How to meet your sports eligibility requirements...
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has more than 1,000 colleges and universities as members. These schools are separated into three divisions – Division I, II and III. Each division has its own set of initial eligibility standards that you must meet, so it’s never too early to start reviewing your high school transcript to better understand your eligibility status.
Although the choices may be plentiful, you must follow procedures in order to represent one of these institutions in varsity athletics competition. If you wish to participate in athletics during your first year of collegiate enrollment, you must first register with the NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse. The “Clearinghouse” is an administrative organization that works with the NCAA to determine each student’s eligibility for participation. Division III institutions do not utilize the Clearinghouse. Students enrolling in a Division III college or university should contact the school for information about financial aid, practice and competition. Another important difference to note between the divisions is Divisions’ I and II colleges and universities may offer athletics scholarships, while those in Division III do not. However, Division III institutions may offer academic, need-based and other merit-based forms of financial aid.
To meet Division I eligibility requirements students must have:
- Graduated from high school;
- Successfully completed the 14 required core (academic) curriculum in specified subjects;
- 4 years of English
- 2 years of math (algebra I or higher)
- 2 years of natural or physical science (including lab if offered)
- 1 year extra of English, math, natural or physical science
- 2 years social science
- 3 years extra of any core-course subject (including foreign language or philosophy)
- Maintained a specified minimum grade-point average in the core curriculum; and
- Achieved a minimum SAT or ACT sum score that coincides with the core-course GPA on the sliding scale (e.g., 2.300 requires a 900 SAT or sum 75 ACT)
To meet Division II eligibility requirements students must have:
- Graduated from high school;
- Successfully completed the 14 required core (academic) curriculum in specified subjects;
- 3 years of English
- 2 years of math (algebra I or higher)
- 2 years of natural or physical science (including lab if offered)
- 2 years extra of English, math, natural or physical science
- 2 years social science
- 3 years extra of any core-course subject (including foreign language or philosophy)
- Maintained a 2.00 grade-point average in the core curriculum; and
- Achieved a minimum SAT of 820 or ACT sum score of 68
I know this is a lot of information to digest, so I’ve provided two resources to help you navigate through the process (see below). We at CollegiateZone will do our part to provide you with the most updated, impacting topics related to the world of college athletics.
Good Luck in Your Endeavors….
LaRon Black
Former NCAA Representative and Associate Conference Commissioner
Houston, TX
laron@collegiatezone.com
NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse NCAA
301 ACT Drive P.O. Box 6222
P.O. Box 4043 Indianapolis, IN 46206-6222
Iowa City, IA 52243-4043 (317) 917-6222w.ncaaclearinghouse.net
(877) 262-1492
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