1. What You Need to Know About the NAIA Eligibility Center
Name
Title

2. Challenges faced by the Eligibility Center
Peak periods for the Eligibility Center occur as a sport’s season begins
Students often left out schools they attended; this delayed the receipt of a determination while we waited on transcripts
NAIA rules often require the Eligibility Center to contact a third party for additional information

3. Learning from challenges
Tell prospective students to register early!
Avoid peak times at the beginning of sport seasons
Help students understand eligibility requirements/what to have ready when registering
Students must disclose ALL schools EVER attended or enrolled in and have official transcripts sent from each
Talk to students about how the registration process works
Transfer student determinations take time; students should be prepared to answer phone calls and s from the Eligibility Center

5. When does a student need to go through the Eligibility Center?
ALL first-time NAIA student-athletes
Previously determined “Not Eligible” by the Center
Previously determined “Eligible” by the Center, but never enrolled at an NAIA school
Previously determined “Eligible” by the Center, but never competed and did not maintain continuous identification at the same NAIA school

6. PlayNAIA Manager Your school’s NAIA Eligibility Center home base
AD grants access permissions
Login at PlayNAIA.org
Manage Short List, access NAIA Connections, view the Directory of Competition

7. Login for PlayNAIA Manager

9. Short List
Each school adds recruits from registered students to help the Center determine priority students
Only students on Short Lists will receive an eligibility determination
Exclusive to your school; cannot be seen outside your school
Use your Short List to view a student’s status
Students who will not be competing at your school should be removed from the Short List as soon as possible

10. View status, reactivate students from Short List

11. Directory of Competition
Evolving list of competitive experiences that the Eligibility Center has reviewed
Shows whether each league is determined to be countable, not countable, pending, or submitted for review
Not an all-inclusive list – includes only competitive experiences that have been researched
Available only to Eligibility Center staff and designated NAIA campus personnel

12. Directory of Competition

13. NAIA Connections Optional service for registered students
Customized Sport Resume that can be sent directly from student to up to 5 schools or searched by school
Find Sport Resumes in PlayNAIA Manager

14. NAIA Connections Sport Resume

15. NAIA Connections school search

16. Sport Resumes sent to your school

17. Common questions GPA For transfer students
Calculated on the basis of all quality points divided by all GPA hours attempted from ALL previous colleges
For students who have identified at an NAIA school one or more terms
Cumulative GPA taken from NAIA school’s transcript
When applying 24/36 Hour Rule Exception, calculated the same way it is calculated for transfer students

18. 24/36 Hour Rule after initial identification
Common questions
24/36 Hour Rule after initial identification
Any hours taken after initial identification at an NAIA school must be accepted and transferred in by the NAIA school to count toward rule
Transcripts from original institution AND NAIA school are required by the Eligibility Center
Hours are never converted for 24/36 hour rule

19. Common questions Repeat classes
IF your school transfers in a class, then the Eligibility Center defers to your evaluation of the course to determine whether the student has a repeat at your school
If your school does NOT transfer in the class, then we evaluate course descriptions and other relevant information to determine whether the student has a repeat

20. Progress Rule after initial identification
Common questions
Progress Rule after initial identification
Hours must be transferred in to NAIA school after one or more terms of identification to count toward Progress Rule

21. Common questions Terms of attendance
A student is charged a term by representing the school in competition, OR
By enrolling in 12 or more institutional credit hours as reported by the official transcript after the institution’s census date

22. International students
Common questions
International students
NAIA admissions offices can send school-stamped copies of international academic records
These records must come from admissions or the registrar’s office (not the athletic department)
The records must be accompanied by a letter explaining how documents were received by your school
How the Eligibility Center converts international university credits may be different from the way your school does it
The EC uses a conversion rate that assumes 30 U.S. credits will be awarded for one academic year of coursework if the student took a normal class load

23. Competitive Experience
Common questions
Competitive Experience
Students who maintain full-time enrollment consecutively from high school graduation forward are not exposed to the competitive experience rule
Seasons charged at previous institutions are taken at face value by the Eligibility Center
Unattached competition is not subject to the competitive experience rule (provided the student is full-time)

24. Using the secure online drop box
Common questions
Using the secure online drop box
Available for NAIA registrars only
May be used to forward official NAIA school transcripts to the Eligibility Center
Cannot be used to forward transcripts you have on record that are for schools other than your own
Include both sides of transcript
Contact if you need instructions sent to you

25. Why is the Eligibility Center calling me?
Common questions
Why is the Eligibility Center calling me?
Question about a possible repeat course
Something on the student’s transcript doesn’t add up
CLEP credits are not shown in a specific term
Student has credits that have not been transferred in

26. Questions? Visit: PlayNAIA.org
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