NCAA & NAIA Eligibility Information for Perspective College Athletes Fargo North High School September 2016 Travis Christensen, Activities Coordinator

WHY YOU ARE HERE You and your parent(s) are interested in being as informed as possible about potentially playing sports in college and the eligibility process that goes with it. I hope that you are able to accomplish your goals.

Goals of the Event: LET’S GET STARTED 1. Individuals will be able to understand the difference between NAIA and NCAA as well as Divisions, as each has their own eligibility standards 2. Individuals will be able to make sense of the eligibility process 3. Individuals will have access to a number of resources pertaining to this topic LET’S GET STARTED

NCAA 2016-2017Eligibility Guide Divisions I, II, and III are all NCAA affiliated www.eligibilitycenter.org Web address for the NCAA eligibility center All Division I and Division II athletes need to be registered and approved through this site to certify academic and amateur credentials Division I: NDSU, UND, Minnesota, Notre Dame Division II: Minot State, U of Mary, MSU-Moorhead, Bemidji State, St. Cloud State, U of M Duluth 2016-2017Eligibility Guide Free PDF download

Steps to Achieving Your Eligibility Freshmen and Sophomores Start Planning Know our Approved Courses Complete eligibility center registration (soph year) Juniors Take the ACT and/or SAT test and use the NCAA code 9999 as a score recipient Have your counselor send an official transcript to the NCAA at the end of your JR. year. Ensure you are taking the required Core Courses

Steps to Achieving Your Eligibility Seniors Retake ACT/SAT if necessary Continue to check your Core Course requirements Request final Amateurism Certification after April 1st (eligibility center website) Continue to work hard and graduate on time Have your Counselor send final transcript to the NCAA Eligibility Center with proof of graduation.

NCAA Eligibility Center Registration http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5cwzGHuHB8 Link for a video tutorial of how to navigate the NCAA Eligibility Center $75 registration fee. A fee waiver is available if the student received a waiver for the ACT or SAT test fee. Work with your counselor.

NCAA Academic Eligibility Requirements

NCAA Academic Eligibility Requirements Core GPA & ACT/SAT Test Sliding Scale GPA of your 16 Core Courses ACT/SAT combined score ACT: Math, English, Science, Reading SAT: Math and Verbal North’s Approved Core Courses are listed online GPA Worksheet: pg 19 of CBSA guide Division I Sliding Scale: pg 12 of CBSA guide

Aug 1st, 2016 changes for Division I If you enroll after this date Minimum of 2.3 Core GPA At least 10 Core Courses by the start of your Senior Year 7 of these must be English, Math, or Science courses Please notice the different levels of Qualifier, Non-Qualifier, Partial Qualifier, and Academic Redshirt

Division III Division III student-athletes do not need to be registered and certified by the NCAA Eligibility Center. School examples: Concordia, St. John’s, St. Thomas, U of M – Morris Basic Rule of Thumb: If you are accepted into the D III school then you would be initially eligible to compete. Have a conversation about this with the college.

NCAA Academic Eligibility Requirements Core Course Units: Semester = 0.5 units, Year-long = 1.0 units Can accumulate prior to 9th grade, but not after your Graduation Date for initial eligibility. Non-Traditional Courses: Case by case basis for acceptance, be sure to communicate with your Counselor prior to registering. Credit Recovery Online Learning Evening School ACT/SAT Tests: If multiple attempts occur, the best combination of scores is used

Education – Impacting Disabilities The Online Eligibility Guide goes over the process of how these are handled and possible accommodations. Please visit with your Counselor if you are in need of more info on this topic.

Amateurism Please refer to your materials to see what is deemed as possible NCAA violations dealing with an individual’s Amateur status. There are sport specific situations given in your packet

Recruiting & Financial Aid NCAA has recruiting regulations How, when, and how often you can be contacted School visits: Unofficial vs Official Verbal Commitments and the National Letter of Intent NLI: signing= agreeing to attend the institution for one academic year in exchange for athletics financial aid for one academic year Financial Aid: Division I & II schools award athletic scholarships, Division III does not. Report all outside awards Length of Scholarship: most are 1 year renewables Facts: about 2% of high school athletes earn athletic scholarships, but a much larger percentage earn academic awards

NAIA School Examples: Valley City State, Jamestown College, Mayville State NAIA also has their own Eligibility Center www.playnaia.org Video tutorial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-nZbPY8QXc This is separate from the NCAA $70 fee to register (there is a fee waiver process)

NAIA Academic Requirements If you are graduating in the spring and enrolling in the fall, you must satisfy 2 of the 3 requirements: 1. Achieve a minimum of 18 on the ACT or 860 on the SAT 2. Achieve a minimum OVERALL high school GPA of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale 3. Graduate in the top ½ of your high school class

NAIA Academic Requirements NAIA ACT/SAT Code: 9876 Putting this on your ACT or SAT test sends your results directly to the NAIA Ask your Counselor to send the NAIA Eligibility Center a final official transcript that verifies high school graduation, class rank , and cumulative GPA

The College Selection Process Find the location and the fit that is right for you Ask about: Athletics Academics Financial Aid College Life

Final Slide Your Counselor and I are your best resources as you work through this process. Are there any questions about this process? Thank you for coming tonight and hopefully you found it useful.