College Athletics
Due to COVID-19 some requirements have been changed for the class of 2022 & 2023 (Check the NCAA and NAIA website for specific information)
NCAA Requirements
Academic Standards
The NCAA Eligibility Center verifies the academic and amateur status of all student-athletes who wish to compete in Division I or II athletics.
College-bound student-athletes who want to practice, compete and receive athletically related financial aid during their first year at a Division I or II school need to meet the following requirements:
Graduate from high school.
Complete a minimum of 16 core courses for Division I or II.
Earn a minimum required grade-point average in core courses.
Earn a qualifying test score on either the ACT or SAT.
Request final amateurism certification from the NCAA Eligibility Center.
For Division I student-athletes, the following must be completed in addition to the above standards:
Earn at least a 2.3 grade-point average in core courses.
Meet an increased sliding-scale standard (for example, an SAT score of 820 requires a 2.5 high school core course GPA)
Successfully complete 10 of the 16 total required core courses before the start of their seventh semester in high school. Seven of the 10 courses must be successfully completed in English, math and science.
Students who earn at least a 2.0 GPA and meet the current Division I sliding-scale standard will be deemed an Academic Redshirt. Academic redshirt student-athletes are eligible for practice in the first academic term, will receive athletically related financial aid the entire year, but will not be able to compete. Freshmen who are academically successful in the first term will earn the ability to continue to practice in the next academic term.
For Division II initial-eligibility information, visit https://www.ncaa.org/student-athletes/play-division-ii-sports. Division III colleges and universities set their own admission standards. The NCAA does not set initial-eligibility requirements in Division III.
Important Steps to Complete Your NCAA Registration
1. Complete the online registration form (takes about 30 minutes)
2. Pay the registration fee, $90
- (let Miss Kristy know if you qualify for free or reduced lunch, fee waivers are available)
3. Request your high school transcript & have it sent to Miss Kristy
- (must be uploaded to the NCAA website by Miss Kristy)
4. SAT/ACT scores must be sent from College Board and ACT directly to the NCAA Clearinghouse (make sure you add NCAA when adding your 4 free college score report recipients so you don't forget)
NAIA Requirements
If you will graduate from a U.S. high school this spring and enroll in college this coming fall, the requirements are simple.
An entering freshman must: Be a graduate of an accredited high school.
Meet two of the three following requirements.
Achieve a minimum of 18 on the ACT or 970 on the SAT
Achieve a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0
Graduate ranked in the top 50% of your graduating class.
If as an entering freshman you do not meet at least two of the three standards
Mid-Year Eligibility Opportunity. If you do not meet requirements for an entering freshman, you can satisfy one of the initial requirements in addition to earning 12 institutional credit hours with a grade of “C” or better during your first term of attendance at your NAIA school to be eligibile.
Early decisions for high school seniors
Students, who have completed their junior year of high school and have at least a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale (2.5 on a 4.0 scale midway through senior year) and the minimum test scores required, may obtain an eligibility determination before graduating from high school. Those students will need to request that their official transcripts after their junior year be sent to the NAIA Eligibility Center and contact ACT or SAT to have their test scores sent directly
Important Steps to Complete Your NAIA Registration
1. Complete the online registration form (takes about 30 minutes)
2. Pay the registration fee, $90
- (let Miss Kristy know if you qualify for free or reduced lunch, fee waivers are available)
3. Request your high school transcript & have it sent to Miss Kristy
- (must be uploaded to the NAIA website by Miss Kristy)
4. SAT/ACT scores must be sent from College Board and ACT directly to the NAIA Clearinghouse (make sure you add NAIA when adding your 4 free college score report recipients so you don't forget)