Requesting Final Amateurism Certification

Process Opens to Eligible Student-Atheltes April 1

Starting April 1, students initially enrolling in the fall 2024 semester can request their final amateurism certification via their Eligibility Center account. Before making this request, fall 2024 enrollees must select the NCAA enrollment period that reflects initial full-time enrollment at their first NCAA Division I, II, or III school.

The enrollment date must reflect the term they plan to first enroll at any NCAA school. Please review this resource for additional information on this process and share with your athletes and their families to assist with this critical step in their journey to become NCAA athletes.

Note: Students can NOT get certified to practice, compete or receive athletics aid from the NCAA school recruiting them with completing this step. Please encourage them not to miss their chance and spend three minutes to complete this process.

Help Your Athletes: Know the NCAA's Academic Standards

Student-athletes whose coaches know the basics for the Eligibility Center's academic standards are more likely to become qualifiers and be eligible to practice, compete and receive an athletic scholarship from an NCAA school than those whose coaches don't. are more likely to become qualifiers and be eligible to practice, compete and receive an athletic scholarship from an NCAA school than those whose coaches don't.

Is your student taking the right classes and getting the needed grades? A primary component of initial-eligibility requirements is your athlete's core-course grade-point average. The Eligibility Center calculates your athlete's core-course GPA based only on the grades they earn in NCAA-approved core courses.

Division I requires a minimum 2.3 GPA.
Division II requires a minimum 2.2 GPA.

Do your student-athletes know the requirements to be eligible to compete? For Divisions I and II, your student-athletes must complete a total of 16 NCAA-approved core courses to be eligible to play their sport at the collegiate level. Divisions I and II have different core-course requirements. Click here for a resource you can share with your students to help ensure they are on track with these core-course requirements.

Is your student-athlete being recruited by a Division I school? 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. (International student-athletes don't have this requirement.) Click here for Division II requirements.

NCAA Eligibility Center and NFHS Coaches' Webinar

Recording Available

In collaboration with the National Federation of State High School Associations, on March 6 the Eligibility Center hosted a one-hour event about initial eligibility, recruiting, and the coaching experience. In addition to NCAA staff, the event also featured Jason Seidel (head football coach at Jay M. Robinson High School in Concord, North Carolina) and Lisa Langston (director of athletics at Fort Worth Independent School District in Fort Worth, Texas).

Jason and Lisa shared their years of athletics experience and perspective on the world of recruiting and eligibility issues during this one-hour presentation.

Click here to view the recording.
Click here to view PDF of presentation.

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:

Feel free to share ncaa.org/studentfaq on your school or organization's website, emails, newsletters or other correspondence to your student-athletes/families.

Basketball Resources

Happy March Madness! The following resources are designed to help you and your colleagues as you provide information to basketball student-athletes on the initial-eligibility certification process.

Share Your Experience Helping Student-Athletes

The NCAA is looking for your input to help us explore how influential adults guide students into college athletics. If you're a coach, trainer or mentor working with high school athletes, please take our brief survey. Your insights will help us understand which factors and services are most important for aspiring college athletes after they graduate high school.

Sport Science Institute: National Athletic Training Month

Happy National Athletic Training Month! The NCAA Sport Science Institute would like to thank all athletic trainers for providing health care for our student-athletes! Click here for resources specific to celebrating athletic trainers and the tremendous impact trainers have on the health and safety of and opportunities for student-athletes.

The NCAA Sport Science Institute is a leader in providing health and safety resources to college athletes, coaches, athletics administrators and campus partners.

877-262-1492

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