National Requirements to Compete in College Athletics

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The National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA, was established in 1906 and serves as the athletics governing body for more than 1,280 colleges, universities, conferences, and organizations.  The national office  is in Indianapolis, Indiana but member colleges and universities develop the rules and guidelines for athletics eligibility and athletics competition for each of the here NCAA divisions.  The NCAA is committed to the student-athlete and to governing competition in a fair, safe, inclusive and sportsmanlike manner.

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                                      Eligibility Center Contact Information                                     

NCAA Eligibility Center:

Certification Processing

PO Box 7136

Indianapolis, IN 46207-7136

(877) 262-1492

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Core Courses:

• NCAA Division I and Division II currently require 16 core courses.

• Beginning August 1, 2016, NCAA Division I will require 10 core courses to be completed prior to the seventh semester of high school.  Also a minimum core course GPA of 2.300 is required for competition.

Test Scores:

• Division I has a sliding scale for test score and grade-point average.

• Division II has a minimum SAT score requirement of 820 or an ACT sum score of 68.

• The SAT score used for NCAA purposes includes only the critical reading and math sections.  The writing section of the SAT is not used.

• The ACT score used for NCAA purposes is a sum of the four sections on the ACT: English, mathematics, reading and science.

• All SAT and ACT scores must be reported directly to the NCAA Eligibility Center by the testing agency.  Test scores that appear on transcripts will not be used.  When registering for the SAT or ACT, use the Eligibility Center code of 9999 to make sure the score s reported to the Eligibility Center.

Grade-Point Average:

• Only core courses are used in the calculation of the Grade Point Average.

• Be sure to look at your high school’s list of NCAA approved core courses on the Eligibility Center’s website to make certain that courses being taken have been approved as core courses. 

• The Division II grade-point average requirement is a minimum of 2.000.

Division I – 16 Core-Course Rule: 16 core courses (4 English, 3 math (Algebra I or higher), 2 natural/physical science (1 lab), 1 year additional English, math or natural/physical science, 2 social science, 4 years additional courses (core area or foreign language, nondoctrinal religion or philosophy)

Division II – 16 Core-Course Rule: 16 core courses (3 English, 2 math (Algebra I or higher), 2 natural/physical science, 3 additional English, math, natural/physical science, 2 social science), 4 additional courses (core area or foreign language, or nondoctrinal religion or philosophy)