NCAA Athletic Eligibility Requirements
NCAA Eligibility Center - Division I Academic Requirements
Students interested in participating in college athletics need to register with either the NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse or the NAIA Eligibility Center.
College-bound student-athletes will need to meet the following academic requirements to practice, receive athletic scholarships, and/or compete during their first year.
Core-Course Requirement: Complete 16 core courses in the following areas:
English - 4 years
Math (algebra or higher) - 3 years
Natural/Physical Science (one year of lab, if offered) - 2 years
Additional English, Math or Natural/Physical Science - 1 year
Social Science - 2 years
Additional Courses (any area listed above, foreign language or comparative religion/philosophy) - 4 years
Full Qualifier: college-bound student-athletes may practice, compete and receive scholarships during their first year of enrollment at an NCAA Division I school
- Complete 16 Core Courses
- Ten of the 16 core courses must be completed before the 7th semester (senior year) of high school.
- Seven of the 10 core courses must be in English, math or science.
- Earn a core-course GPA of at least 2.3000.
- Earn the ACT/SAT score matching your core-course GPA on the Division I sliding scale (opens new window)
- Graduate high school
Academic Redshirt: college-bound student-athletes may receive athletics scholarships during their first year of enrollment and may practice during their first regular academic term, but may NOT compete during their first year of enrollment.
- Complete 16 core courses
- Earn a core-course GPA of at least 2.000
- Earn the ACT/SAT score matching your core-course GPA on the Division I sliding scale (opens new window)
- Graduate high school
Nonqualifier: college-bound student-athletes cannot practice, receive athletics scholarships or compete during their first year of enrollment at an NCAA Division I school
NCAA Eligibility Center - Division II New Academic Requirements
College-bound student-athletes first enrolling at an NCAA Division II school on or after August 1, 2018, need to meet new academic rules to practice, compete and receive athletics scholarships during their first year.
Core-Course Requirement: Complete 16 core courses in the following areas:
English - 3 years
Math (algebra or higher) - 2 years
Natural/Physical Science (one year of lab, if offered) - 2 years
Additional English, Math or Natural/Physical Science - 3 years
Social Science - 2 years
Additional Courses (any area listed above, foreign language or comparative religion/philosophy) - 4 years
Full Qualifier: college-bound student-athletes may practice, compete and receive scholarships during their first year of enrollment at an NCAA Division II school
- Complete 16 Core Courses
- Earn a core-course GPA of at least 2.2000.
- Earn the ACT/SAT score matching your core-course GPA on the Division II full qualifier sliding scale (opens new window)
- Graduate high school
Partial Qualifier: college-bound student-athletes may receive athletics scholarships during their first year of enrollment and may practice during their first regular academic term, but may NOT compete during their first year of enrollment.
- Complete 16 core courses
- Earn a core-course GPA of at least 2.000
- Earn the ACT/SAT score matching your core-course GPA on the Division II partial qualifier sliding scale (opens new window)
- Graduate high school
Nonqualifier: college-bound student-athletes may NOT practice, receive athletics scholarships or compete during their first year of enrollment at an NCAA Division II school
