1. Becoming a College Athlete focus: NCAA Eligibility Center
Fall 2016

2. College/University Athletic Governance
National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) schools National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) schools National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) 1,100+ schools

3. NCAA Eligibility Center
Formerly known as “NCAA Clearinghouse”
Certifies academic & amateur credentials for students wanting to play sports at NCAA Division I or II schools as college freshmen
No uniform set of eligibility requirements for Division III schools; eligibility for admission, financial aid, practice and competition is determined by the college or university

4. Examples of TX schools DI DII DIII
Concordia
U of Dallas
East Texas Baptist
Hardin-Simmons
Howard Payne
McMurry
Southwestern
Sul Ross State
Trinity
UT-Dallas
UT-Tyler
Baylor
U of Houston
Houston Baptist
Lamar
UNT
Prairie View A&M
Rice
Sam Houston State
SFA
Texas A&M
Texas Tech UT
Abilene Christian
Angelo State
Dallas Baptist
Lubbock Christian
Midwestern State
St. Edward’s
St. Mary’s
Tarleton State
Texas A&M – Kingsville
UT – Permian Basin
West Texas A&M

5. Division I Academic Requirements
Graduate from high school;
Complete a minimum of 16 core courses;
Present required GPA (sliding scale);
Present qualifying score on ACT or SAT (sliding scale); and
Complete amateurism questionnaire & request final amateurism certification.

6. Division I 16 Core-Course Breakdown
4 years - English
3 years - math (Alg 1 or higher)
2 years - science
1 year - add’l English, math, or science
2 years - social studies
4 years - add’l core courses from any category above or foreign language

7. How is the Core GPA Calculated?
Only courses on the high school’s approved List of NCAA Courses may be used
Student’s best core-course grades will be used for calculation
Core GPA is calculated on a 4.0 scale
(+1 for “honors” IF approved by NCAA)
A (90-100) = 4 pts
B (80-89) = 3 pts
C (75-79) = 2 pts
D (70-74) = 1 pt

8. Division I 3 possible outcomes:
Full Qualifier: aid (scholarship) + practice + compete
Academic Redshirt: may NOT compete in 1st year
aid (scholarship) + practice ONLY during 1st semester
must be academically successful at college to continue to practice for the rest of the year
Nonqualifier: no athletic aid (scholarship), no practice, no compete in 1st year of enrollment

9. Full Qualifier Division I Aid + practice + compete
16 core courses
10 of the 16 cores must be completed before the senior year of HS
7 of the 10 cores must be English, math or science
Grades earned in the 10 cores before 7th semester are “locked in” for purposes of GPA calculation
Sliding Scale with GPA/test scores
Minimum core-course GPA of 2.3

10. Academic Redshirt Division I Aid + practice (NO compete)
Same 16 core courses
Minimum core-course GPA 2.0 – 2.299
Meet the academic redshirt sliding scale for GPA and ACT/SAT

11. Sliding Scale B (partial)
Use for Division I beginning August 1, 2016
NCAA DIVISION I SLIDING SCALE
GPA GPA SAT(no wri) ACT sum
Acad Redshirt Full Qualifier

12. Division II Academic Requirements prior to August 1, 2018 (current 12th)
Graduate from high school;
Complete a minimum of 16 core courses;
Present minimum core-course GPA;
Present minimum 820 SAT (CR + M only) or 68 sum ACT score; and
Complete amateurism questionnaire & request final amateurism certification
Full Qualifier: 2.0 and 820/68
Academic Red-Shirt: 2.0 or 820/68

13. Division II Academic Requirements beginning August 1, 2018 (current 9th, 10th & 11th)
Graduate from high school;
Complete a minimum of 16 core courses;
Present required GPA (sliding scale);
Present qualifying score on ACT or SAT (sliding scale); and
Complete amateurism questionnaire & request final amateurism certification.
Full Qualifier: 2.2 and 840/70
Academic Red-Shirt: 2.0 and 820/68

14. Division II 16 Core-Course Breakdown
3 years - English
2 years - math (Alg 1 or higher)
2 years - science
3 years – add’l English, math, or science
2 years - social studies
4 years - add’l core courses from any category above or foreign language

15. Obtaining Your School’s List of NCAA Core Courses
Go to
Click “Help”
Click “Find your core courses”
Follow prompts to select school by name or six-digit College Board (CEEB) code
AHS = KHS =
HHS = KPHS =
SCHS =

16. Miscellaneous info
Students should register with NCAA Eligibility Center during 10th or 11th grade
$80 fee (or fee waiver)
SAT/ACT scores must be reported directly to NCAA
use CODE 9999 on SAT or ACT registration form

17. Role of Student-Athlete
Take college-preparatory courses
Maintain highest grades possible in every class
Take SAT and/or ACT during junior year (and again if necessary)
Complete FAFSA in January of senior year

18. For more information www.eligibilitycenter.org
Your high school coach or counselor