NCAA Eligibility Center 101 · Initial-Eligibility Information - Academics NEW Fall 2016 Initial-Eligibility Requirements: (For prospective student-athletes first entering a Division

NCAA Eligibility Center 101AACRAO Session ID#1676.0

Holly Smith

Assistant Director International Academic Certification

NCAA Eligibility Center

Overview

NCAA Overview.

NCAA Eligibility Center Overview.

Academic Certification.

Initial-Eligibility Information – NEW 2016 and 2018 Initial-Eligibility

Requirements.

Amateurism.

Academic Review.

High School Review.

Customer Service.

Operations.

Best Practices and Resources.

Questions.

Overview of NCAA

Overview of NCAA

Organization of the NCAA.

Division I:

Highest level of intercollegiate athletics.

Typically large student-body size.

Athletics grants-in-aid available.

Division II:

Smaller to medium populated schools, smaller athletics budgets.

Athletics grants-in-aid available.

Division III:

Largest of the three divisions, typically small student body.

Athletics grants-in-aid not available, generally students participate for

the love of the sport.

Who Makes the Rules?

NCAA Membership.

Representative structure in Division I.

Convention voting in Divisions II and III.

Academic rules generally vetted through academic

committees.

• The NCAA Eligibility Center supports the International Student

Records Committee (ISRC), High School Review Committee

(HSRC) and the Student Records Review Committee (SRRC).


NCAA Eligibility Center Mission Statement

To ensure prospective student-athletes,

member institutions and high schools

understand the requirements to participate in NCAA

Divisions I and II athletics and to certify their

academic and amateur credentials in accordance

with NCAA standards and philosophy.

NCAA Eligibility Center Responsibilities

Pre-enrollment initial-eligibility services:

Initial-eligibility certification.

o Academic; and

o Amateurism.

Initial-Eligibility Waivers (IEW).

Prospective Student-Athlete Review (PSA Review).

High school review and core-course review.

Customer Service.

o Full service inbound contact center, membership outreach and support,

high school outreach and support and prospective student-athlete

outreach and support.

Operations.

Website development and maintenance.

NCAA Eligibility Center Responsibilities

The NCAA Eligibility Center is responsible for

determining the eligibility of prospective student-

athletes in NCAA Divisions I and II using two prongs:

Academic certification.

o Does the prospective student-athlete meet the

legislated minimum academic requirements?

Amateurism certification.

o Has the prospective student-athlete maintained his

or her amateur status?

Academic Certification


The NCAA Eligibility Center completes academic

certifications for NCAA Divisions I and II only.

Ideally, academic certification is a two-step process:

Preliminary certification - includes coursework through junior year.

o Preliminary certification provides pre-graduation snapshot to identify

deficiencies.

Final certification - after graduation.

International academic certification may not include a

preliminary certification depending on the educational system

and credential received.


Institutional Request List (IRL) required*.

Must receive official transcript(s) from all high schools attended

(domestic/international) or leaving examinations from various examination

boards or Ministry of Education (international).

Documentation related to nontraditional or online courses completed.

Official test scores from ACT and/or SAT.

Proof of graduation required for final certification.

*Junior college transfer students may be reviewed if required for

recruiting.


Processing order – Domestic/Canadian (not

including Quebec). National Letter of Intent.

IRL activation date.

“Ready-to-Process” date.

Official transcripts from all schools attended and final transcript

received.

Official test score received.

Standard of Operation = 10 days from “Ready-to-Process” date.

Cases may be suspended for missing or incomplete information.

Student task created to request missing information.

Sent by e-mail to the student.

Prospective student-athlete (PSA) review.


Processing order - International. National Letter of Intent.

IRL activation date.

“Ready-to-Process” date.

Official transcripts, academic records in original language and English

translation.

Official test scores.

Standard of Operation = 10 days from “Ready-to-

Process” date. Certifications completed for students from more than 175 different

countries.

United Kingdom most common.

Quebec processed by international staff.

International Academic Certification Numbers

Total international registrants:

Year 2010 2011 2012 2013

Canada 2,819 (32.1%) 3,005 (30.9%) 3,079 (29.2%) 3,180 (29.1%)

Grand Total

international/Total

Registrants

8,787 / 205,389 9,711 / 204,392 10,514 / 206,520 10,937 / 204,745

7,431 (total minus

Canada)

International Academic Certification Numbers

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500 International Mail Volume

2011-2012

2012-2013

2013-2014

Month 2011-2012 2012-2013 2013-2014

October Not tracked 1462 1287

November Not tracked 1332 1046

December Not tracked 962 1055

January 827 979 0

February 1172 1219 0

March 1216 1360 0

April 1174 1456 0

May 1252 1284 0

June 2009 1616 0

July 3088 2973 0

August 2103 1904 0

September 1298 1301 0

Yearly Total 10,738 17,848 1287

Initial-Eligibility Information - Academics

Academic initial-eligibility requirements are different for each of the three divisions.

