future college athletes

If you had a successful athletic career in high school and are hoping to play your sport in college, there are a few avenues. If you are interested in being recruited as a college athlete, make sure to set an appointment to talk with your counselor as soon as freshman year.

  1. NCAA: The National College Athletic Association

The NCAA consists of 3 divisions.

  • Division 1: In general, Division 1 schools have the biggest student bodies, manage the largest athletic budgets, and offer the most generous athletic scholarships.

      • D1 eligibility requirements

          • Complete 16 core courses ( 4 years of English, 3 years of math, 2 years of science, 1 additional year of English, math, or science, 2 years of social science, 4 additional years of English, math, science, social science, foreign language, comparative religion or philosophy)

          • Minimum 2.3 GPA

          • Register with the NCAA Eligibility Center

  • Division 2: Division 2 schools offer a “partial-scholarship” model for financial aid in which most student-athletes’ college experiences are funded through a mix of athletics scholarships, academic aid, need-based grants and/or employment earnings.

      • D2 eligibility requirements

          • Complete 16 core courses (3 years of English, 2 years of math, 2 years of science, 3 additional years of English, math or science, 2 years of social science, 4 additional years of English, math, science, social science, foreign language, comparative religion or philosophy)

          • Minimum 2.2 GPA

          • Register with the NCAA Eligibility Center

  • Division 3: Division 3 schools do not offer athletic scholarships, but the majority of student-athletes do receive some form of merit or need-based financial aid. If you plan to attend a Division 3 school, you do not need to register with the NCAA Eligibility Center. Eligibility depends solely on admission to the college.


Register with the NCAA Eligibility Center here

*Talk with your counselor about a fee waiver if you think you would qualify

2. NAIA: The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics

The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is a governing body of small athletic programs that are dedicated to character-driven intercollegiate athletics. Member colleges are typically smaller campuses and tend to be private.

  • NAIA eligibility requirements (Student-athletes must meet two of three of the following requirements):

      • Minimum 2.0 GPA

      • Minimum SAT score of 970 or minimum ACT score of 18

      • Graduate in the top 50% of the class

  • Every student must register with the NAIA Eligibility Center

  • Financial Aid: NAIA colleges decide independently how to distribute money and how much to give. Some offer partial athletic scholarships, while others rely more on academic or need-based grants and scholarships.

Register with NAIA here.