This Page Provides Information for College-Bound Student-Athletes (updated 6/8/08)

Student-athletes planning to participate in intercollegiate sports sanctioned by the NCAA and/or NAIA must meet certain requirements in order to participate.  These requirements are generally a function of the student-athlete's high school grade point average, his college test scores (either ACT or SAT), and in the case of the NAIA, graduating class rank may also be a factor.  This page will provide the basic criteria for eligibility beginning with the ACT and/or SAT test score.  Student-athletes should also check with the NCAA Initial Eligibility Clearinghouse, the admissions office and athletic advisory office at their University/College of choice, and their high school academic counselor to ensure that all eligibility requirements are met, and that all documentation is in order.

Which test should I take - The ACT or the SAT?

For NCAA eligibility purposes, it really does not make a difference.  Some admission departments at individual colleges and universities prefer the ACT, while others prefer the SAT.  However, with very few exceptions, most schools will accept either test.  Likewise, some students find the ACT test less challenging while others find they are able to score better on the SAT.  It simply seems to be a matter of individual preference.  

When should I take the Test?

We recommend that student-athletes who are serious NCAA candidates for recruitment take at least one of these tests in December or January of their junior year.  The student-athlete should make time to prepare for the exam and become familiar with what to expect.  Early testing can allow the student-athlete to post a qualifying score earlier in the recruiting process, and this can lead to more serious consideration by recruiters.  If the student-athlete does not achieve a qualifying score at this point, he is better able to determine areas to work on, and he gains a greater comfort level and familiarity with the test which may help him score higher on his next attempt.  Ideally, we recommend testing in the late fall/early spring (Dec/Jan) of the junior year, then again in late spring (May/June).  Because there are a limited number of test dates, we feel it is important to take advantage of the earlier dates to leave room for retesting if desired.  Also, because the best scores from each section from all test dates are added to get the total score, the athlete is never penalized for retaking either exam.  His score can not decrease, it can only improve or remain unchanged.   

Scores pertaining to NCAA & NAIA Initial-Eligibility

SAT = Add your best score on the MATH portion to your best score on the CRITICAL READING portion

ACT = Add the best scores from each of the four sections (not the composite score) on the test for your ACT "Sum Score"

NOTE: For NAIA eligibility, the ACT composite score is used.

Note: The writing portion of the SAT is NOT used to determine eligibility for either the NCAA or NAIA.  If you take a test multiple times, you may add scores from individual sections from two or more tests.  That is you may have your best SAT Math score on one test date, but your best SAT Critical Reading score on a different date.  You may add these two scores together to obtain your highest overall score for eligibility purposes.

TEST Scores & Core G.P.A. Requirements

Following are the minimum requirements for eligibility as set by the NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse and/or the NAIA.  Please remember that these are the minimums, and many colleges and universities choose to set higher standards for recruiting.  Also, please note that there are two different standards for eligibility. There is a sliding scale used for NCAA Division 1 eligibility (see below).  There is a flat minimum for Core G.P.A. and Test Scores used for determining eligibility for NCAA Divisions II and III.  NAIA Schools have a slightly different set of rules which allow the student-athlete to become eligible by meeting 2 out of 3 possible criteria for eligibility.

NAIA Minimum Requirements - 2 of the following 3 Criteria

Minimum Score of 18 composite on the ACT or 860 on the SAT (math + reading)

and/or

Overall  H.S. G.P.A. = 2.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale

and/or

Graduate in the top 50% of the student-athlete's H.S. graduating class

NCAA Divisions II and III Minimum Requirements

Core G.P.A. = 2.0 and SAT combined Math & Reading Score = 820

or

Core G.P.A. = 2.0 and ACT Sum Score = 68

NCAA Divisions I Sliding Eligibility Scale

Note that the minimum Core G.P.A. is still 2.0, but the required test scores

at that level are higher than is required for Division II.

Athletes who wish to be recruited should maintain a Core G.P.A. as high as possible, and use available test preparation resources to help them achieve the highest score possible on the ACT and/or SAT tests.  Athletes are not penalized for taking either test multiple times, and the highest scores on each section from multiple tests will be used to determine the total score for eligibility purposes.

Athletes should register with the NCAA Initial-Elibility Clearinghouse early in their senior year.  At that time, the athlete should also submit a form to the registrars office to have an official transcript sent to the clearinghouse (a final transcript will also be forwarded after graduation).  The athlete should also indicate the Clearinghouse (Code 9999) as a recipient for test scores whenever registering to take the SAT and/or ACT tests.

To register with the NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse, or to get additional eligibility information,  visit the NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse website at:

www.ncaaclearinghouse.com

Core G.P.A.

The student-athlete's core G.P.A. is calculated by using a set of core courses that are required for initial-eligibility.  For players who will be participating in NCAA division 1 programs, there are 16 required core courses.  For division II programs, hter are 14 required core courses.  See the table below for details.