eligibilitycenter.org

COACHES

NEWSLETTER

July 2024

NCAA’s Division I and Division II Academic Standards

Do your student-athletes know the requirements to be eligible to compete at a Division I or II school? It takes more than athletic talent!
Do your students understand their NCAA GPA is based on core courses only? The NCAA Eligibility Center calculates your students' core-course grade-point average based only on the grades they earn in NCAA-approved core courses.
  • Division I requires a minimum 2.3 core GPA.
  • Division II requires a minimum 2.2 core GPA.
Do your students know the requirements to be eligible to compete? For Divisions I and II, your students must complete a total of 16 NCAA-approved core courses to be eligible to play their sport at the collegiate level. Click here for a resource you can share with your students to help ensure they are on track with these core-course requirements. 
Are your students being recruited by Division I schools? To study and compete at a Division I school, your student-athletes must complete 10 of their 16 core courses (including seven in English, math or science) before the start of their seventh semester. (Solely international student-athletes don't have this requirement.) Click here for Division II requirements. 
Division III schools determine their own eligibility. Students should speak with the compliance office at the Division III school recruiting them for additional information.

Student-Athlete Timeline: Steps for Each Year

Knowing what your student-athletes need to do each year (starting in ninth grade) can go a long way toward helping them achieve their dreams. 
Grade 9: Register
  • If they haven’t yet, remind them to register for a free Profile Page account at eligibilitycenter.org.
  • Encourage all athletes to use NCAA Research’s interactive map to help locate NCAA schools they’re interested in attending. 
  • Help them to find their high school’s list of NCAA-approved core courses at eligibilitycenter.org/courselist to ensure they're taking the right courses and earning the best grades possible!
Grade 10: Plan
  • If your athlete is being actively recruited by an NCAA school and has a Profile Page account, remind them to transition it to the required certification account.
  • Encourage them to monitor the task list in their NCAA Eligibility Center account for next steps.
  • At the end of the school year, remind them to ask their high school counselor from each school they have attended to upload an official transcript to their Eligibility Center account.
  • If they fall behind academically, they should ask their high school counselor for help finding approved courses they can take.
Grade 11: Study
  • Remind them to ensure their sports participation information is correct in their Eligibility Center account.
  • Help athletes check with their high school counselor to make sure they're on track to complete the required number of NCAA-approved core courses and graduate on time with their class.
  • Share their NCAA ID with college coaches and remind students to include it with every correspondence with college coaches.
  • At the end of the school year, remind them to ask their high school counselor from each school they have attended to upload an official transcript to their Eligibility Center account.
Grade 12: Graduate 
  • Remind them to request their final amateurism certification beginning April 1 (fall enrollees) or Oct. 1 (winter/spring enrollees).
  • Don't forget: Each student must apply and be accepted to the NCAA school they plan to attend! This is a separate process from the NCAA Eligibility Center.
  • Encourage students to complete their final NCAA-approved core courses as they prepare for graduation.
  • After they graduate, remind them to ask their high school counselor to upload their final official transcript with proof of graduation to their Eligibility Center account.

NFHS/NCAA Course on Initial Eligibility

The National Federation of High School State Associations (NFHS) partnered with the NCAA Eligibility Center to develop an online initial-eligibility course designed to assist coaches and the high school community on helping their student-athletes and families with the NCAA registration and certification process, as well as the academic standards needed to study and participate at an NCAA Division I or II school. Our goal is to increase awareness with those that assist students and families in their dream of studying and competing in college sports. Be sure to forward this link to other coaches and athletic directors.

Resource Reminder: Frequently Asked Questions

Receiving questions about the Eligibility Center's process that you can't answer? Visit the Eligibility Center's online FAQ for answers to many of the questions you or your student-athletes may have. This is also a great resource for questions parents, families or other advocates may send your way, including:
  • If a coach is recruiting an athlete, how do they find their NCAA ID?
  • How can a student find an approved nontraditional program?
Feel free to share ncaa.org/studentfaq in your emails, newsletters or other correspondence to your student-athletes/families.  

Sport Science Institute: Skin Safety

High school counselors, coaches and athletics administrators play a critical role in educating student-athletes about skin safety. Making student-athletes aware of the risks can help them keep their skin healthy and safe.

To support your efforts to educate student-athletes about skin safety, the Sport Science Institute developed a number of downloadable educational resources. Resources are available on many different sports. Be sure to share these resources with your athletes and their family.

The NCAA Sport Science Institute is a leader in providing health and safety resources to college athletes, coaches, athletics administrators and campus partners.
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Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete | Initial-Eligibility Flyer