If you are the parent or legal guardian of a potential student-athlete, please pay special attention to the amateurism and academic eligibility and Eligibility Center sections.

 

 

NCAA Eligibility Center Registration: Transcript and Test Score Submissions

It is best for your son or daughter to register with the Eligibility Center at the beginning of his or her junior year. Once registered, your son or daughter must ask the high school counselor or registrar to send his or her academic transcripts to the Eligibility Center.

 

ACT or SAT score(s) also must be submitted to the NCAA. Your son or daughter must list the NCAA Eligibility Center as a separate recipient of his or her ACT or SAT scores when he or she takes the test. The test scores must come directly from SAT or ACT. The Eligibility Center will not accept test scores reported on the high school transcript. The Eligibility Center will typically review your son's or daughter's high school record and send a preliminary report to him or her, with notification of any missing requirements. A final report may be issued once your son's or daughter's high school submits a final transcript showing high school graduation. Please call the NCAA Eligibility Center at 877-262-1492 if you have any questions.

 

You may check the NCAA Web site at NCAA Approved Courses to make sure your son or daughter is taking approved courses. A list of core courses should have been submitted to the NCAA by your son or daughter's high school. Check your son or daughter's schedule before each year in high school to make certain that he or she is taking the required courses. NCAA colleges may obtain information from the Eligibility Center about your son or daughter's status and progress only if his or her information is specifically requested by that college.

 

If your son or daughter is academically eligible to participate in intercollegiate athletics and is accepted as a full-time student at a Division I or II school, he or she may receive athletics based financial aid from the school. Division I or II financial aid may include tuition and fees, room and board, and books. Division III institutions do not award financial aid based on athletics ability. A Division III college may award need-based or academically related financial aid.

 

A non-qualifier may receive only need-based financial aid (aid unrelated to athletics). A non-qualifier also may receive non-athletics aid from private sources or government programs (such as Pell grants). The college financial aid office can provide further information.

 

It is important to understand several points about athletics scholarships from Divisions I and II schools:

• All athletic scholarships awarded by NCAA institutions are limited to one year and are renewable annually. There is no such award as a four-year athletic scholarship.
• Athletic scholarships may be renewed annually for a maximum of five years within a six-year period of continuous college attendance. Athletic aid may be canceled or reduced at the end of each year for any reason.
• Athletic scholarships are awarded in a variety of amounts, ranging from full scholarships (including tuition, fees, room and board, and books) to very small scholarships (e.g., books only).
• The total amount of financial aid a student-athlete may receive and the total amount of athletics aid a team may receive can be limited. These limits can affect whether a student-athlete may accept additional financial aid from other sources. Ask financial aid officials at the college or university about any other financial aid your son or daughter might be eligible to receive, and how this aid impacts his or her athletics aid limit. You must inform the college financial aid office about scholarships received from all sources, such as local civic or booster clubs.

 

An athletic scholarship is a tremendous benefit to most families, but you should also have a plan to pay for college costs that are not covered by a scholarship (such as travel between home and school). You should also consider how you will finance your son's or daughter's education if the athletics scholarship is reduced or canceled.

 

The National Letter of Intent (NLI) is a voluntary program administered by the Collegiate Commissioners Association, not by the NCAA. By signing an NLI, your son or daughter agrees to attend the institution for one academic year. In exchange, that institution must provide athletics financial aid for one academic year. Restrictions are contained in the NLI itself. Read them carefully. These restrictions may affect your son or daughter's eligibility. If you have questions about the National Letter of Intent, visit the NLI Web site at www.nationalletter.org or call 317-223-0706.

 

During high school, your son or daughter might be contacted by an agent who is interested in representing your son or daughter in contract negotiations or for commercial endorsements. Some agents may not identify themselves as agents, but may simply say they are interested in your son or daughter's general welfare and athletics career. They may offer gifts or other benefits to you and your family. NCAA rules do not prevent meetings or discussions with an agent. However, your son or daughter will jeopardize his or her eligibility in a sport if he or she agrees, verbally or in writing, to be represented by an agent while attending high school or college, regardless of whether the agreement becomes effective immediately or after his or her last season of college eligibility. Your son or daughter will also endanger his or her college athletics eligibility if he or she, or your family, accepts benefits or gifts from an agent. If an individual contacts your son or daughter about marketing his or her athletics ability, be careful. If you have concerns, contact your high school coach, director of athletics or the NCAA.

 

During high school, your family might be contacted by a scouting/recruiting service. The NCAA does not sanction or endorse any of these services. Remember, a scouting/recruiting service cannot base its fee on the amount of a student's college scholarship. For example, it is impermissible for a recruiting/scouting service to offer a money-back guarantee. If you have any questions, please call the NCAA.

 

After your son or daughter completes high school eligibility, but before graduating, he or she may participate in two high school all-star football or basketball contests in each sport. If you have any questions, please call the NCAA.

 

If your son or daughter transfers from a two-year or four-year college to an NCAA school, he or she must meet certain requirements before being eligible for practice, competition or financial aid at that college. Order the NCAA Transfer Guide by calling 888-388-9748 or download it from the NCAA Web site at www.ncaa.org. Call the NCAA at 317-917-6222 if you have questions about transfer requirements.