College Athletic Eligibility 

College athletics are governed by two organizations, the NCAA and the NAIA. Each group has specific requirements that students must meet to be eligible to participate in athletics in college. 

If you are interested in playing sports in college talk to your counselor early and often to ensure that you take courses that meet eligibility requirements.

NAIA

To be eligible for athletics through the NAIA students must graduate from high school and meet two of the three criteria listed below:

• A minimum overall GPA of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale

• Graduate in the top half of their high school class

• Score a minimum of 18 on the ACT or 970 on the SAT

Students interested in playing sports in college should register with the NAIA during their junior year. The eligibility center can be found at www.playnaia.org.

NCAA

The NCAA has three divisions, each with different requirements. Division I & II both require 16 core credits and a minimum core GPA and ACT/SAT score. More information is available at www.ncaa.org. Core courses are math, science, English, social studies and world languages. 

(See the handouts below from the NCAA Eligibility Center.)

The following core courses at WHS DO NOT count towards NCAA eligibility: 

• Practical English

• Applied Math

• Pre-Algebra 

*Remedial classes do not count towards the 16 core courses. 

NCAA Division III schools do not give out athletic scholarships. These schools set their own eligibility standards for athletes.

Students interested in playing sports in college should register with the NCAA during their junior year. The eligibility center can be found at www.eligibiltycenter.org.