Becoming a College Athlete
If you want to become a student-athlete, you must first take care of your academic responsibilities. In addition to athletic skill, student-athletes need to meet academic qualifications established by the athletic eligibility center to which the college belongs, either the NCAA or the NAIA.
You must register with the eligibility center and meet all the established requirements in order to be considered for athletics in an NCAA or NAIA college.
- Register at the end of your 11th grade year.
- When you take your ACT or SAT test, have your scores forwarded directly from the testing service to the eligibility center:
The NCAA code is 9999
The NAIA code is 9876
- You will need to send a final, official high school transcript to the association.
Visit the athletic association websites to find what schools offer your sport, eligibility information, answers to frequently asked questions, etc.
| Frequently Asked Questions | NCAA National Collegiate Athletic Association | NAIA National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics |
|---|---|---|
| Website | www.ncaa.org | www.naia.org |
| Where can I get more information? | www.eligibilitycenter.org | www.playnaia.org |
| What are the academic requirements for approval? | High school graduation, plus:
| High school graduation, plus two out of three of these requirements:
|
| Is there a fee to register? | Yes, fee waivers are available for low-income families | Yes, fee waivers are available for low-income families |
Portola High School's list of NCAA-approved courses is pending approval. Once it is approved, courses will be available at www.ncaaclearinghouse.net
NCAA Division I Requirements
To participate in Division I athletics or receive an athletic scholarship during the 1st year of college, a student-athlete must:
- Graduate from high school
- Complete a 16 core course requirement in 8 semesters. Complete at least 10 of the required 16 core courses prior to the beginning of the 7th semester of high school.
DIVISION I: 16 Core-Course Rule
- 4 years of English
- 3 years of mathematics (Math I or higher)
- 2 years of natural/physical science (1 year of lab if offered by high school)
- 1 year of additional English, mathematics or natural/physical science
- 2 years of social science
- 4 years of additional courses (from any subject area above, or foreign language or nondoctrinal religion/philosophy)
- Earn a minimum required grade point average of 2.3 in core courses.
- Earn a combined SAT or ACT score that matches the core course grade point average and test-score sliding scale (Example: A 3.000 core course GPA needs at least a 620 SAT). Visit the NCAA quick reference guide website (see website above).
NCAA Division II Requirements
If you enroll in a Division II college and want to participate in athletics or receive an athletic scholarship during your first year, you must:
- Graduate from high school
- Complete a 16 core course requirement in 8 semesters.
DIVISION II 16 Core-Course Rule
- 3 years of English.
- 2 years of mathematics (Math I or higher).
- 2 years of natural/physical science (1 year of lab if offered by high school).
- 2 years of additional English, mathematics or natural/physical science.
- 2 years of social science.
- 3 years of additional courses (from any subject area above, or foreign language or nondoctrinal religion/philosophy).
- Earn a 2.000 Grade Point average or better in your core courses.
- Earn a combined SAT score of 820 (reading and math combined) or ACT composite score of 68 (all four scores combined).