College Athletics (NCAA) Eligibility Regulations

In order to practice and play as a freshman at an NCAA Division I or Division II college/university, the student-athlete must satisfy requirements of the NCAA. Student-athletes must have eligibility for practice and competition in the freshman year certified by the NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse. Student-athletes may register with the Clearinghouse online at www.ncaaclearinghouse.net. If a student-athlete would like a paper registration form, forms are available by calling 888-388-9748. The best time for a student-athlete to register with the Clearinghouse is following his or her junior year of high school.
The NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse has been established for a review of core courses and high school transcripts for all prospective Division I and Division II student-athletes, who must complete a “Student Release Form” and submit it with payment of $30 to the Clearinghouse. This fee may be waived only if the student-athlete has received a fee waiver for the ACT or SAT (student-athletes should contact their school counselor about this fee waiver). The official high school transcript and ACT or SAT scores must be submitted to the Clearinghouse, which will issue a preliminary certification report that will be available to the student-athlete and the colleges that he/she has selected to receive this information. After graduation, the Clearinghouse will review the final transcript and make a final certification decision.
In order to be certified by the Clearinghouse for the 2003-04 academic year, the student-athlete must:
1. Graduate from high school.
2. Earn a grade-point average of at least 2.000 (based on a maximum 4.000 scale) in a core* curriculum of at least 13 or 14 academic courses which were successfully completed during grades 9 through 12. Only courses that satisfy the NCAA definition of a course can be used to calculate the student’s NCAA grade-point average.

DIVISION I ACADEMIC ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
For students entering any NCAA Division I college or university during the 2003-2004 or 2004-2005 academic years, NCAA initial eligibility will be evaluated under the new rule. If a student is ineligible under the new rule, the NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse will automatically re-evaluate his/her academic record under the former rule to obtain the best possible result. It is not possible to mix-and-match rules. For example, a student cannot use the 13 core course standard of the former rule and the sliding scale from the new rule. For students entering any NCAA Division I college or university on or after Aug. 1, 2005, their NCAA initial eligibility will be evaluated using the new rule only.
The New Rule:
• Increases the number of core courses from 13 to 14. This additional core course may be in any area: English, mathematics, natural/physical science, social science, foreign language, nondoctrinal religion/philosophy or computer science. The breakdown of core course requirements is listed here.
• Changes the Division I initial-eligibility index or sliding scale.
For purposes of meeting the core-curriculum requirements to establish initial eligibility at an NCAA Division I or II college or university, a “core course” must meet all of the following criteria:
a. A course must be a recognized academic course and qualify for high school graduation credit in one or a combination of the following areas: English, mathematics, natural/physical science, social science, foreign language, computer science or nondoctrinal religion/philosophy; *IMPORTANT NOTE: For students first entering a collegiate institution on or after Aug. 1, 2005, computer science courses cannot be used to meet intial-eligibility requirements.
b. A course must be considered college preparatory by the high school. College preparatory is defined for these purposes as any course that prepares a student academically to enter a four-year collegiate institution upon graduation from high school;
c. A mathematics course must be at the level of Algebra I or a higher level mathematics course;
d. A course must be taught by a qualified instructor as defined by the appropriate academic authority (e.g., high school, school district or state agency with authority of such matters); and
e. A course must be taught at or above the high school’s regular academic level (i.e., remedial, special education or compensatory courses shall not be considered core courses). However, the prohibition against the use of remedial or compensatory courses is not applicable to courses designed for students with learning disabilities.

Note: Courses taught via the Internet, distance learning, independent study individualized instruction, correspondence, and courses taught by similar means, may be used to satisfy NCAA core-course requirements is all of the following conditions are satisfied:
a. The course meets all requirements of a core course as defined above;
b. The instructor and the student have access to one another during the duration of the course for purposes of teaching, evaluating, and providing assistance to the student;
c. Evaluation of the student’s work is conducted by the appropriate academic authorities in accordance with the high school’s established academic policies; and
d. The course is acceptable for any student and is placed on the high school transcript.

Note: For any course to be used in a student-athlete’s evaluation, the course must appear on the high school’s list of NCAA-approved core courses. If a course does not appear on the high school’s list, or if the course title on the transcript does not match the course title on the high school’s list, the course will not be used. To view your high school’s list of NCAA-approved core courses, visit the Clearinghouse web site at www.ncaaclearinghouse.net.

If you have any questions about the certification process or the status of your certification documents, you can contact the NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse at: NCAA Clearinghouse, P.O. Box 4062, Iowa City, IA 52243-4062; (877) 262-1492 (8 a.m.-5 p.m., Central Standard Time, weekdays); (877) 861-3003 (24-hour voice response system to check status of your file).
Students, parents, counselors, and coaches seeking answers regarding initial eligibility may call the NCAA’s automated information hotline at 800-638-3731. Additional information can be found on the NCAA Clearinghouse web site: www.ncaaclearinghouse.net. For general, non-student specific information, contact: NCAA Membership Services, P.O. Box 6222, Indianapolis, IN 46206-6222; (317) 917-6222, 800-638-3731, www.ncaa.org.