It is possible for a prospective student-athlete to be eligible in one division and not another.

The NCAA Eligibility Center does not evaluate (academic and amateurism) prospective student-athletes who attend Division III member institutions. The actual member institution does the evaluation.


NCAA Division I Academic Requirements

In order to compete as a freshman, a prospective student-athlete

must:

Graduate from high school;

Earn a minimum required grade-point average (GPA) in a

prescribed distribution of 16 approved core courses; and

Earn a combined SAT or ACT sum score that matches the

core-course GPA (refer to the “sliding scale” on the NCAA

Quick Reference Sheet).


Division I Qualifier:

Being a qualifier enables you to:

Practice or compete for your college or university during your first year of college;

Receive an athletics scholarship during your first year of college; and

Play four seasons in your sport if you maintain your academic eligibility from year-to-year.

Division I Nonqualifier:

As a nonqualifier, you will not be able to:

Practice or compete for your college or university during your first year of college; or

Receive an athletics scholarship during your first year of college, although you may

receive need-based financial aid.

You may be able to play only three seasons in your sport if you maintain your

eligibility from year-to-year. To earn a fourth season, you must complete at least

80 percent of your degree requirements before beginning your fifth year of college.


NEW Fall 2016 Initial-Eligibility Requirements:(For prospective student-athletes first entering a Division I college or university on or after August 1, 2016.)

Full Qualifier must: Complete 16 core courses (same distribution as in the past);

Have a minimum core-course GPA of 2.300;

Meet the competition sliding scale requirement of GPA and ACT/SAT score (this is a new scale with

increased grade-point average/test-score requirements); and

Graduate from high school.

Domestic and “split files” will be held to the 7/10 prior to the seventh semester.

Academic Redshirt must: Complete 16 core courses (same distribution as in the past);

Have a minimum core-course GPA of 2.000;

Meet the academic redshirt sliding scale requirement of GPA and ACT/SAT score; and

Graduate from high school.

Nonqualifier: Fails to meet the standards for a qualifier or for an academic redshirt.

Division I Sliding Scale Present and

New 2016 Sliding Scale

GPAs between 2.000 and

2.299 will be considered in the

academic redshirt tier

beginning 8/1/2016.


NCAA Division II Academic Requirements

In order to compete as a freshman, a prospective student-athlete must:

Graduate from high school;

Earn at least a 2.000 GPA in a prescribed distribution of 16 core courses; and

Earn a combined SAT score of at least 820 (critical reading + math) or an ACT sum score of at least 68.

o No sliding scale for Division II.

Beginning August 1, 2013, students planning to attend an NCAA Division II college/university will be required to complete 16 core courses.

Beginning August 1, 2018, the minimum GPA increases to a 2.200 for qualifiers and establishes a sliding scale for full and partial qualifiers similar to Division I.

Initial-Eligibility Information – Academics

Division II Qualifier

Being a qualifier enables you to:

Practice or compete for your college or university during your first year of college;

Receive an athletics scholarship during your first year of college; and

Play four seasons in your sport if you maintain your academic eligibility from year-to-year.

Division II Partial Qualifier

You will be considered a partial qualifier if you do not meet all of the academic requirements listed

above, but you have graduated from high school and meet one of the following:

The combined SAT score of 820 or ACT sum score of 68; or

Completion of the 16 core courses with a 2.000 core-course grade-point average.

As a partial qualifier, you:

Can practice with your team at its home facility during your first year of college;

Can receive an athletics scholarship during your first year of college;

Cannot compete during your first year of college; and

Can play four seasons in your sport if you maintain your academic eligibility from year-to-year

Initial-Eligibility Information – Academics

Division II Nonqualifier:

You will be considered a nonqualifier if you did not graduate from high school,

or, if you graduated and are missing both the core-course GPA

or minimum number of core courses and the required ACT or SAT scores.

As a nonqualifier, you:

Cannot practice or compete for your college or university during your first year of

college;

Cannot receive an athletics scholarship during your first year of college, although you

may receive need-based financial aid; and

Can play four seasons in your sport if you maintain your academic eligibility from year-

to-year.


