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NCAA ELIGIBILITY It’s not hard – but it is important!

Anyone who has participated in athletics at any level has experienced strong emotions!

The thrill of victory!

The agony of defeat.

The intensity of competition!

The disappointment of coming up short.

The camaraderie of teamwork.

The isolation of feeling alone.

Sometimes you’re floating on air.

Sometimes it rains on your parade.

You concentrate!

You are Elated!

You are disappointed.

You worry.

Through determination you overcome adversity.

The fans adore you!

The fans desert you.

You reach new heights!

You experience the lows.

You win!

You lose.

You compete!

What emotions will you feel… If you are recruited by a college or university; If you are offered a scholarship… But you have not met the NCAA eligibility standards and are unable to accept the offer?

Heartbroken?

Discouraged?

Frustrated!

Crushed?

You may feel like arguing,

But the call will be…..

“You’re out!”

Meeting NCAA eligibility standards is not difficult for most students, but: You need to understand the standards before it is too late, and You need to follow some correct procedures.

In this workshop, we will Look at the required courses; Show you how to compute your GPA; Discuss the role of the ACT or SAT examination; Show you how to apply for eligibility through the NCAA Clearinghouse; Introduce you to the services available through the NCAA website.

NCAA Colleges/Universities are categorized by Divisions Division I schools in Utah include: Utah State University Weber State University University of Utah Brigham Young University Utah Valley State College Southern Utah University

There are no Division II schools in Utah but BYU-Hawaii is in Division II. Two-year junior colleges including Dixie College, Snow College and College of Eastern Utah and Salt Lake Community College are governed by a different set of standards. Westminster College is an NAIA school and is also governed by a different set of rules.

What are the eligibility requirements to enter a 2 year junior college? Graduate from high school, or Pass the GED examination, or Successfully complete one term at the college, passing 12 credits with a 1.75 GPA.

Requirements at NCAA Division I or Division II schools: Students planning to enter an NCAA Division I institution in 2003 or 2004 will first be evaluated according to the 14 course rule. If they don’t qualify, they will be evaluated using the 13 course rule. After 2004, all students entering a Div. I institution will need to meet the 14 course rule. (The standards will increase again in 2008.) Students planning to enter an NCAA Div II institution will need to meet the Div. II 13 course standard.

Requirements by Division Div I-14 Div I-13 Div II-13 Div I-14 Div I-13 Div II-13 Graduate yes yes yes GPA*/ACT index index 2.00/68 *core GPA *core GPA English Math Science Additional English, Math or Science Social St

Div 1-14 Div 1-13 Div 2 Div 1-14 Div 1-13 Div 2 Additional courses in any of the above or in Foreign Language or Computer Science. (CS only until August 1, 2005) Partial Qualifiers no yes yes no yes yes Pass all core classes yes no no yes no no

Frequently Asked Questions

When can courses be taken? While enrolled in grades 9-12 for Div. I schools. Anytime between 9 th grade and enrollment in college for a Div. II school. For other rules and exceptions, see the NCAA booklet.

What about GPA and ACT/SAT? For a Div. I school, your core GPA and your ACT or SAT score are indexed together. For example if you have a core GPA of 2.00, you will need to have a ACT sum score of 86. The ACT sum score is obtained by adding your four ACT sub-scores.

Core GPA ACT Score

What about at a Div. II school? The core GPA must be at least The ACT sum score must be at least 68

What if the core GPA is less than 2.00? You don’t qualify, but you might be able to become a partial qualifier. See the NCAA booklet for details.

What if the ACT sum score is less than 37? You don’t qualify. But you can re- take the ACT. Or, you might be able to become a partial qualifier. See the booklet for details.

Can a student go to a Division III school without meeting these requirements? Yes. These requirements govern only Division I and Division II schools. Division III schools, NAIA schools and 2-year junior colleges are governed by their own institutional rules.

How is the core GPA calculated? The GPA is calculated for only the courses which meet the NCAA core. Other courses are not counted. Pluses and minuses are ignored. A=4, B=3, C=2, D=1, F=0 The grade scores are totaled and then divided by the number of courses involved.

How are pass/fail grades handled? They are assigned the same value as a D grade.

How can you determine if a course at your school meets a core requirement? You can look up a list of approved courses at your school by category. Click on “List of Approved Core Courses” from the General Information page of the NCAA Clearinghouse web site. The URL is

More Frequently Asked Questions

What if I leave high school after my junior year in order to enter college early? You can still qualify if for the previous four semesters of high school: You had a cumulative GPA of 3.50; You ranked in the top 20% of your class; You met all requirements for graduation; and For Division I, you were only lacking one English class from the core requirements.

What if I am a home schooled student? Your core-course accomplishments will need to be analyzed by the NCAA Initial-Eligibility Waiver Committee. Contact the NCAA membership services for information about how to proceed.

Is a potential college athlete required to register with the NCAA clearinghouse? Yes. You may apply electronically through the clearinghouse website or you may mail in the SRF form (Student Release Form). The SRF gives permission for the high school to send your information to the NCAA and for the NCAA to send it to the colleges.

Is there a fee? Yes. The fee is $30. If mailing in the form it may be in the form of a check or money order. If registering online it may be by a VISA or Mastercard credit card.

Is the fee waiveable? Yes, but only if you obtained a fee waiver in connection with taking the ACT or SAT examination.

How will you know if the NCAA has approved your eligibility? When you apply, you will select a PIN number. Using that number you can access your status either by computer or by telephone. If you provide an address, they will communicate with you by .

What are some of the services available through the NCAA web site? Which Division a particular college plays in; Which courses at your school are approved for each curriculum category; On-line eligibility application; Access to your high school code number

Feeling “bowled over” by info?

Confused?

Ask more questions.

Good luck in your NCAA career!