QUALIFIER
A “qualifier” can practice, compete and receive athletics scholarship as a freshman.
• Students first entering an NCAA Division I collegiate institution on or after Aug. 1, 2003, may meet the initial-eligibility requirements under either rule.
• Students first entering an NCAA Division I collegiate institution on or after Aug. 1, 2005, must meet the new 14 core course rule.
See the Sliding Scale

DIVISION II ACADEMIC ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
Division II qualifiers require that a student-athlete graduate from high school, have a GPA of 2.00 in a successfully completed core curriculum of 13 or 14 academic courses, earn a 68 sum of scores on the ACT or have a combined score on the SAT verbal and math sections of 820.
Note: Student-athletes first entering an NCAA Division II college or university on or after Aug. 1, 2005, must have completed 14 core courses. Like Division I, the 14th course may be in any area (except computer science).

PARTIAL QUALIFIER (Does not meet standards for qualifier)
A “partial qualifier” is eligible to practice at institution’s home facility during freshman year. No competition during freshman year. Will have four years of eligibility during college career. May receive institutional financial aid, including an athletic scholarship, during freshman year.
• Does not meet the requirements for qualifier;
• Has satisfied high school graduation requirements;
• Has successfully completed the 13 (or 14) core courses with a minimum 2.000 core-course grade point average;
• Attain minimum 68 ACT (sum of scores) or 820 SAT.

NONQUALIFIER (Does not meet standards for qualifier or partial qualifier)
A “nonqualifier” cannot practice or compete during freshman year. Will have four years of eligibility during college career. May not receive an athletic scholarship in freshman year, but may receive regular need-based financial aid if the school certifies that aid was granted without regard to athletics ability.
The ACT or the SAT used to establish initial eligibility must be taken under national testing conditions on a national testing date. The test may be taken on any number of occasions, utilizing the best score (for each section). Each of the best scores then may be combined to meet the necessary test score requirement. It is suggested that the student plan early to take the test. Many students take the ACT or SAT as early as their sophomore year.
State tests, such as the Illinois or Colorado ACT state test, cannot be used for NCAA purposes.

DIVISION III
Currently, Division I and Division II requirements do not apply to Division III colleges, where eligibility for financial aid, practice and competition is governed by institutional or conference regulation.
Student-athletes and parents should obtain a copy of the current NCAA Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete for additional and more detailed information about NCAA eligibility requirements. The guide is available on the NCAA web site at www.ncaa.org/eligibility/cbsa/.
For information on initial eligibility of students with learning disabilities, see the NCAA web site at www1.ncaa.org/membership/membership_svcs/eligibility-recruiting/faqs/disabilities.
Intercollegiate Athletic Associations
The following associations govern the coduct of collegiate athletics, the eligibility of the student-athlete and the availability of athletic scholarships.
NCAA National Collegiate Athletic Association
NAIA National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
NJCAA National Junior College Athletic Association
There are other associations of colleges and conferences that may or may not affiliate with larger associations or abide by their rules. It is important to learn from the college coach who is recruiting a student, to what association his or her college/university belongs and what rules regarding recruitment must be followed if different than NCAA/NAIA rules.

NAIA Eligibility Regulations
To be eligible to participate at a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) college, an entering freshman must meet two of the three entry level requirements:
1. Achieve a minimum composite score of 18 on the ACT or 860 on the SAT. Scores must be achieved on a single test.
2. Achieve a minimum overall high school grade-point average of 2.000 on a 4.000 scale, or
3. Graduate in the top half of his/her high school graduating class.
Additional information on eligibility may be obtained at the NAIA web site: www.naia.org.

NJCAA Eligibility Regulations
To be eligible to participate in a member college of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) the entering student-athlete must meet the following requirements:
1. Student must be a high school graduate or one who has received a high school equivalency diploma or has been certified as having passed a national test such as the General Education Development (GED) Test.
2. Non-high school graduates can establish eligibility for athletic participation by completing one term of college work passing 12 credits with a 1.75 GPA or higher. This term must be taken after the student’s high school class has graduated.
3. Non-high school graduates who have earned sufficient credit for high school graduation status can establish eligibility for athletic participation by completing one term of college work, passing 12 credits with a 1.75 GPA or higher. This term can be completed before the student’s high school class has graduated.
4. Students classified under #2 or #3 above may be added to the eligibility roster at any time after completion of the requirements in the respective #2 or #3.
5. Students who are completing high school and are simultaneously enrolled in 12 or more credits at a college are eligible for athletic participation with the completion of the NJCAA High School Waiver Form (Form 3-e). This form must be signed by the student’s high school principal and the college president. This provision is applicable to only those students whose high school class has not graduated at the time of college enrollment.
Additional information on eligibility may be obtained on the NJCAA web site: www.njcaa.org. NCAA regulations have been adopted that affect two-year college transfers who were partial qualifiers or non-qualifiers upon graduation from high school. Football and men’s basketball are particularly impacted. The regulations differ for Divisions I and II. Student-athletes should make themselves aware of the impact of these regulations upon them, if they are partial qualifiers or non-qualifiers. Student-athletes affected should contact the NCAA Clearinghouse for information.