NCAA Academic-Eligibility Requirements

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NCAA Academic-Eligibility Requirements
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Division I16 Core-Course Rule

• Complete these 16 core courses
• 4 years of English
• 3 years of math (algebra 1 or higher)
• 2 years of natural or physical science (including
  one year of lab science if offered by your high
  school)
• 1 extra year of English, math, or natural or
  physical science
• 2 years of social science
• 4 years of extra core courses (from any category
  above, or foreign language, nondoctrinal religion
  or earn philosophy)

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• You must
• Earn a minimum required grade-point average in
  your core courses
• Earn a combined SAT or ACT sum score that matches
  your core-course grade-point average and test
  score sliding scale (for example, a 2.400
  core-course grade-point average needs an 869
  SAT).

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• Requirement to graduate with your high school
  class
• You must graduate from high school on schedule
  (in eight semesters) with your incoming
  ninth-grade class. If you graduate from high
  school in eight semesters with your class, you
  may use one core course completed in the year
  after graduation (summer or academic year) to
  meet NCAA Division I eligibility requirements.

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Division II14 Core-Course Rule

• 14 Core-Courses
• 3 years of English
• 2 years of mathematics (Algebra I or higher)
• 2 years of natural or physical science (1 year of
  lab if offered by high school)
• 2 years of additional English, mathematics, or
  natural or physical science
• 2 years of social science
• 3 years of additional courses (from any area
  above, foreign language or nondoctrinal
  religion/philosophy)

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• You must
• Earn a 2.000 grade-point average or better in
  your core-courses
• Earn a combined SAT score of 820 or an ACT sum
  score of 68
• In the year 2013 for Division II eligibility you
  must complete 16 core courses

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Division III

• Division III does not use the Eligibility Center.
  Contact your Division III college or university
  regarding its policies on admission, financial
  aid, practice and competition.

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What Is A Core Course?

• A core course must
• Be an academic course in one or a combination of
  these areas English, mathematics,
  natural/physical science, social science, foreign
  language, nondoctrinal religion or philosophy
• Be four-year college preparatory
• Be at or above your high schools regular
  academic level (no remedial, special education or
  compensatory courses)
• Be completed not later than the high school
  graduation date of your class

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Grade-Point Average

• How Your Core-Course Grade-Point Average is
  Calculated
• The Eligibility Center will calculate the
  grade-point average of your core courses on a
  4.000 scale. The best grades from your NCAA core
  courses will be used. Grades from additional
  core courses you took will be used only if they
  improve your grade-point average.
• To determine your points earned for each course,
  multiply the points for the grade by the amount
  of credit earned. Use the following scale unless
  your high school has a different scale on file
  with the Eligibility Center
• A-4 points C-2 points
• B-3 points D-1 point

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• Special High School Grades and Grade-Point
  Average
• If your high school uses numeric grades (such as
  92 or 93), those grades will be changed to your
  high schools letter grades (such as A or B).
  See your high schools grading scale by pulling
  up your schools list of approved core courses at
• www.ncaaclearinghouse.net.

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Steps You Must Take to Participate in NCAA
Division I or II Athletics

• Freshman and Sophomores Should
• Start planning now!
• Work hard to get the best grades possible.
• Take classes that match your high schools NCAA
  List of Approved Core Courses. The NCAA
  Eligibility Center will only use approved core
  courses to certify your initial eligibility.

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Steps You Must Take to Participate in NCAA
Division I or II Athletics

• Juniors Must
• At the beginning of your junior year, register
  with the Eligibility Center at www.ncaaclearinghou
  se.net and complete the amateurism questionnaire.
• Register to take the ACT, SAT, or both, and use
  the Eligibility Center code 9999 as a score
  recipient.
• Double check to make sure that you are taking
  courses that match your high schools NCAA List
  of Approved Core Courses.
• Request that your high school guidance counselor
  send an official transcript to the Eligibility
  Center after completing your junior year. (The
  Eligibility Center does NOT accept faxed
  transcripts.)

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Steps You Must Take to Participate in NCAA
Division I or II Athletics

• Seniors Must
• At the beginning of your senior year, check with
  your guidance counselor and the Eligibility
  Center to determine the number of core courses
  that need to be completed your senior year.
• You may take the SAT and/or ACT as often as you
  feel necessary. The Eligibility Center will use
  the best scores from each section of the SAT or
  ACT to determine your best cumulative score.
• Continue to take core courses.
• Check to make sure that you are taking courses
  that match your high schools NCAA List of
  Approved Core Courses.

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Steps You Must Take to Participate in NCAA
Division I or II Athletics

• Seniors Must
• Review your amateurism questionnaire responses
  and request final amateurism certification
  beginning April1 (for fall enrollees) or October
  1 (for spring enrollees).
• Continue to earn the best grades possible.
• After graduation, ask your high school guidance
  counselor to send your final transcript to the
  Eligibility Center with proof of graduation.
• Graduate on time (in eight academic semesters).
  If you fall behind, use summer school sessions
  prior to graduation to catch up.

