Understanding NCAA Eligibility Joann Graham and Mary Willer Counselors for Student Athletes Santa Barbara City College (805)

Steps You Must Take to Participate in NCAA Division I or II Athletics your 1 st year of college 2

W HAT IS THE NCAA AND NCAA E LIGIBILITY Center? ●Determine initial eligibility for athletic participation ●Students considering participation in college sports at D1/ D2 must register with eligibility center ●Take SAT/ACT even if going to community college ● ● /

NCAA D IVISION I ●NCAA Division I - 5 years to play 4 years ●Full-time enrollment at any college triggers "5- year clock" ●Exceptions: military service, 1-time pregnancy exception, religious mission ●Any exceptions must be petitioned by the 4-year college

NCAA D IVISION II ● 10 semester/15 quarter- full-time enrollment ● Any full-time collegiate enrollment uses one semester / quarter of eligibility ● Clock stops if not enrolled or enrolled part-time

HIGH SCHOOL Freshmen and Sophomores Must: ● Start planning now ● Need 16 core courses ● Work hard to get best grades possible ● Take classes matching your high school’s NCAA List of Approved Core Courses - NCAA Eligibility Center only uses approved core courses to certify initial eligibility ● Access and print your high school’s NCAA List of Approved Core Courses at click “Resources” at top of screen

JUNIORS Must: ● Beginning of junior year, register with Eligibility Center ● Take ACT, SAT or both and use Eligibility Center code “9999” as a score recipient ● Make sure to take courses matching your high school’s NCAA List of Approved Core Courses ● After completing Junior year, SEND official transcript to Eligibility Center. (E.C. DOES NOT accept faxed transcripts) ● Prior to Senior year, check with your counselor (and Eligibility Center) to determine number of core courses needed to be completed senior year

Seniors Must: ● Take SAT and/or ACT as often as necessary. E.C. uses best scores from each section to determine best cumulative score ● Continue taking Core Courses ● Take courses matching your H.S.'s List of Approved Core Courses ● Earn best grades possible ● Graduate on time (in 8 academic semesters) ● After graduation, send final OFFICIAL transcript to Eligibility Center with proof of graduation

From the time you enter the ninth grade, you have 4 years (or 8 semesters) to complete the 16 core-course requirement “On time" also means that if graduation takes place June 1, you must graduate June 1 Core-Course Completion “On Time”

D IVISION I : 16 C ORE C OURSES ● 4 years of English ● 3 years of mathematics (Algebra I or higher) ● 2 years of natural/physical science (1 year of lab) ● 1 year of additional English, mathematics or natural/physical science ● 2 years of social science ● 4 years of additional courses (from any area above, foreign language or nondoctrinal religion/philosophy) ● See handout for sliding scale (GPA/SAT-ACT, verbal and math sections only)

N EW SLIDING SCALE FOR DI ● Initial requirements are increasing for students starting 4-year college Aug (impacts HS freshmen Fall 2012) ● Must complete 10 core courses before senior year ● 7 of 10 must be Math, English, and Science. ● Sliding scale changed to min. GPA of 2.3

NEW Core Course Requirements – Div II 16 Core Courses (Freshman Class of 2014) ● 3 years of English ● 2 years of math (Algebra I or higher) ● 2 years of natural/physical science ● 3 years of additional English, math, or natural/physical science ● 2 years of social science ● 4 years of additional courses from any area above, foreign language or comparative religion/philosophy ● Need a minimum of 840 (combined Verbal and Quantitative) on SAT or 70 on ACT/2.2 GPA

NCAA Division III Requirements ● Division III institutions do not require registration with the Eligibility Center ● Contact Div III college or university for details on admission requirements, financial aid, practice & competition

Q UALIFIER ● Graduated High School ● Successfully completed core curriculum - 16 core courses ● Met specified GPA in core classes and met specified minimum SAT/ACT score ● Student may practice, play, and receive financial aid initially out of high school at a 4-year university

N ON -Q UALIFIER ●Not graduated from high school, or ●Not earned the GPA in core curriculum or SAT/ACT score required to qualify ●Cannot practice, play, or receive financial aid for one academic year after high school at a 4 year university

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Initial-Eligibility Overview: Amateurism ● Update athletics participation information often, especially if participating in events outside of the normal high school season (i.e. Club sports) ● Meet often with HS counselor, to ensure protecting amateurism AND meeting core-course requirements ● Stay college eligible – Always Ask Before You Act!