Division I16 Core Courses

4 years English

3 years math (Algebra I or higher)

2 years natural/physical science

(1 year of lab if offered by high school)

1 year additional English, math or

natural/physical science

2 years social science

4 years additional courses (from any

area above, foreign language or

comparative religion/philosophy.

New 2016 sliding scale effective for fall

2016 enrollees and after.

Division II16 Core Courses

3 years English

2 years math (Algebra I or higher)

2 years natural/physical science ( 1

year of lab if offered by high school)

3 years additional English, math or

natural/physical science

2 years social science

4 years additional courses (from any

area above, foreign language or

comparative religion/philosophy)

Beginning August 1, 2018, the

minimum GPA increases to a 2.200 for

qualifiers and establishes a sliding

scale for full and partial qualifiers

similar to Division I.


What is a core-course?

Qualifies for high school graduation in one or more of the following areas: English,

mathematics, natural or physical science, social science, foreign language or

comparative religion or philosophy;

Is considered academic, four-year university preparatory;

Is taught at or above the high school's regular academic level;

For mathematics courses, is at the level of Algebra I or a higher level mathematics

course; and

Is taught by a qualified instructor as defined by the appropriate academic

authority.

Amateurism

Amateurism

Amateurism certification purpose. Provide institutions with consistent amateurism

information regarding prospective student-athletes.

Assist in maintaining competitive equity in recruiting.

Reduce some of the burden on institutions.

To promote student-athlete well-being.

Amateurism

The NCAA Eligibility Center staff process

≈ 13,000 amateurism cases for Divisions I

and II.

Over 90 percent of penalty cases are international

prospective student-athletes.

Amateurism Numbers

Men’s soccer has the most amateurism

certifications manually reviewed by staff and

also has the most amateurism “conditions”.

2013-14 cycle – 165 out of 1,320 prospective student-

athletes were certified with conditions.

Men’s tennis and women’s tennis follow with over 10

percent of the prospective student-athletes certified

with amateurism “conditions”.

Amateurism

Amateurism issues, which may impact eligibility:

Signing a contract with a professional team.

Receiving money for participating in athletics.

Receiving prize money above actual and necessary

expenses.

Playing with professional athletes.

Trying out, practicing or competing with a professional

team.

Receiving benefits from an agent or prospective agent.

Agreeing to be represented by an agent.

Participating in organized competition after your first

opportunity to enroll in college.

Academic Review

Academic Review

Initial-Eligibility Waiver Process (IEW).

Potentially provides student-athletes relief from the

legislated initial-eligibility standards.

Places emphasis on the student-athlete’s likelihood of

academic success during the initial year of enrollment.

Considers the mitigating circumstances that may have

resulted in the student-athlete’s failure to satisfy the

minimum initial-eligibility requirements.

Academic Review

IEW Process Required Documentation: Evidence of the student-athlete’s academic record (e.g., transcripts,

ACT/SAT scores, final certification report).

Statement from student-athlete describing the facts and circumstances

surrounding the request.

Letter of explanation from the institution that includes a timeline of key dates,

schools attended, academic performance, recruitment/advising, facts and

mitigating circumstances.

Evidence of mitigating circumstances.

Academic support plan (if applicable).

Initial-Eligibility Waiver Directive. Considers a data-based analysis of a student-athlete’s likelihood of academic

success during the initial year of full-time collegiate enrollment.

Academic Review Numbers

2013-14 academic year.

789 IEW’s.

500 Division I, 289 Division II (including 152 international

prospective student-athletes).

Top 10 highest volume sports.

Football, men’s basketball, men’s soccer, baseball, men’s

track and field, women’s soccer, women’s basketball,

women’s tennis, men’s tennis and women’s track and field.

High School Review

High School Review

The high school and core-course review team is

responsible for the review of new and existing high

schools to ensure the academic integrity of programs used in

certifications. The team reviews core-course submissions

from approximately 30,000 U.S. high schools annually and

evaluates whether these courses meet the criteria to be used

according to NCAA standards.

Related work includes monitoring grading scale changes,

weighted grades, academic fraud, and high school policy

issues.

High School Review

Challenges:

Only about 50 percent of U.S. high schools regularly

send prospective student-athletes to Division I or II

institutions.

Fundamental lack of awareness at high school level of

requirements early enough in the student’s high school

career.

Turnover of high school staff.

Constant change in course offerings.

Evolution of nontraditional coursework and programs.

Impacts of nontraditional legislation and getting the

“message” out to educators.

