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. _______ 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. ______ 2 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. 1 3 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: 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. 4 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 5 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). 6 An introduction to NCAA academic eligibility Summary 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/ 7