I MPORTANT T ERMS FOR C OLLEGE E LIGIBILITY Participation ● Student athlete plays one play or one second - counts as one season of participation ● Score is being kept officially. Scrimmages do not count! ● Officials/ refs during competition ● Game counts toward official record or post- season play Redshirt: student athlete enrolls full-time but does not play Medical Redshirt: injury before specific time period of season, out for rest of the season. Trainer and doctor must fill out the appropriate paperwork Greyshirt: student athlete enrolls part-time at a school and does not play first semester. Does not trigger the Division I eligibility clock

Q UALIFIERS VS. N ON -Q UALIFIERS AT THE C OMMUNITY C OLLEGE T RANSFERS ● QUALIFIER: ● Division I: ● You can be recruited after 1 full-time semester ● Must average 12 transferable credits per full-time term ● Must have a cumulative GPA of 2.5 ● No more than 2 PE activity units may be applied towards the transferable unit count and GPA ● Division II: ● You can be recruited after 1 full-time semester ● Earn an Associate of Arts degree, OR ● Average 12 transferable units per full-time term ● EX. 3 semesters = 36 units ● Must have a cumulative GPA of 2.00, 2.2 after Aug 1, 2014 ● Division III: ● Must have been considered academically and athletically eligible if you stayed at your two-year school

Q UALIFIERS VS. N ON -Q UALIFIERS AT THE C OMMUNITY C OLLEGE T RANSFERS (C ONTINUED ) ● NON-QUALIFIER: ● Division I: ● Complete a minimum of 3 semesters (summer doesn't count) ● Earn an Associate of Arts degree ● Earn a minimum of 48 transferable units ● As of Aug. 1, 2012 ● NEW GPA 2.5, 6 units of transferable english, 3 units TR math, and 3 units of science. ● Division II: ● Complete 2 full-time semesters and ● Earn an Associate of Arts degree, OR ● Average 12 transferable units per full-time term ● Must have a cumulative GPA of 2.20 plus 6 units of English, 3 units of transferable math. ● Division III: ● Must have been considered academically and athletically eligible if you stayed at your two-year school

Q UALIFIERS /N ON -Q UALIFIERS T RANSFERS Division I: All transfers ● Earn Associate of Arts degree ● Complete 12 transferable units per full-time term (excluding summers) ● 2.50 GPA in transferable units ● 1 calendar year must have elapsed after leaving four-year Exception: Return to original 4- year institution

Q UALIFIERS T RANSFERS Division II: ● Attended two-year institution for 2 full- time semesters ● 2.00 GPA ● Earn Associate of Arts degree OR average 12 transferable units per full-time term

NON- Q UALIFIERS T RANSFER Division II Complete at least 2 FT semesters & complete an avg. of 12 units per term with a 2.0 GPA OR Complete at least 1 FT semester AND graduate from 2 year school.

D 1: Progress toward degree requirement % Rule: ● End of 2 years must have 40% of degree met. ( 4 FT terms), or approx 48 units ● End of 3rd yr ( 6 FT) must have 60% met, which is usually units. BIG problem because of TR limits. UC/CSU accept 70. ● NEED to under-enroll one semester at CC

SBCC eligibility: 1st season of competition must be actively enrolled in 12 units, 9 must be academic, enroll in PD nd season of competition: pass 24 units, 18 must be academic, GPA 2.0 As of July 2015: must pass 27 units and 21 must be academic with a 2.0 GPA.

A NY Q UESTIONS ?

Understanding NCAA Eligibility Joann Graham Counselor for Student Athletes Santa Barbara City College (805)