An introduction to NCAA academic eligibility
The most important thing to remember about playing basketball in the United States college system is
that first and foremost, you are a student. Colleges are tertiary education institutions, not basketball
teams. To get into a basketball team, you need to meet the requirements to get into college.
Getting into a US college requires great basketball skills, dedication, hard work, and most importantly, a
strong academic history. This means getting good grades in New Zealand, and a good score on a US
exam called the SAT. When you find a college, the NCAA Eligibility Centre (‘Clearinghouse’) will look at
your grades to see whether you meet the requirements.
To meet requirements, you will need to plan ahead. The Clearinghouse will look at your grades from
Year 9 onwards, and needs particular subjects, so it’s important to be aware of this as early as
possible. Especially, you should talk to staff at your high school about what is necessary for your
individual situation.
This guide provides a general overview of how to meet US college academic eligibility requirements for
New Zealand students sitting NCEA.
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Table of Contents
Why bother? ............................................................................................................................................ 2
Step 1: NCEA .......................................................................................................................................... 3
Step 2: SAT ............................................................................................................................................. 5
Summary ................................................................................................................................................. 7
Further Reading/Sources......................................................................................................................... 7
Compiled by Chris McIntyre
On behalf of the New Zealand Basketball Academy
October 2014
Disclaimer: Every individual player will have different circumstances. This document is intended to be a general learning
guide, not a definitive resource. It will not cover all players’ personal situations. As such, NZBA encourages players and
parents to do their own research, and to use teachers, coaches, career advisors, Directors of Sport, and other academic
officials at their high schools.
An introduction to NCAA academic eligibility
Why bother?
It is incredibly difficult to become a professional athlete, and playing at a US college is a great step on
the way to realising the dream of playing sport for a living. However, very few New Zealand basketball
players make a living solely from playing basketball. Of those who do, retirement from professional
basketball means they must embark on a new career at some point. Injury, or not being picked up by a
team may force retirement prematurely.
While a college education will help to prepare you for a career in basketball, it will also prepare you for
a fulfilling career after basketball. In New Zealand, and the world at large, those with tertiary degrees
tend to earn significantly more than those without tertiary degrees. Tertiary education can be expensive
– a three-year degree in New Zealand will cost at least $18,000. Once living costs are included, a
student loan can reach well over $60,000. Studying in the US as a New Zealander is even more
expensive – fees may be as much as $50,000 a year, and the US does not have a strong student loan
system like New Zealand does.
A scholarship to a US (or New Zealand) college means your education is free – the value of this may be
well over $100,000 or even $200,000. This comes in addition to being a part of a world class basketball
environment. With this is mind, it’s clear why scholarships are so important for basketball and
academics.
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An introduction to NCAA academic eligibility
Step 1: NCEA
You need to graduate...
You need to have achieved NCEA Level 2 by the end of Year 12, or Level 3 by the end of Year 13.1 If
you have Level 2 or Level 3, the Clearing House will then look at your transcripts to see if you have the
right subjects.
…with the right subjects…
You need to have five subjects, which come from four ‘core’ groups and one ‘other’ group. The NCAA
only recognises certain core subjects: English, Maths, Physical/Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences.
‘Other’ subjects may include all the core subjects, as well as foreign languages, Philosophy, or
Religious Education.2
Some subjects may not be accepted: for example, Physical Education, Music, Computer Science, or
Psychology. You should check with your school whether its subjects will be recognised. These courses
must be on your Record Of Achievement (ROA), Record of Learning (ROL), or School Results
Summary.
…studied for enough time…
You also need to have done these courses up to NCEA Level 2 or 3 for the right length of time: English
(4 years), Maths (3 years), Natural/Physical Science (2 years), 1 extra year of English, Maths or
Science, Social Sciences (2 years), Other (4 years).
If you don’t pass Level 2 in Year 12, you are only allowed to take one Level 2 course in Year 13 to meet graduation
requirements.
2 Your RE course must be non-doctrinal, i.e. comparative religion is okay, but a Bible study-based course isn’t.
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An introduction to NCAA academic eligibility
…and with good grades.
In the US, your grades are measured using a Grade Point Average (GPA). In the US, their letter grade
system (A,B,C,D,F) is translated into numbers:
The GPA is the average of these numbers: someone with two As, two Bs, and one C has a GPA of (4 +
4 + 3 + 3 + 2) divided by the number of courses (5) which equals a GPA of 3.2.
