Preparing For The Road Ahead         
 

To be eligible to compete in collegiate sports, you must meet or exceed the academic eligibility requirements determined by the conference that each school’s program competes in.  For National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) colleges and universities, these requirements are outlined by the NCAA and vary for each of the conference’s three division levels.  Since athletes may be eligible for athletic scholarships at NCAA Division I and Division II schools, the NCAA has established an administrative service to confirm each student’s academic eligibility.  Therefore all students with a desire to play sports at the NCAA Division I or II level must register with the NCAA Eligibility Clearinghouse.  This application process should generally be completed at the beginning of the student’s senior year in high school.  The NCAA Clearinghouse approves each student applicant’s eligibility for incoming college freshmen by examining the student’s high school course content and test scores.  NCAA Division III schools do not permit athletic scholarships and therefore do not require approval through the NCAA Clearinghouse.

Other conferences include the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA).  Each conference has strict academic eligibility requirements that include grade point averages and SAT and ACT scores.  Again, the higher a student scores in any and all of these criteria, the more choices the student will have.  And since grade point averages include grades beginning in a student’s high school freshman year, it is never too early to emphasize and focus on the importance of academics. 

No matter what high school grade your student athlete is currently in (the earlier the better), he or she should immediately make plans to meet with their guidance counselor to develop a challenging academic action plan that meets minimum NCAA Core Course Requirements and includes taking the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT), the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and/or the American College Test (ACT).  For more information on SAT and ACT tests and test dates, contact your college guidance counselor, visit www.CollegeBoard.com, or follow the instructions and links from My GAMEplan .

Click on the link to NCAA Academic Requirements to review Core Course Requirements for each of its three divisions, as well as Frequently Asked Questions and Answers about Core Course Requirements. 

And as you develop your academic plan, don’t forget to leave time in your already busy athletic schedule to participate in extra-curricular high school activities such as Student Council, Key Club and FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes).  These types of activities encourage you to take a participatory and leadership role and since most colleges actively recruit well-rounded student athletes, they reflect very well on your college resume.  Of equal importance is the fact that additional financial aid may also be made available to qualified students who have participated and/or possess the required leadership skills that are so often developed through these programs.   

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