NCAA Initial-Eligibility Rules
& Updates
Western Association for College Admission
Counseling
June 10, 2014
San Jose, CA
Paul Rorvig, Associate Director
NCAA Eligibility Center
What We Will Cover…
Overview of the NCAA and the NCAA
Eligibility Center
 Current Initial-Eligibility Requirements
 Reminder of Division I rule changes
 New Division II rule changes
 Updates to the high school portal
 Roles and Responsibilities
 Available Resources
 Questions

Overview of the NCAA

Voluntary organization that governs intercollegiate athletics.

Division I:
•
346 member schools.
•
Typically larger schools.
•
Athletic grants-in-aid available.

Division II:
•
282 member schools.
•
Typically small to medium sized.
•
Athletic grants-in-aid available.

Division III:
•
449 member schools.
•
Typically smaller schools.
•
Grants-in-aid cannot be athletically based.
Overview of the NCAA Eligibility
Center

The NCAA Eligibility Center is responsible for determining the
eligibility of every college-bound student-athlete in NCAA
Divisions I and II using the following two areas:

Academic Certification.
•
Does the college-bound student-athlete meet the legislated minimum
academic requirements?

Amateurism Certification.
•
Has the college-bound student-athlete jeopardized his or her amateur
status?
Who Makes the Rules?

NCAA Membership



Representative structure in Division I.
Convention voting in Divisions II and III.
Academic rules generally vetted through academic
committees.
• Input from secondary school community.
By the Numbers
Current Initial-Eligibility
Requirements
1.
Graduate from high school.
2.
Successfully complete 16 NCAA-approved courses.
•
3.
Within the core course time limitation requirements
(Division I only).
Earn a minimum required core-course grade-point
average(GPA).
4.
Earn a required SAT or ACT sum score.
5.
Successful Amateurism Certification.
Core-Curriculum Time Limitation
Division I:
 Must graduate on time.
 Ability to take one core course after graduation.
 Three core courses after graduation with approved
Education Impacting Disability.
Division II:
 All core courses completed following start of ninth
grade and prior to full-time enrollment at four-year
collegiate institution.
Early Academic Qualifier



Determined at the time of preliminary certification.
Division I:
• 900 SAT (critical reading and math) or 75 ACT sum;
• 3.000 core grade-point average (GPA); and
• 14 units (3 English, 2 math, 2 science, 2 additional English,
math or science, and 5 additional core courses).
Division II:
•
1000 SAT (critical reading and math) or 85 ACT sum;
•
3.000 core GPA; and
•
12 units (3 English, 2 math, 2 science and 5 additional core
courses).
NEW Requirements
Division I

For students enrolling full time at an NCAA Division I college
or university on or after August 1, 2016, there are three possible
academic outcomes:

Full qualifier = competition, athletics aid (scholarship), and
practice the first year

Academic redshirt = athletics aid the first year, practice in first
regular academic term (semester or quarter)

Nonqualifier = no athletics aid, practice or competition the first
year
Summary of Changes

Full Qualifiers must meet these elements:
 Minimum core-course GPA of 2.300 in 16 core courses
required;
 Core-course GPA and SAT/ACT sliding scale; and
 Ten core courses required before beginning of senior year
No change to the 16 core requirement and graduation
requirement
Core-Course Progression




A qualifier:
Must complete 10 core courses before seventh semester
of high school (e.g., senior year)
Of the 10 core courses completed, seven must be in the
areas of English, math, or science
These 10 core courses become “locked in” for the purpose
of GPA calculation
o
A repeat of one of the “locked in” courses will not be used if taken
after the seventh semester begins
Academic Redshirt:
Requirements for Scholarship and Practice

Minimum required GPA


2.000 in 16 core courses
Core-course GPA and SAT/ACT sliding scale
No change to the 16 core requirement and graduation
requirement
Division I GPA Calculation Change
Current: Additional core courses (beyond the 16
required) may be used to meet the core-course GPA
requirements
 New: Additional core courses (beyond the 16
required) MAY NOT be used to meet the corecourse GPA requirements


Effective August 1, 2016
New: DII Rule Changes
Eliminates “flat” GPA of 2.000 and 820 SAT
or 68 sum ACT
 Establishes two new sliding scales



One for qualifiers
One for partial qualifiers
Establishes minimum 2.200 core GPA for qualifiers
 Retains 16 core-course requirement
 Effective August 1, 2018

DII Qualifier Scale (abbreviated)
Core-Course GPA
SAT (CR and math only)
ACT sum score
3.300
400
37
3.000
520
46
2.500
720
59
2.200
840
70
DII Partial Qualifier Scale (abbreviated)
Core-Course GPA
SAT (CR and math only)
ACT sum score
3.050
400
37
3.000
420
39
2.500
620
52
2.000
820
68
High School Portal Enhancements

www.eligibilitycenter.org
Roles and Responsibilities

Role of the student



NCAA member institution



Registration and associated tasks
Responsible for academic progress and achievement
Guidance
Recruiting rules compliance
High School



Send transcripts after six and eight semesters
Update list of NCAA courses annually
Guidance
Available Resources





Resources tab on the NCAA Eligibility Center website
(www.eligibilitycenter.org).
www.2point3.org (mobile ready website with new academic
requirements).
Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete.
Quick Reference Guide.
Initial Eligibility Brochure.
Additional Resources

To subscribe:
 Go to
www.eligibilitycenter.org;
 Click the link to enter as a
“High School Administrator”.
 At the bottom of the log-in
page, click the link to
subscribe.
 To specifically subscribe to
the new Coaches Newsletter,
enter “Coach” as your title.
You will then receive both the
High School and Coaches
Newsletters.
Additional Resources
FREE NFHS NCAA Initial-Eligibility Online
Course
 www.nfhslearn.com

Questions?

The NCAA Eligibility Center has created a
phone line exclusively for high schools. Please
contact the NCAA Eligibility Center with your questions
at 877/622-2321.