College Athletic Eligibility

Student-athletes interested in playing athletics at the college level should be aware of the basic high school eligibility guidelines of the athletic associations.

ABOUT THE NCAA

The NCAA (The National Collegiate Athletic Association) is the governing body approximately 1,200 schools. It consists of three divisions (Division I, II, and III) and oversees 21 sports. Divisions I and II both offer athletic scholarships, with over 126,000 student-athletes receiving partial or full athletic scholarships. Division III student-athletes can only receive academic or non-athletic scholarships – no athletic scholarships are allowed.  NCAA academic requirements must be met to play a sport or receive an athletic scholarship at Division I and II colleges. There are high school core classes required by the NCAA in order to be eligible for college athletic scholarships.  https://web3.ncaa.org/ecwr3/

ABOUT THE NAIA

The NAIA (the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) consists of approximately 250 schools and 17 sports. The NAIA is a smaller association than the NCAA, with just over 65,000 students. It includes two divisions (Division I and II). The schools in the NAIA award scholarships to prospective student-athletes. Eligibility requirements are less strenuous than the NCAA eligibility requirements.  https://www.naia.org/landing/index

ABOUT THE NJCAA

The NJCAA (the National Junior College Athletic Association) is an association of intercollegiate athletics who participate for two years. They have great programs and provide a springboard to higher athletics for the final two years of college.  https://www.njcaa.org/landing/index

 

OTHER HELPFUL LINKS:

• NCAA Eligibility Center

• Guide for the Student Bound Athlete

•  Q/A How Do I Register with the NCAA? 

• Division I - Frequently Asked Questions 

• NCAA PowerPoint Presentation 

• NCAA Division I and II Worksheets 

• NCAA Initial Eligibility Flowchart 

• Initial-Eligibility Presentation (PDF)
  • (This presentation will download as a PDF. To present, navigate to “View” in the top bar and scroll down to select “Full Screen Mode.” This will allow you to present.)
• Division I Academic Requirements (PDF)
• Division II Academic Requirements (PDF)
• Our three divisions
• Website registration checklist (PDF)
• Initial-eligibility brochure (PDF)
• Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete (PDF)
• Probability of going pro