NAIA

What is NAIA?

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.

naia_guide_college_bound_student.pdf

NAIA eligibility requirements

To be academically eligible, the eligibility center requires that incoming freshmen meet two of the following three criteria. Transfer students or those who took a break between high school and college will need to fulfill additional requirements, which we’ve outlined on our NAIA eligibility requirements page.

  • Achieve a minimum of 18 on the ACT or 970 on the SAT*

  • Achieve a minimum overall high school grade point average of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale

  • Graduate in the top half of their high school class.

*These test score requirements are for any athletes taking standardized tests after May 1, 2019. The test score requirements will be a 16 ACT or an 860 SAT for tests completed between March 1, 2016 and May 1, 2019. The test score requirements will be an 18 ACT or an 860 SAT for tests completed prior to March 1, 2016.

To get started, student-athletes must register with the NAIA Eligibility Center, creating a profile at PlayNAIA.org. In order to determine they meet these requirements, student-athletes must send the NAIA specific documentation. We provide more details about the NAIA eligibility requirements, as well as the documents that prospects must provide.

How do I register for the NAIA Eligibility Center, mistakenly known as the NAIA Clearinghouse?

There are three main steps recruits need to take to register with the NAIA Eligibility Center:

  1. Create their profile at www.PlayNAIA.org.

  2. Have their high school send all required records and documents to the NAIA Eligibility Center via the NAIA High School Portal. If your high school needs guidance with the NAIA High School Portal, please have them contact the NAIA Eligibility Center or provide our helpful registration guide to them.

  3. Secure a spot on their future NAIA coach’s short list, or the list of student-athletes who are currently being recruited, which gives them priority for the eligibility center to begin the decision-making process.

While these three steps seem simple enough, there are many actions recruits must take to ensure each of these steps are completed correctly. We’ve laid out the entire NAIA registration process.