NCAA & NAIA

Interested in continuing to be a student-athlete in college? Be sure to register with the appropriate organization to clear your academic eligibility. There are two governing organizations that determine eligibility for college student-athletes; NCAA and NAIA. Where you will go to college and the division under which that school falls determines the organization with which you will need to register and the eligibility criteria you will need to meet.

 

For student-athletes navigating the maze of college options, school size matters a lot more than just how big your classes are and how many students are on campus. School size also typically determines which athletic division a school falls in – which will directly impact the type of athletic experience you could have at that school.

 

And that’s why every student-athlete ought to know the difference between the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) before deciding which school they would like to attend. NCAA schools often fall on the larger end of the spectrum, at least when it comes to Division I athletics. NCAA Division II and III and NAIA colleges and universities generally have much smaller student bodies.

When you think of college athletics, often it’s the NCAA (Div I, Div II etc.) that comes to mind. The NCAA is comprised of approximately 460,000 student-athletes at more than 1,200 schools, conferences and affiliate organizations, all vying to compete in one of 89 championship events under the NCAA umbrella. And as any fan of “March Madness” or college bowl games knows, Div I schools are the top-tier, most competitive schools (Hello Notre Dame, Penn State, Georgia, Kentucky, UNC, Harvard and BU). Larger schools typically have D-I athletics teams – but not always. School size is not actually an end-all factor in determining the Division, more often it’s the size of the school’s athletic budget to attract top athletes, which explains why larger schools with bigger budgets often end up in the top division.



The NAIA is a much smaller association of schools than the NCAA. In fact, if you’re from the East coast, it’s likely you’ve never even heard of it. But the NAIA is a formidable association, including more than 260 colleges and universities and representing 60,000 student-athletes. The NAIA also oversees 23 national championships in 13 different sports. And while the overall level of competition isn’t what you would find at D-I schools from which the majority of pro athletes hail, NAIA sports are generally considered to be on par with NCAA Division II schools.

 

Resource: http://connect.fisher.edu/naia-v-ncaa-whats-the-difference

 

 

Not sure if your school is in the NCAA or what division it is? Check here

http://www.ncaa.org/about/who-we-are/search-school

 

To create your NCAA Account, use the following link to get started.

https://web3.ncaa.org/ecwr3/

 

Guidelines for meeting NCAA eligibility

Freshmen and Sophomores

• Start planning now!

• Work hard to earn the best grades possible.

• Serrano has a List of NCAA Courses. Take classes that match our high school’s List of NCAA Courses. The NCAA Eligibility Center will use only approved core courses to certify your initial academic eligibility.

• At the beginning of your sophomore year, complete your online registration at https://web3.ncaa.org/ecwr3/

• Maintain A's, B's and C's in all academic classes (watch your GPA)

• Take academic core courses to prepare you for a 4 year college (Required16 for Division I and II Colleges).

• Division I= 4 yrs. English, 3 yrs. Math,2 yrs. Science (1 yr. lab) 1 yr. extra from first 3 areas, 2 yrs. Social Science 4 yrs. extra  (English, Math, Science, Social Science, or Foreign Lang.)

• If you fall behind, do not take short cuts to recover credits. Classes you take must be four-year college preparatory and meet NCAA requirements to be used for initial academic eligibility.

Juniors

• Maintain A's, B's and C's in all academic classes (watch your GPA)

• Take academic core courses to prepare you for a 4 year college. Double check to make sure the courses you have taken match BHS’s List of NCAA Courses. (Required 16 for Division I and II Colleges).

• Division I= 4 yrs. English, 3 yrs. Math, 2 yrs. Science, 1 yr. extra from first 3 areas, 2 yrs. Social Science 4 yrs. extra  (English, Math, Science, Social Science, or Foreign Lang.)

• Register to take the SAT, ACT, or both and use the NCAA Eligibility Center code “9999” to send your scores to the Eligibility Center. Students must send their scores directly to the Eligibility Center.

• Register with the NCAA Eligibility Center at https://web3.ncaa.org/ecwr3/. Counselors will send an official transcript to the NCAA Eligibility Center after completing your junior year. If you have attended more than one high school, the NCAA Eligibility Center will need official transcripts from all high schools attended.

• Attend NCAA Parent Information Night in November to get detailed information.

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

Seniors

• Maintain A's, B's and C's in all academic classes and continue to earn the best grades possible. Watch your GPA!

• Take academic core courses to prepare you for a 4 year college. Double check to make sure the courses you have taken match BHS’s List of NCAA Courses. (Required 16 for Division I and II Colleges).

  • Division I= 4 yrs. English, 3 yrs. Math, 2 yrs. Science, 1 yr. extra from first 3 areas, 2 yrs. Social Science 4 yrs. extra  (English, Math, Science, Social Science, or Foreign Lang.)

• Take the SAT or ACT again if necessary. The NCAA Eligibility Center will use the best scores from each section of the ACT or SAT to determine your best cumulative score. Students must send their scores directly to the Eligibility Center.

• Check to make sure you are qualified (Proper GPA and SAT/ACT scores, and the correct # of core courses)

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

• After graduation, make sure transcripts have been sent to the Eligibility Center. 

An entering freshman must:

• Be a graduate of an accredited high school or be accepted as a regular student in good standing as defined by the enrolling institution and

• Meet two of the three following requirements

  • Minimum high school GPA of 2.0

  • Minimum SAT combined score of 940 or ACT composite score of 16

  • Graduate in the top 50% of your class

 

Create your student-athlete account by accessing the eligibility center:

http://www.playnaia.com/psaRegister.php