High School Review Numbers

New School Reviews.

In the past eight months, 490 schools have begun

the New School Review process.

o 168 schools are in the initial stages of gathering documentation.

o 322 schools have submitted documents.

• 119 schools are somewhere in the review process.

• 203 schools have rendered school decisions.

Core-Course Submissions.

400-450 per day.

Approximately 115,000 per year.

Customer Service

Customer Service

Responsible for customer outreach, education

and call center support for prospective student-

athletes and their parents, high schools and advisors

and NCAA member institutions.

The International Academic Certification department

conducts its own customer service for all

international prospective student-athletes, parents,

member institutions, non U.S.-based international

schools and outside entities.

[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

Customer Service - Domestic

Membership outreach and support.

600+ members with 65,000 roster spots annually.

Work with collegiate compliance and athletics department staff on all

things related to initial eligibility.

Dedicated membership institution phone line.

Prospective student-athlete outreach and support.

NCAA Youth Clinics in conjunction with Final Four and men’s and

women’s College World Series.

Guide for College-Bound Student-Athlete.

NCAA Eligibility Center poster and brochures.

2point3.org.

The Bench – Twitter @talkingbench.

Customer Service – Domestic

High school outreach and support.

Monthly high school newsletter.

NCAA Eligibility Center informational PowerPoint available

through High School Portal or by request.

Assist high school administrators on all things related to

initial eligibility and core-course submission or review.

Partnership with national federations and governing

bodies.

o National Federation of State High Schools.

o NFL, NBA, multiple high school coaches groups.

Customer Service - Domestic

Customer Service.

Full-service inbound call center.

Staffing levels adjust seasonally.

Call volume – 15,000 calls monthly.

750-1,000 calls daily.

Call volumes spike seasonally.

Who calls the NCAA Eligibility Center?

Students/parents = 75-80 percent.

Domestic High schools = 5 percent.

Membership institutions = 15-20 percent.

Operations

Operations

Document processing/imaging.

Approximately 500,000 domestic-based high school

transcripts each year.

50 percent of mail is processed during summer months.

Student registration and account maintenance.

Website development and maintenance.

Education-impacting disability (EID) paperwork

processing and notification.

Workflow management.

Reporting.

Operations

Prospective student-athlete registration

completed online at www.eligibilitycenter.org.

Fee structure.

Domestic students = $70.

Canadian students = $70.

International students = $120.

Fee waiver available for students if validated by

domestic high school.

http://www.eligibilitycenter.org/

Best Practices and Resources

Best Practices

Encourage all prospective student-athletes to

register as soon as possible at www.eligibilitycenter.org.

It is OK to register in year nine or 10.

Encourage prospective student-athletes to have all test scores

sent from testing agency (SAT and/or ACT) and transcripts sent in

a timely manner.

ACT – www.act.org. (319) 337-1313

SAT – www.collegeboard.com. (866) 756-7346

NCAA Eligibility Center’s score recipient code is “9999”.

The NCAA Eligibility Center does not accept TOEFL scores.

http://www.act.org/

http://www.collegeboard.com/

Resources

NCAA Eligibility Center website (www.eligibilitycenter.org).

Resources for prospective student-athletes.

Accessible from the Resources tab on NCAA Eligibility Center’s website.

Guide to the College-Bound Student-Athlete.

NCAA Guide to International Academic Standards for Athletics Eligibility.

Accessible from the Resources tab on NCAA Eligibility Center’s website.

Canada country entry, specific Ontario information.

NCAA college/university international admissions office and athletics compliance office.

NCAA Eligibility Center international academic department ([email protected])

National Letter of Intent (www.national-letter.org).

Academic and Membership Affairs (AMA) parent/student line.

317/917-6008 (e.g., transfer issues, educational-impacting disability).

http://www.eligibilitycenter.org/

http://[email protected]/

http://www.national-letter.org/

NCAA Eligibility Center Registration

Student-athletes

click here to

register and to

visit the student

website.


Students

will click

here to

create or

log into

their

account.


Mailing Address

Official documents (native language with certified line-by-line English

translations for years nine and up if necessary) should be mailed to the NCAA

Eligibility Center at the address listed below:

Overnight or Express Mailing Address:


International Certification Processing

1802 Alonzo Watford Senior Drive

Indianapolis, IN 46202

Mailing Address:


International Certification Processing

P.O. Box 7136

Indianapolis, IN 46207

Reminder: Documents must be sent via mail. Credentials sent via fax or email will not be accepted.

Questions?

Thank you for attending!

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