Student Athletes
Division I Initial Eligibility Changes Effective with Freshmen
Academic Standards for Initial-Eligibility
Academic Standards
The NCAA Eligibility Center verifies the academic and amateur status of all student-athletes who wish to compete in Division I or II athletics.
College-bound student-athletes who want to practice, compete and receive athletically related financial aid during their first year at a Division I or II school need to meet the following requirements:
- Graduate from high school.
- Complete a minimum of 16 core courses for Division I or II.
- Earn a minimum required grade-point average in core courses.
- Earn a qualifying test score on either the ACT or SAT.
- Request final amateurism certification from the NCAA Eligibility Center.
For Division I student-athletes, the following must be completed in addition to the above standards:
- Earn at least a 2.3 grade-point average in core courses.
- Meet an increased sliding-scale standard (for example, an SAT score of 820 requires a 2.5 high school core course GPA)
- Successfully complete 10 of the 16 total required core courses before the start of their seventh semester in high school. Seven of the 10 courses must be successfully completed in English, math and science.
Students who earn at least a 2.0 GPA and meet the current sliding-scale standard will be eligible for practice in the first term and athletically related financial aid the entire year, but not competition. Freshmen who are academically successful in the first term will earn the ability to continue to practice for the remainder of the year.
Division III colleges and universities set their own admission standards. The NCAA does not set initial-eligibility requirements in Division III.
For more detail about academic requirements visit the Eligibility Center.
NCAA Eligibility Center
NCAA Eligibility Center Overview
In 2007, the NCAA established the “NCAA Eligibility Center”, LLC in Indianapolis, IN. This new center replaced the Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse which was operated by the ACT. The new center will ensure that student-athletes pass the same standards that were established by the NCAA in order to play as a freshman in college. They will also certify the student-athletes’ amateur status and assist high schools with the process of maintaining their core course listings. The certification process is only started when an NCAA institution makes a request on a student-athlete. So, Counselors should send completed transcripts to the Center in a timely manner so it does not impede the certification process.
WARNING: Insure that all documentation sent to the Eligibility Center is accurate and ALL core courses are listed on the school’s approved core course list. Once the eligibility center has received all required documentation, including a final high school transcript with proof of graduation, they will NOT accept any revised documentation. A waiver procedure must now be initiated by the NCAA institution recruiting the student-athlete.
WHO NEEDS TO REGISTER?
Any student-athlete that wishes to compete in college at the NCAA D-I or D-II level must register with the NCAA Eligibility Center
WHEN DO YOU REGISTER?
Student-athletes should register with the Eligibility Center during the spring of their junior year.
HOW DO YOU REGISTER?
You may ONLY register electronically online
WHAT ARE THE FEES FOR SENDING TEST SCORES TO THE CENTER?
If students take the test before registering with the Eligibility Center then they must pay either $12.50 (for SAT scores) or $8.50 (ACT scores) to have the scores sent to the eligibility center.
If students register with the Eligibility Center first, then take the SAT or ACT test, they will NOT pay a fee as long as they put the code “9999” where it asks where you want the scores sent to.
* For NCAA purposes, ALL SAT or ACT test scores must come directly from the testing agency and will NOT be accepted via an official high school transcript.
CAN COURSES TAKEN IN EIGHTH GRADE COUNT?
Courses taken in the eighth grade MAY be used to meet core course requirements, provided they are approved high school core courses (e.g., Algebra I, Spanish 1, Freshman Composition).
And, the eighth grade courses MUST appear on the student's high school transcript and they must also count towards high school graduation credit.
WHAT IF A STUDENT-ATHLETE TRANSFERS TO ANOTHER HIGH SCHOOL?
If a student transfers from one high school to another, courses taken at high school “A” must be accompanied by an official transcript from that school, to the new high school. They may NOT just be added to the transcript of high school “B”.
Helpful Links
National Collegiate Athletic Association- lists schools that offer college sports by type, division, and location and outlines requirements for scholarship eligibility.
