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

2. 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.

3. 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

4. NCAA 2016-2017Eligibility Guide
Divisions I, II, and III are all NCAA affiliated
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
Eligibility Guide
Free PDF download

5. 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

6. 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.

7. NCAA Eligibility Center Registration
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.

8. NCAA Academic Eligibility Requirements

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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.

12. 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

13. 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.

14. 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

15. 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

16. NAIA
School Examples: Valley City State, Jamestown College, Mayville State
NAIA also has their own Eligibility Center
Video tutorial:
This is separate from the NCAA
$70 fee to register (there is a fee waiver process)

17. 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

18. 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

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

20. 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.