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Amateurism

• The Eligibility Center encourages you to update
  your athletics participation information often,
  especially if you participate in events outside
  your normal high school session.
• Meet with your high school guidance counselor
  often to make sure that you are protecting your
  amateurism and are also meeting your core-course
  requirements.
• Stay college eligible always ask before you
  act!
• NCAA amateurism certification web site
• www.ncaa.org/membership/ach/index.html.

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ALWAYS ASK BEFORE YOU ACT!Amateurism Red Flags

• Ask questions before
• Signing a contract with a professional team.
• Receiving money for participating in athletics.
• Receiving prize money above actual and necessary
  expenses.
• Playing with professional athletes.
• Trying out, practicing or competing with a
  professional team.
• Receiving benefits from an agent or prospective
  agent.
• Agreeing to be represented by an agent.
• Participating in organized competition after your
  first opportunity to enroll in college.

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Early Certification

• Early Certification Waiver
• If you meet the following criteria after six
  semesters, you will be certified as a qualifier
• Minimum SAT (math and critical reading) of 1000
  or minimum sum score of 85 on the ACT.
• For Division I Core-course grade-point average
  (GPA) of 3.0 or higher in a minimum of 13 core
  courses
• 3 English
• 2 math
• 2 science
• 6 additional core courses
• For Division II Core-course GPA of 3.0 or higher
  in a minimum of 12 core courses
• 3 English
• 2 math
• 2 science
• 5 additional core courses

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Graduate On Time

• From the time your enter the ninth grade, you
  have four years or eight semesters to graduate
  from high school. If you dont graduate on
  time in eight semesters, no core courses taken
  after the eighth semester will be counted toward
  your NCAA academic eligibility requirements.
• Graduation on time also means that if your high
  school graduation takes place June 1, you
  graduated June 1. If you do not graduate June 1
  with the rest of your high school class, you have
  not graduated on time

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Registering with the Eligibility Center

• Start at the beginning of your junior year
• Log on to www.ncaaclearinghouse.net
• Select Prospective Student-Athletes
• Register as a U. S. or international
  student-athlete.

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Taking the ACT and/or SAT

• Be sure to enter the 9999 code when registering
  for the ACT or SAT
• This requests for your official test scores to be
  sent directly to the Eligibility Center
• Test scores on high school transcripts will not
  be used.

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Your Best Test Scores Will Be Used to Certify You

• Test Score
• Math Verbal Total
• SAT (10/08) 350 470 820
• SAT (12/08) 420 440 860
• Scores Used 420 470 890

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Recruiting

• Before a Division I college or university may
  invite you on an official visit, you must provide
  them with a copy of your high school transcript
  and SAT or ACT scores. You must also register
  with the Eligibility Center.
• Division II colleges and universities require
  official SAT or ACT scores, along with
  registering with the Eligibility Center.
• You may take a maximum of five expense-paid
  visits, with no more than one permitted to any
  single college or university. This restriction
  applies only for expense-paid visits to Division
  I or II institutions.

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Financial Aid

• There are no four-year athletics scholarships.
• All athletics scholarships awarded by NCAA
  institutions are limited to one year and are
  renewable each academic year and may be reduced
  or withdrawn.
• Athletics scholarships may be renewed each
  academic year for a maximum of five years within
  a six-year period of continuous college
  attendance.
• Athletics scholarships are awarded in a variety
  of amounts, ranging from full scholarships
  (including tuition fees, room and board, and
  books) to partial scholarships (e.g., book only).

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Resources

• NCAAstudent.org for the 2010-2011 Guide for the
  College-Bound Student-Athlete.
• NCAA.org Under Legislation Governance
  section, click on Eligibility and Recruiting
  and then click on Information for College-Bound
  Student-Athletes and Parents.
• NCAAclearinghouse.net to complete your
  registration and check your status with the
  Eligibility Center.
• Act.org
• Collegeboard.com

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Five Things Your Athletes Need To Know
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The Recruiting Process Started Yesterday!

• Myth Recruiting begins when your
  student-athletes are contacted by a college coach
  during junior or senior year of high school
• Reality Due to the rise in athletic scholarship
  need and the increase of available information
  for college coaches, the recruiting process is
  starting earlier than ever before. According to
  the NCAA, college coaches are starting to
  identify 7th and 8th graders as recruits and are
  even starting to offer scholarships to prospects
  before their freshman year.
• Advice Instruct your players to download and
  study a copy of the Guide for the College-Bound
  Student-Athlete. They need to understand all
  NCAA rules and regulations on core courses and
  academic requirements as soon as they enter high
  school.

