Academic Eligibility

I want to talk about the academic side of recruiting. I realize that this will apply to each individual differently, but there are certain rules that apply to everyone.

First: You need to know what the NCAA requires in order for you to be eligible. What your school requires for you to graduate can be (and most likely is) different from what the NCAA requires. It's important that you look into this right away. There's a link to the NCAA Eligibility Center to the right of this blog.

Different divisions have different requirements so what applies to a division one program may not apply to a division two or three program. You should meet with your high school guidance counselor as soon as possible, and go over your current transcript to see where you are. It's important that the parent and the athlete stay on top of this because no-one will watch it closer then you. Make sure that you're meeting the graduation requirements for your school, AND the NCAA requirements. You can graduate, but if you're not eligible per the NCAA, a college will not give you a scholarship. Most parents and students do not realize that there are two different sets of requirements. The sooner you get on the right track the better.

The NCAA site will cover the required courses, and there is even a section where you can look at your particular high school, and see what classes your school offers to meet the NCAA requirements. This is also a great way to compare your current transcript to the required classes, and see what you already have.

I know there are currently 16 core classes that the NCAA requires to be eligible for DI competition. The web site will tell you what they are.

Second: You must register with the NCAA Clearinghouse. The above mentioned site will also allow you to register for the clearinghouse. You should do this no later then your junior year or at the beginning of your senior year. This is required by the NCAA, and this is how they tract your eligibility. There is a fee, but I think the fee is waved if you meet certain requirements.

Third: Take the SAT and the ACT as often as you can. The official web sites for both are to the right of this post. You can register there, see the test dates, and get your scores all on these sites. There is NO PENALTY for how many times you take these tests, and the NCAA and the universities only count your highest scores. There is a "sliding scale" that applies to division one programs only. The sliding scale takes your core GPA (from high school) into cnsideration when deciding if you're eligible. The higher your core GPA the lower you can score on the SAT and the ACT to be eligible. Again...this applies to DI programs only, and you can find this information on the NCAA site to the right. Also: the NCAA Clearinghouse no longer accepts SAT or ACT score reports from your school or any source other then the testing center itself! When you register to take these tests YOU MUST choose the NCAA as one of the places to receive your scores. They will not accept scores from any other source...period!

Summing things up: Get with your school guidance counselor ASAP and go over your transcript to make sure you're on pace to graduate AND meet the NCAA's requirements, register for the NCAA Clearinghouse, take the SAT and the ACT as often as you can, and make sure you send a score report directly from the testing center to the NCAA Clearinghouse.

I hope this helps point you in the right direction, and as always: If you have a question post a comment or email me at: RecruitingInsider.Mark@gmail.com