Because the New Zealand system of Achieved, Merit, Excellence grading is different to the US system
of letter grades (A,B,C,D,F), the NCAA has a similar way of calculating a GPA from NCEA grades:
First, you get a GPA for each subject. This is calculated using your best 15 credits. Let’s say you take
English and sit 5 papers, worth three credits each, and get two Merit grades and three Achieved
grades: your GPA for English would be (3 x 3) + (3 x 3) + (2 x 3) + (2 x 3) + (2 x 3) divided by the total
number of credits (15), which gives a GPA of 2.4.
Next, you get an overall GPA. This is the combined GPA from your 5 subject groups (your English,
Maths, Science, Social Science, and Other subjects). Let’s say you get the following subject GPAs:
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English (2.3),
Maths (2.5),
Science (2.0),
Social Science (2.6),
Other (2.9)
Your total GPA will be (2.3 + 2.5 + 2.0 + 2.6 + 2.9) divided by the number of subjects (5), giving you an
overall GPA of 2.46.
To be eligible for NCAA Division 1, your GPA must be 2.3 or greater.
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An introduction to NCAA academic eligibility
Step 2: SAT
The SAT is a college admission exam that most, if not all, US students have to sit. The NCAA look at
your SAT score to determine your eligibility, and your college will be interested in it too to see if you can
be admitted. The SAT score the NCAA use is in two parts, each marked out of 800: a critical reading
section, and a maths section.
The test is primarily multi-choice, and questions are in a different format to New Zealand exams. For
example, take the following questions, similar in difficulty to NCEA Level 1-2:
You can sit the SAT in New Zealand, for a fee (about NZ$100). See the following website for more
details about how, where and when: www.fulbright.org.nz/studyus/tests/sat/#when
There are a number of free online resources and test books you can buy to prepare yourself for the
SAT. It’s a good idea to familiarise yourself with the different style of question and the type of language
used. For more information, see sat.collegeboard.com/practice/
The grade you need for your SAT differs depending on your GPA: if you have a good GPA, you don’t
have so much to prove in your SAT test score. If you don’t have a good GPA, your SAT is more
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An introduction to NCAA academic eligibility
important as it needs to be better to show your academic ability. Note that your college will likely require
you to have a certain SAT score also — with the right GPA, a low SAT may give you NCAA eligibility
but might not get you admitted to your college.
Below is the sliding scale used (this also shows ACT scores, which are for another test similar to the
SAT).
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An introduction to NCAA academic eligibility
Summary
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You need to ‘graduate’ high school: this means at least NCEA Level 2, by the end of Year 12.
NCEA, of NCEA Level 3 at the end of Year 13.
You need to have the right subjects up to those levels. There are five subject groups: four core
subjects, plus one ‘other’ category (which may include any of the core subjects).
You need to have taken those subjects for the right number of years.
You will get a GPA based on your NCEA grades.
You will need to get a GPA of over 2.3 to be eligible for Division 1.
You will also need to sit the SAT exam. The SAT score you need for eligibility differs according
to your GPA. A higher GPA means a lower SAT score is required, and vice versa.
The NCAA Eligibility Centre (Clearinghouse) will look at your transcript from Year 9 and your
SAT scores to determine your eligibility.
Further Reading/Sources
NCAA Eligibility Centre:
www.eligibilitycenter.org
NCAA 2014-15 International Standards
http://www.ncaapublications.com/productdownloads/IS1415.pdf
NCAA Quick Reference Eligibility Guide:
http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/eligibility_center/Quick_Reference_Sheet.pdf
NCAA 2014-15 Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete
http://www.ncaapublications.com/productdownloads/CBSA15.pdf
What is the NCAA Eligibility Centre?
http://www.wcs.k12.mi.us/Cousino/athletics/collegerecruiting/Recruiting%204%20STEPS%20T
O%20NCAA%20ELIGIBILITY%20CENTER.pdf
SAT Board (including practice tests):
http://sat.collegeboard.org/home
New Zealand SAT information:
www.fulbright.org.nz/studyus/tests/sat/#when
NCEA website:
http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/qualifications-standards/qualifications/ncea/
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