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Recruiting Starts With Verified, 3rd Party
Information

• Myth College coaches discover talent junior and
  senior year by attending camps, combines,
  showcases, tournaments and high school games.
• Reality College coaches depend on verified
  information from reliable sources about prospects
  as young as 7th GRADE. Most coaches attend
  tournaments, games and camps with a list of
  student-athletes they will evaluate, not with the
  hopes of discovering prospects.
• Advice Make sure your student-athletes
  ability, recruiting information and academic
  qualifications have been verified by credible
  sources that college coaches trust.

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College Coaches Evaluate Prospects Online

• Myth College coaches initially evaluate talent
  by attending high school games and watching
  unsolicited video sent from students and
  families.
• Reality College coaches do a majority of their
  initial evaluations by looking at video-requested
  or received from RELIABLE SOURCES-often delivered
  online or digitally. Every recruit will need a
  highlight video.
• Advice Make it clear to your student-athletes
  what type of video you are willing and able to
  provide. This will eliminate any confusion when
  college coaches begin to request film.

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Be Realistic Less Than 1 Get A DI Full Ride

• Myth NCAA Division I is the only option for
  collegiate athletic scholarships.
• Reality There are over 1,700 U.S. colleges and
  universities that sponsor collegiate athletics
  and are able to offer financial packages. 80 of
  those opportunities fall outside of DI.
• Advice Make sure your student-athletes have a
  clear understanding of the opportunities
  available at DI, DI-A, DII, DIII, NAIA, or NJCAA.
  (And yes, DIII schools provide financial
  packages too!)

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Dont Blame The Coach!

• Myth You (the coach) are responsible for
  getting your student-athletes a scholarship.
• Reality You are busy! Most high school coaches
  lack the time and resources available to
  effectively market and manage the recruiting
  process for all their athletes.
• Advice Set up a time to speak with your
  student-athletes and families to establish clear
  recruiting responsibilities and understanding of
  the recruiting process.

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Five Things Your Athletes Must Do
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Develop Your Game Plan And Get Evaluated

• Fact Every student-athlete needs an objective,
  third party evaluation of their recruiting
  efforts to identify potential opportunities. A
  third party helps set realistic goals and
  expectations, allowing you to formulate an
  effective recruiting game plan.

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Post Their Academic/Athletic Resume Online

• Fact The days of delivering paper resumes
  through the mail are over. Coaches now view
  websites that contain all of the athletic and
  academic information needed to recruit a
  prospect. Coaches are able to see more athletes,
  more efficiently.

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Create A Winning Highlight/Skills Video

• Fact Every student-athlete needs a highlight
  and skills video that best conveys his or her
  athletic abilities. Videos are now typically
  streamed online and sent through email. ATHLETES
  SHOULD NOT SEND DOZENS OF UNSOLICITED DVDS TO
  COLLEGE COACHES. Unless the video has been
  requested or is sent from a credible third party,
  coaches will likely never receive it, let alone
  watch it!

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Contact 50-100 (Or More) Realistic Programs!

• Fact Receiving a few emails or letters from
  college coaches does not constitute serious
  recruitment. College coaches contact thousands
  of student-athletes in order to ensure they have
  athletes to fill their needs. Your
  student-athletes should play the same game by
  contacting at least 10-20 of the programs that
  offer their sport in order to give them enough
  options to consider. This could mean contacting
  more than 200 college coaches!

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This Is Not A 4 Year Decision, Its A 40 Year
Decision

• Fact Recruits need a step plan in order to
  successfully navigate through the recruiting
  process. To do it right, it takes hard work,
  perseverance, and a consolidated team effort
  between the student-athlete, parents, coaches,
  guidance counselors, and credible inside
  recruiting experts.

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FAST FACTS
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• A survey by the National Collegiate Scouting
  Association (NCSA) of more than one thousand
  college coaches found that 84 of all coaches
  identify prospects during or before the end of
  the athletes sophomore year.

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• The top of the top athletes can receive fifty
  offers by January 1 of their junior year. Most
  major Division I prospects will receive offers by
  the end of their junior year.

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• The NCAA annually updates its regulations on when
  and how coaches can contact student-athletes, so
  review the NCAA Guide for the College-Bound
  Student-Athletes and refer to Chapter 5 of
  Athletes Wanted by Chris Krause,
  www.athleteswanted.org

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• An invitation for an official visit is a strong
  precursor to a scholarship offer. One rule of
  thumb in recruiting is that if an athlete is not
  offered an official visit, that athlete will not
  likely be offered a scholarship.

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Coachs Tips
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• Having the accurate height and weight can be as
  valuable as having an accurate 40-yard time,
  said one University of Notre Dame Football Coach

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• The pot of scholarship money is limited, so the
  recruitment process should be started early. The
  earlier it is started, the more money will be
  available for the student-athlete.