COLLEGE COUNSELING GUIDEBOOK - NCAA ATHLETICS: St. Margaret's Episcopal School

Athletics and the NCAA Clearinghouse

Academic Preparation vs. Academic Eligibility

“Intelligence without ambition is a bird without wings” - C. Archie Danielson

It is not universally understood that academic eligibility in high school or college is not always equal to academic preparedness. A student can be eligible to compete on the field or court, yet be unprepared to compete in the classroom. A student can be eligible to graduate from high school, yet be unprepared academically to enroll in the college of his or her choice much less graduate from that college.

Success in a college classroom is directly linked to the type of academic preparation a student-athlete has received at his/her high school. That is, it is extremely important to select the right courses in high school. A college-preparatory curriculum is best if it is offered. If your high school does not offer a “college-prep” curriculum, simply take the most rigorous courses the school has to offer.

Most public and some private high schools in the country require the following minimum courses for graduation:

4 years of English
3 years of math
2 years of social science
2 years of science (include 1 year of lab science)
2 years of a foreign language
4 years of additional coursework (electives)

As compared to the minimum high school graduation requirements above, the nation’s best and most competitive and selective colleges require a higher standard from their entering freshman class. For example, as a minimum, you would need to complete the following:

3 to 4 years of English
3 to 4 years of math
3 to 4 years of social science
3 to 4 years of science (includes 2 years of a lab science)
2 to 4 years of a foreign language
2 to 4 years of additional college-prep coursework (AP, Honors, etc.)

All too often, some athletes take exception to the rule and simply choose to complete minimum academic requirements in order to be eligible for NCAA Division I or II scholarship.

As an athlete, the concept of minimum achievement is never tolerated by any of your coaches. Therefore, why would you ever accept minimum efforts in the classroom? Consider using your remaining years of high school coursework to take an extra year of math, foreign language and/or science. Or, sign up for an honors or AP course if one is offered.

As a true student-athlete, your goal is to be prepared for the college classroom as well as the playing field. The reward for success in the high school classroom is academic success in college. The ultimate success in college is graduating on time with a meaningful degree. The grim realities of those who are not prepared academically, (scholarship athlete or non-scholarship athlete) are severe. Academic probation, potential loss of scholarship, refused admission to a selective college or worse yet, not earning a degree, are the results of poor academic preparation.

NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse

(General Information)

Student athletes who want to participate in NCAA Division I or II athletics should start the certification process early - by the end of their junior year or early in their senior year in high school. Students may obtain a copy of Making Sure You Are Eligible to Participate in College Sports and a Student Release Form (SRF) free of charge from a high school counselor.

To be certified by the Clearinghouse, students must:

1. Graduate from high school

Students should apply for certification before graduation, usually after their junior year. The NCAA Clearinghouse will issue a preliminary certification based on information available before graduation, so that the student is informed about any potential reasons that he or she may not be certified. Final certification will be issued only after receipt of a final transcript that includes proof of graduation.

2. Earn a grade point average of at least 2.00 (on a 4.00 scale)

Students must achieve a grade point average of at least 2.00 in a core curriculum of at least 13 academic courses taken during grades 9 through 12. Only courses that satisfy the NCAA definition of a core course are acceptable. Core courses include:

4 years of English

2 years of math (including algebra and geometry)

2 years of natural/physical science (including at least 1 lab science)

2 years of social science

2 years of additional core courses from English, math, natural/physical science, foreign language, computer science, philosophy or nondoctrinal (e.g. comparative) religion

3. Earn an ACT score with a sum of subscores no less than 68... or a combined score of at least 820 on the SAT I on a national test date. Note: For Division I, the minimum grade point average in the 13 core courses and the required ACT or SAT I vary according to the Initial-Eligibility Index listed below:

CORE GPA	ACT	SAT I	CORE GPA	ACT	SAT I
	(Sum of subscores)			(Sum of subscores)
2.5 & above	68	820	2.150	80	960
2.475	69	830	2.125	81	960
2.450	70	840-850	2.100	82	970
2.425	70	860	2.075	83	980
2.400	71	860	2.050	84	990
2.375	72	870	2.025	85	1000
2.350	73	880	2.000	86	1010
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

Get a Student Release Form from your high school counselor or any NCAA member institution offering Division I or II athletics.
Complete the form. Include: Student and High School Information, Authorization Signatures, Permission to Release to Colleges/Universities, Learning Disability Check Off, Personal Identification Number (PIN), Payment.
Submit the completed original (white copy) of the Student Release Form to the Clearinghouse. Mail to:
    NCAA Clearinghouse-Forms Processing
    P.O. Box 4043
    Iowa City, IA 52243-4043
Give both the yellow and pink copies (or photocopies) of the Student Release Form to the guidance counselor at every high school you’ve attended.
In lieu of the paper form, as of 2002, the NCAA would prefer that the student register on line. The web site is www.ncaaclearinghouse.net From the home page, click on "Prospective Student-Athletes" to access the registration forms.

Recruiting
Remember, you cannot be approached by a college or university representative who is associated with the athletic department until on or before July 1 after the completion of your junior year. The only exception would be with the military academies which may approach you significantly earlier because of their unique and long selection process. Violations should be forwarded to the NCAA and are punishable.

Not every scholarship athlete was heavily recruited out of high school. Often times, a student will make the first contact with a university, especially if the university is out of the high school student’s region. For example, there is enough talent in the East that colleges and universities generally don’t have to look West to recruit their talent (and vice versa). But, a college or university without hesitation would welcome an opportunity to open a cross country market and get a “pipeline” of talent flowing. Usually, your non-revenue producing sports (everything except M/W Basketball and Men’s Football ) will rely on students and their high school coaches (club coaches) contacting them to generate leads of interest. Remember, unless you are one of the most highly sought after athletes in your sport, you will need to be aggressive in marketing yourself to college and university coaching staffs. Your coaches play a very important role in promoting you and should be aware of your interests to pursue athletics in college. They will also be very good judges of your talent and abilities to play at the next level, whether that be Division I, II, or III.

In order for you to understand the complexity of earning an athletic scholarship, look closely at the following numbers. Remember, numbers tell the truth: