Initial Eligiblity
The road to competing for any NCAA Division I school starts in high school. All high school athletes who wish to compete for a Division I school must meet basic criteria set by the NCAA. These criteria ensure a basic level of academic dedication on behalf of high school students, and are obtainable as long as students remain focused and dedicated to reaching the goal of becoming NCAA Division I athletes. The sooner an athlete understands the criteria, the better. In order for a high school athlete to be eligible to compete at the NCAA Division I level, the following academic achievements must be met:
· Complete 16 core courses.
Must consist of four years of English, three years of math (algebra I or higher), two years of natural/physical science, one year of additional English, math or natural/physical science, two years of social science, and 4 years of additional courses (from any of the previous areas, foreign language or comparative religion/philosophy).
10 of the 16 core courses must be completed before the seventh semester (senior year) of high school. Seven of those 10 courses must be in English, math or science. These 10 courses become ‘locked in’ and cannot be retaken for grade improvement.
Only courses that appear on that high school’s List of NCAA Courses will be used in the GPA calculation. Each school’s list of NCAA Courses can be found here.
· Meet the competition sliding scale requirement of GPA and ACT/SAT score, which can be found here.
The SAT score used for NCAA purposes includes only the critical reading and math sections (no writing).
The ACT score used for NCAA purposes is the sum of the English, mathematics, reading and science sections.
The minimum core course GPA requirement is a 2.300 to be eligible for competition and 2.000 to receive athletics aid and practice in the first year of full-time collegiate enrollment at a Division I institution.
· Graduate from high school (or earn a G.E.D. degree).
· Request final amateurism certification (beginning April 1 for fall enrollees or beginning October 1 for spring enrollees).
High school athletes who have 16 core courses but did no complete the 7/10 core courses before their senior year, or high school athletes have a minimum GPA of 2.0 instead of the required 2.3 GPA, are not considered Full Qualifiers. Instead they may be considered Academic Redshirts. An Academic Redshirt may receive athletics aid in the first year of enrollment and may practice in the first regular academic term, but may NOT compete in the first year of enrollment. After the first term is complete, the student-athlete must be academically successful at his/her university to continue to practice.
· Complete 16 core courses.
Must consist of four years of English, three years of math (algebra I or higher), two years of natural/physical science, one year of additional English, math or natural/physical science, two years of social science, and 4 years of additional courses (from any of the previous areas, foreign language or comparative religion/philosophy).
10 of the 16 core courses must be completed before the seventh semester (senior year) of high school. Seven of those 10 courses must be in English, math or science. These 10 courses become ‘locked in’ and cannot be retaken for grade improvement.
Only courses that appear on that high school’s List of NCAA Courses will be used in the GPA calculation. Each school’s list of NCAA Courses can be found here.
· Meet the competition sliding scale requirement of GPA and ACT/SAT score, which can be found here.
The SAT score used for NCAA purposes includes only the critical reading and math sections (no writing).
The ACT score used for NCAA purposes is the sum of the English, mathematics, reading and science sections.
The minimum core course GPA requirement is a 2.300 to be eligible for competition and 2.000 to receive athletics aid and practice in the first year of full-time collegiate enrollment at a Division I institution.
· Graduate from high school (or earn a G.E.D. degree).
· Request final amateurism certification (beginning April 1 for fall enrollees or beginning October 1 for spring enrollees).
High school athletes who have 16 core courses but did no complete the 7/10 core courses before their senior year, or high school athletes have a minimum GPA of 2.0 instead of the required 2.3 GPA, are not considered Full Qualifiers. Instead they may be considered Academic Redshirts. An Academic Redshirt may receive athletics aid in the first year of enrollment and may practice in the first regular academic term, but may NOT compete in the first year of enrollment. After the first term is complete, the student-athlete must be academically successful at his/her university to continue to practice.
