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The NCAA Eligibility Rules: Easily Explained In its quest to ensure that student athletes are just as much students as athletes, the NCAA requires coaches and recruits to follow strict guidelines. In order to play ball as a freshman, you will need to meet the following requirements. We've also thrown in some recruiting guidelines, because we want you to be playing during your freshman year. Don't lose a year of playing eligibility because you or a coach accidentally broke some of the rules. For more detailed information, you can locate an extensive list of all eligibility requirements at the NCAA website. Also, we recommend that you meet with your high school guidance counselor to review these rules and regulations.
The NCAA Clearinghouse
We recommend that you apply for registration after completion of you junior year in high school. Once filed, coaches and Universities that plan to recruit you may request your eligibility status through the Clearinghouse. You may not request that Clearinghouse materials be sent to a coach or University.
Division I & Division II
Recruiting
Contacts: Contacts are any off campus 'face-to-face' interactions between a coach and you or members of your family. Coaches are limited to three such contacts. Evaluations: An evaluation is any off-campus activity used to assess your academic qualifications or athletics ability, including a visit to your high school (even if no contact occurs) or watching you practice or compete at any site. Institutions are limited to seven contacts or evaluations, combined (though no more than three contacts). Evaluations done over consecutive days at tournaments are considered a single evaluation. Once you have signed a National Letter of Intent, coaches are free to evaluate you as often as they choose.
Official Visits: During your
senior year in high school, you may have one expense paid official visit
to each University. You may have up to five official visits to different
institutions, regardless of the number of sports you are being recruited
for. Prior to an official visit, you must provide the institution (or
the NCAA Clearinghouse) with your PSAT/SAT/ACT test score and a copy of
your high school transcript.
Division III Recruiting
As a senior, you may make an expense-paid official visit to any particular campus. There is no limit to the number of schools you may officially visit, as long as you enroll initially in a Division III program. During your official visit (which may not exceed 48 hours), you may receive round-trip transportation between your home and the campus, meals, lodging, and complimentary admissions to campus athletics events. All meals provided to you on an official visit must occur in an on-campus dining facility that the college's students normally use. If dining facilities are closed, the college is permitted to take you off-campus for meals. In addition, a student host may help you become acquainted with campus life. The host may spend $20 per day to cover all costs of entertaining you.
National Letter of Intent
(NLI) Furthermore, once a student signs a NLI, other coaches and schools are bound to respect the contract and cease recruitment negotiations with the student.
Division I Academic
Eligibility Requirements
Meet a minimum requirement on the SAT or ACT tests, based on your high school core-course Grade Point Average (GPA, on a 4.0 scale)
Division II Academic
Eligibility Requirements Receive a combined score of 820 on the SAT or a 68 on the ACT
Division III Academic
Eligibility Requirements
Note: A "core course" is defined as a recognized academic course that offers fundamental instruction in a specific area of study. Courses taught below your high school's regular academic instructional level (e.g., remedial or compensatory) can't be considered core courses regardless of the content of the courses. Information taken from www.ncaa.org. |