committed to the student-athlete and to governing competition in a fair, safe, inclusive and sportsmanlike manner. The NCAA’s membership includes 3 divisions. One of the differences among the three divisions is that colleges and universities in Divisions I and II may offer athletics scholarships, while Division III colleges and universities may not.

NCAA Eligibility Information
The NCAA Eligibility Center (formerly the clearinghouse) will certify the academic and amateur credentials of all college-bound student-athletes who wish to compete in NCAA Division I or II athletics. Ultimately, the individual student-athlete is responsible for achieving and protecting his or her eligibility status and should register with NCAA during their junior year of high school. A registration checklist is available to help with this process.

General Initial Eligibility Requirements - Aspiring student-athletes need to present 16 core courses in the following breakdown:

  • 4 years of English (no more than 1 credit per year of the same course will be counted)

  • 3 years of mathematics (Algebra I or higher)

  • 2 years of natural/physical science (one must be a lab science)

  • 1 year of additional English, math or science

  • 2 years of social studies

  • 4 years of additional core courses (from any area listed above, or from world language, non doctrinal religion or philosophy)

NCAA Approved Courses at NKN:

Creative Writing Economics Algebra 1 Anatomy & Physiology
English 9 World Geography Geometry Astronomy
English 10 Global Studies Algebra 2 Biology
English 11 Government Pre-Calculus Botany
English Lit/Comp Psychology Calculus Chemistry
AP English Sociology Probability/Statistics Earth Science
Language Arts 3 US History Environmental Science
Writing 121, 122, 123 World History Oceanography
Marine Science
Physical Science
Geology
Physics