Become an Athlete
Student athletes planning to play a sport at either an NCAA Division I, II, or III or NAIA school are encouraged to first and foremost work hard in their classes to become and remain eligible to play at the colegiate level. Your student’s school counselor and athletic department can also support and answer any questions you may have concerning eligibility. This guideline from the NCAA on what your student can do to prepare is also helpful:
Grade 9
- Start planning now: take the right courses and work hard to earn the best grades possible.
- Ask your counselor for a list of your high school’s NCAA-approved core courses to make sure you take the right classes. Or, find your high school’s list of NCAA-approved courses at eligibilitycenter.org.
Grade 10
- Register with the NCAA Eligibility Center at eligibilitycenter.org.
- If you fall behind on courses, do not take short cuts to catch up. Ask your counselor for help with finding approved courses or programs that you can take.
Grade 11
- Check with your counselor to make sure you will graduate on time with the required number of NCAA-approved courses.
- Take the ACT or SAT and submit your scores to the NCAA using code 9999.
- At the end of the year, ask your counselor to send or upload your official transcript to the NCAA Eligibility Center. If you took classes at more than one high school or program, you will need to submit an official transcript for each school.
- Make sure you are on track to graduate on time with your class.
Grade 12
- Complete your final NCAA courses as you prepare for graduation.
- Take the ACT or SAT again, if necessary, and submit your scores to the NCAA using code 9999.
- Request your final amateurism certification beginning April 1 (for fall enrollees) or October 1 (for spring enrollees) in your NCAA Eligibility Center account at eligibilitycenter.org.
- After you graduate, ask your counselor to send or upload your final official transcript with proof of graduation to the NCAA Eligibility Center. Only students on an NCAA Division I or II request list will receive a certification.