Tag Archive for: NCAA Freshman Eligibility Requirements

Confirm Your Eligibility Before You Transfer or Start Classes!

Every year in August or September after classes have started, we are contacted by college student-athletes who have been told that they won’t be eligible for competition. By then, it’s too late to consider other options that may be possible.

If you are transferring to a new college or enrolling as a freshman – especially if you are doing so as a non-recruited walk-on:

  • Contact the athletic compliance office to confirm that you have satisfied ALL of the academic requirements to be eligible for competition in your first year of attendance.

DON’T wait until the last minute, do this ASAP! Why?

  • Because staff members who are responsible for certifying athletes’ eligibility will likely be focusing more attention on those incoming athletes who have been actively recruited by the coaching staff as scholarship athletes or as “preferred walk-ons.”
  • If you have not satisfied the academic requirements to be eligible in your first year at that university, it may be too late to consider possible options (such as taking additional summer courses, postponing your enrollment or returning to junior college for one more semester.)

It’s very important to:

  • Know the academic requirements your athlete will need to satisfy to be eligible at their new university as a transfer or as an incoming freshman.
  • Get confirmation in writing from the school that your athlete has satisfied all requirements to be eligible.

Do You Need Help?

We can discuss your athlete’s current situation, explain the academic requirements for eligibility in a confidential Eligibility Issues consultation, and we can even review your athlete’s high school or junior college transcript to inform whether they are on track to satisfy the eligibility requirements. Schedule a confidential Eligibility Issues Consultation online, call us at 913-766-1235 or send an email to rick@informedathlete.com.

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Need to Know Athletic Scholarship Tips & Reminders

Here are some tips and reminders for athletes who have already signed with a college sports program for the upcoming year, as well as for those who may currently be in the recruiting process.

NCAA DI

  • Coaches can offer one-year renewable athletic scholarships, or multi-year scholarships which are specifically written to cover multiple academic years. Be sure to note which type of offer your athlete is signing – especially if in their recruiting pitch they are saying that “your scholarship will not be reduced or cancelled as long as you maintain academic eligibility and don’t violate team rules or misconduct policies.” Too many coaches don’t honor their word.
  • For athletes who are in the position of having multiple colleges recruiting them and can “negotiate” a scholarship offer, a multi-year scholarship offer is obviously an advantage, but especially so at Division I universities that are NOT in one of the “Power Five” conferences.
  • A scholarship can only be reduced or cancelled “during the period of the award” under specific NCAA guidelines.
  • Athletes who were on an athletic scholarship the preceding academic year must be notified in writing not later than July 1 regarding the status of their scholarship for the following year.
  • A National Letter of Intent is not the same thing as a scholarship agreement issued by a university.

NCAA Division II

  • Coaches are not permitted to offer an athletic scholarship for more than one year at a time. They may say that the scholarship will be renewed each year, but there is no requirement that they do so since the rules specifically limit an athletic scholarship to no more than one year.
  • A scholarship can only be reduced or cancelled “during the period of the award” under specific NCAA guidelines.
  • Athletes who were on an athletic scholarship the preceding academic year must be notified in writing not later than July 1 regarding the status of their scholarship for the following year.
  • A National Letter of Intent is not the same thing as a scholarship agreement issued by a university.

NAIA

  • All forms of institutional financial aid received by a student-athlete count against the maximum team limit in their sport. However, aid provided to athletes with strong academic standing may be exempt from counting against team scholarship limits based on their academic performance. Those criteria vary between entering freshman and currently-enrolled athletes.

NJCAA

  • An NJCAA Letter of Intent is the same thing as a scholarship agreement IF a scholarship is offered.
  • An NJCAA Letter of Intent can be issued without an athletic scholarship.
  • A Letter of Intent from an NJCAA college is in effect from August 1 to July 31.
  • Renewal of a Letter of Intent for the following year must be given in the form of a new NJCAA Letter on or before June 15.
  • An athlete not given a second-year Letter of Intent by June 15 becomes recruitable by other NJCAA colleges on June 16.

If You Have Questions

For specific scholarship questions, schedule a confidential scholarship strategies consult online, send an email to us at rick@informedathlete.com or call us at 913-766-1235.

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Will Your High School Athlete Be Eligible for NCAA Sports?

We recently provided one of our Transcript Review Assessments for a high school athlete who is in the middle of her senior year of high school.

This athlete is short of having the required number of core courses to be eligible as a freshman and won’t be eligible for NCAA Division I if the athlete can’t change her course selection for this semester.

This athlete’s father informed us that he learned about the NCAA academic eligibility requirements from our website, not from their high school guidance office.

If you’d like to ensure that your high school athlete is on pace to meet the academic requirements to be eligible as a freshman at an NCAA Division I or II university, schedule a confidential Eligibility Issues Consult online.

We’ll discuss your student-athlete’s current situation, talk about all the academic eligibility requirements, and if needed, suggest a Freshman Transcript Review Assessment. You’re also welcome to call our office at 913-766-1235 or send an email to rick@informedathlete.com

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Impact of Online Instruction on NCAA Freshman Eligibility Requirements

High school athletes must satisfy the NCAA academic requirements to be certified as a Qualifier and be eligible to compete and receive an athletic scholarship in their freshman year at an NCAA Division I or Division II university.

