Academics
Every year there are critical steps that must be followed to ensure your student-athlete can accept their scholarship and play with their class their freshman year of college. If you wait until their junior year, there is too 
much pressure on the athlete to ensure they fulfill all the requirements. Additionally, with the standards that are placed on college athletics with success in the classroom, coaches are now recruiting the players that they see are already in route to being qualified and will ensure success at the college level. Kids who “might make it” are no longer being recruited.
Here are a few excerpts from our Parent NCAA Eligibility Seminar that’s offered during our 2-day Camp:
1. Seminar is free to one parent/guardian if their child is attending the 2-day camp
2. Seminar is $45/person otherwise
ACT/SAT Testing:
Students should begin testing for the ACT and SAT in the spring of their junior year. They should take each test at least once prior to the end of their junior year and send their scores to the NCAA Initial Eligibility Center. The schools of their choice can be sent the test scores at a later date.
If the student has an IEP, make sure their IEP is current (3 years old) and apply for extended time in the fall of their junior year, this way they will be approved for accommodations by the spring.
NCAA Initial Eligibility Center:
Regardless of skill level, every D1 and D2 athlete must be cleared by the initial eligibility center. D3, Ivy League and NAIA have different rules. Eligibility is based in 16 core classes and test scores. If they are not qualified within 4 years of high school, the student-athlete will be unable to accept a scholarship, regardless of how skilled the player is. Being cleared by the NCAA does not ensure acceptance to a college or university.
Sliding Scale is the combination of test scores and GPA’s that determine eligibility status of the athlete. This scale is only used for Division I. Division II has a different set of rules, core classes, and test scores.
There are a plethora of rules and criteria that must be completed in order to be eligible to be a D1 or D2 athlete. Without completing everything correctly, your son will have to give back their scholarship, regardless of how talented they are.
Classes that are accepted by the NCAA for each school can be found on the schools 48-H form. It is a combination of these approved classes that determine the core GPA. Classes such as weight training, PE, Art, Music, are not accepted classes.
