Student Athletes-NCAA Eligibility

NCAA Academic Eligibility
Division I Division IIDivision IIIWaiversAdditional Informatio

 

Division I Academic Eligibility Requirements

If you're first entering a Division I college on or after August 1, 1996, in order to be classified a "qualifier," you're required to:

  • Successfully complete a core curriculum of at least 13 academic course units as follows:

    -English 4 years
    -Mathematics (two years of mathematics courses at the level of Algebra I or above) 2 years
    -Natural or physical science (including at least one laboratory course, if offered by the high school) 2 years
    -Additional courses in English, mathematics, or natural or physical science 1 year
    -Social science 2 years
    -Additional academic courses [in any of the above areas or foreign language, computer science*, philosophy or nondoctrinal religion (e.g., comparative religion) courses] 2 years
  • Have a core-course grade-point average (based on a maximum of 4.000) and a combined score on the SAT verbal and math sections or a sum score on the ACT based on the qualifier index scale.

*Note:For students first entering NCAA institutions on or after August 1,2005, computer science courses cannot be used to meetinitial-eligibility requirements.

A "partial qualifier"is eligible to practice with a team at its home facility and receive anathletics scholarship during his or her first year at a Division Ischool and then has three seasons of competition remaining.

A partial qualifier may earn a fourth year of competition, providedthat at the beginning of the fifth academic year following thestudent-athlete's initial, full-time collegiate enrollment, thestudent-athlete has received a baccalaureate degree.

In order to be classified a "partial qualifier," you have not met the requirements for a qualifier but you're required to:

  • Graduate from high school
  • Successfully complete a core curriculum of at least 13 academic courses in the appropriate core areas; and
  • Present a core-course grade-point average (based on a maximum of 4.000) and a combined score on the SAT verbal and math sections or a sum score on the ACT based on the partial qualifier index scale.
Division I Qualifier Index
Core GPAACT*
sum of scores		SAT**
on or after 4/1/95
2.500 & above 68 820
2.475 69 830
2.450 70 840-850
2.425 70 860
2.400 71 860
2.375 72 870
2.350 73 880
2.325 74 890
2.300 75 900
2.275 76 910
2.250 77 920
2.225 78 930
2.200 79 940
2.175 80 950
2.150 80 960
2.125 81 960
2.100 82 970
2.075 83 980
2.050 84 990
2.025 85 1000
2.000 86 1010
Partial Qualifier Index
Core GPAACT*
sum of scores		SAT**
on or after 4/1/95
2.750 & above 59 720
2.725 59 730
2.700 60 730
2.675 61 740-750
2.650 62 760
2.625 63 770
2.600 64 780
2.575 65 790
2.550 66 800
2.525 67 810
* Previously, ACT score was calculated by averaging four scores. New standards are based on sum of scores.

** For SAT tests taken on or after April 1, 1995.

A "nonqualifier"is a student who has not graduated from high school or who haspresented neither the core-curriculum grade-point average and SAT/ACTscores required for a qualifier.

A nonqualifier shall not be eligible for regular-season competition orpractice during the first academic year in residence and then has threeseasons of competition remaining. A nonqualifier during the firstacademic year in residence shall be eligible for nonathleticsinstitutional financial aid that is not from an athletics source and isbased on financial need only.

A nonqualifier may earn a fourth year of competition, provided that atthe beginning of the fifth academic year following thestudent-athlete's initial, full-time collegiate enrollment, thestudent-athlete has received a baccalaureate degree.

A student with a diagnosed disability who was not a qualifier may earna fourth season of competition, provided the student-athlete hassatisfied specified procedures and has completed at least 75 percent ofhis or her degree program at the beginning of the fifth academic yearafter the student-athlete's full-time collegiate enrollment.

Division II Academic Eligibility Requirements

If you're first entering a Division II college on or after August 1, 1996, in order to be classified a "qualifier," you're required to:

  • Graduate from high school;
    (home-schooled student-athletes click here for additional information)
  • Have a GPA of 2.000 (based on a maximum of 4.000) in a successfully completed core curriculum of at least 13 academic course units as follows:

    English ... 3 years

    Mathematics ... 2 years

    Natural or physical science (including at least one laboratory course, if offered by the high school) ... 2 years

    Additional courses in English, mathematics, or natural or physical science ... 2 years

    Social science ... 2 years

    Additional academic courses [in any of the above areas or foreign language, computer science*, philosophy or nondoctrinal religion (e.g., comparative religion) courses] ... 2 years

  • Have a combined score on the SAT verbal and math sections of 820 (if taken on or after April 1, 1995) or a 68 sum score on the ACT.

*Note:For students first entering NCAA institutions on or after August 1,2005, computer science courses cannot be used to meetinitial-eligibility requirements.

A "partial qualifier"is eligible to practice with a team at its home facility and receive anathletics scholarship during his or her first year at a Division IIschool, and then has four seasons of competition remaining.

In order to be classified a "partial qualifier," you have not met therequirements for a qualifier, but you're required to graduate from highschool and meet one of the following requirements:

  • Specified minimum SAT or ACT score; or
  • Successful completion of a required core curriculum consisting of 13 core courses and a 2.000 grade-point average in the core curriculum.

A "nonqualifier"is a student who has not graduated from high school or who haspresented neither the core-curriculum grade-point average and SAT/ACTscore required for a qualifier.

A nonqualifier is not eligible for regular-season competition andpractice during the first academic year in residence and then has fourseasons of competition. A nonqualifier may not receiveathletics-related aid as a freshman, but may receive regular need-basedfinancial aid if the school certifies that aid was granted withoutregard to athletics ability.

Details of these general requirements are contained in the other sections of this guide.

Division III

These requirements currently do not apply to Division III colleges,where eligibility for financial aid, practice and competition isgoverned by institutional, conference and other NCAA regulations.

Waiver of Bylaw 14.3 Requirements

Waivers of the initial-eligibility requirements may be granted based onevidence that demonstrates circumstances in which your overall academicrecord warrants a waiver. All requests for such a waiver must beinitiated through an NCAA school that officially has accepted you forenrollment as a regular student or if acceptance is contingent on afavorable subcommittee decision. You should contact the schoolrecruiting you for more information about this waiver process.

Additional Information

Several additional points about the NCAA's initial-eligibility requirements should be emphasized:

  • This rule sets a minimum standard only for athletics eligibility. It is not a guide to your qualifications for admission to college. Under NCAA rules, your admission is governed by the entrance requirements of each member school.
  • The General Education Development (GED) test may be used under certain conditions to satisfy the graduation requirement of Bylaw 14.3 but not the core-course or test-score requirements. Contact the NCAA national office for information about these conditions.