High schools shifting to online instruction or taking other action due to COVID-19 could have a negative impact on a recruit’s opportunity to satisfy the academic requirements for Division I and Division II eligibility.

As of the date of this post,  the NCAA Eligibility Center has not yet issued any official changes or adjustments to these academic requirements. However, the Eligibility Center will be conferring with NCAA Division I and II governing committees and is expected to release information on possible changes soon.

High school recruits and families should be aware that the NCAA freshman academic requirements to be certified as a Qualifier are also important if your athlete is planning to attend a two-year college before transferring to an NCAA university.

Recruits who are not certified as an NCAA Qualifier by the Eligibility Center will have more extensive academic requirements to satisfy while attending a two-year college in order to be eligible when they transfer to an NCAA university.

Do You Have Questions?

If you are concerned about the impact of online instruction on your academic eligibility, we offer confidential phone consultations. We’ll answer all your questions, discuss the possible impact on your athlete’s eligibility due to COVID-19, and suggest options for your athlete to consider. Schedule a confidential Eligibility Issues consult online here, call us at 913-766-1235 or send an email to rick@informedathlete.com.

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NCAA Freshman Eligibility Requirements – Is my athlete on track?

In a recent post, we discussed the Importance of NCAA Qualifier Status for High School Athletes. If a high school athlete doesn’t meet the initial NCAA academic eligibility requirements, they are classified as a Non-Qualifier.  They then have several hurdles to jump before they can be eligible at an NCAA DI or DII school.

When I worked on campus, the hardest thing I had to do was tell an athlete they were not academically eligible to play the sport they loved.  The sad thing is that it is a preventable situation.

We created Informed Athlete’s Freshman Eligibility & Transcript Review service so we can help high school athletes and parents be better informed and prepared without unpleasant or costly mistakes.

With a Freshman Transcript Review Service, we will:

  • Compare the courses completed with the courses approved by the NCAA Eligibility Center.
  • Review your ACT or SAT test scores, and determine the GPA that will be needed for eligibility,
  • Provide a written assessment of the subjects that need to be completed to satisfy initial eligibility requirements.
  • Suggest steps and discuss a plan of action that may be available to satisfy eligibility requirements.

To Schedule a Freshman Transcript Review

If you are interested in this service, you can schedule a Freshman Transcript Review online, call us at 913-766-1235 or send an email to rick@informedathlete.com.

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What do the terms NCAA Qualifier and NCAA Non-Qualifier mean?

An NCAA Qualifier is a high-school athlete who has satisfied the NCAA academic requirements to be eligible as a Freshman.

If the NCAA Freshman eligibility requirements are not met, the high-school athlete is classified as anNCAA Non-Qualifier.  Reasons for this frequently include:

  • The high-school athlete didn’t take the NCAA required core courses.
  • Low GPA, SAT or ACT test scores.

A high-school athlete who is classified as an NCAA Non-Qualifier:

  • Cannot receive an athletic scholarship during their freshman year unless the requirements for “Academic Redshirt” are met.
  • Will NOT be eligible to compete with the team during their freshman year.
  • Will not be eligible to practice with the team or attend weight training with their team.

High-school athletes who go to a JUCO their freshman year as an NCAA Non-Qualifier:

  • Will NOT be eligible to transfer to a Division I program after just one year.
  • Will have more extensive academic requirements at the JUCO to be immediately eligible upon transfer to a Division I program (more required junior college courses).

If you’re unsure as to whether your high-school athlete is on track to meet the NCAA Freshman Eligibility Requirements, we can discuss your situation in a confidential consultation. Click here to schedule a confidential consultation or call our office at 913-766-1235.

We also offer NCAA Freshman Transcript Evaluations to assess if your student-athlete is on track and if not, we can provide an action plan of what they will need to do to achieve NCAA Qualifier Status.

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High School Athletes: Will you be an NCAA Qualifier?

If you are not sure you’re on track to be an NCAA Qualifier for Fall 2019, contact us for a Transcript Review and Assessment.
We will evaluate your core courses as well as your estimated core course GPA and your ACT or SAT test score to make sure you’ll satisfy the sliding scale requirement. If you’re not on track, we can help you with an action plan to become eligible or provide you with other options to consider.
The absolute hardest thing I had to do when I was a DI Compliance Director was tell a student-athlete that they weren’t academically eligible to play their sport in college. Don’t let this happen to you!

For more information, give us a call at 913-766-1235 or send an email to rick@informedathlete.com

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High School Athletes – Have you taken the SAT test since March 1, 2016?

Even though the SAT changed their test and scoring system back in 2016, the NCAA Division I Sliding Scale – which is used to determine freshman eligibility for competition, practice and athletic scholarships – has NOT been updated to reflect the new SAT scores. 

This has been causing confusion for some high school athletes and parents, as well as some of the coaches and guidance counselors whom those athletes and families look to for assistance.

Call us at 913-766-1235 or send an email to rick@informedathlete.com if you have questions about NCAA eligibility requirements or would like to request an NCAA Eligibility and Transcript Review. 

 

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