NCAA Eligibility Tips For Every Age Level

One part of playing college athletics that often gets overlooked is eligibility. You must be eligible by the NCAA if you want to participate in college sports. The NCAA Handbook does a great job of laying out the guidelines in this regard. Here are some steps you can take at every level to make sure that you are on your way to being eligible to play in the NCAA.

Freshmen and Sophomores

Start planning now!

Work hard to get the best grades possible.
Most high schools have a list of NCAA courses. Take classes that match your high schools list of NCAA courses. The NCAA Eligibility Center will use only approved core courses to certify your initial eligibility.

You can access and print your high school's list of NCAA courses at www.eligibilitycenter.org. Click the NCAA College-Bound Stutdent-Athlete link to enter and then navigate to the "Resources" tab and select "U.S. Students" where you will find the link for the list of NCAA courses. GradeCheck.com has a great service to help with this.

At the beginning of your sophomore year, complete your online registration at www.eligibilitycenter.org. If you fall behind, do not take short cuts. Classes you take must be four-year college preparatory and must meet NCAA requirements.

Juniors

Register to take the ACT, SAT or both and use the NCAA Eligibility Center code "9999" as a score recipient. Doing this sends your official score directly to the NCAA Eligibility Center.
Continue to take college prep classes.

Ask your high school counselor to send an official transcript to the NCAA Eligibility Center after completing your junior year.

Before registering for classes for your senior year, check with your hgh school counselor to determine the number of core courses that you need to complete your senior year.

Seniors

Retake the ACT and/or SAT again if necessary.

Review your amateurism responses and request final amateurism certification on or after April 1 (for fall enrollees) or October 1 (for spring enrollees).

Continue to work hard to get the best grades possible