NCAA Information

THE NATIONAL COLLEGIATE ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION (NCAA)

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a voluntary, non-profit organization through which the nation’s colleges and universities govern their athletics programs. It is comprised of more than 1,260 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals committed to the best interests, education and athletics participation of student-athletes.

In 1973, the Association’s membership was divided into three legislative and competitive divisions–Divisions I, II, and III. Five years later, Division I members voted to create subdivisions I-A and I-AA (subsequently renamed the Football Bowl Subdivision and the Football Championship Subdivision) in football. The most notable difference among the three divisions is that institutions in Divisions I and II may offer athletics scholarships, while Division III schools do not offer athletics scholarships.

The core values of the NCAA are:

To help students keep a good balance between, sports, education and social life.
To keep up the highest levels of integrity and sportsmanship.
To help students achieve excellence in both sports and academics.
To make sure student-athletes from all backgrounds have opportunities to participate.

What is the difference between Divisions I, II and III?

Division I

Division I member institutions have to sponsor at least seven sports for men and seven for women (or six for men and eight for women) with two team sports for each gender. Each playing season has to be represented by each gender as well. There are contest and participant minimums for each sport, as well as scheduling criteria. For sports other than football and basketball, Division I schools must play 100 percent of the minimum number of contests against Division I opponents — anything over the minimum number of games has to be 50 percent Division I. Men’s and women’s basketball teams have to play all but two games against Division I teams; for men, they must play one-third of all their contests in the home arena. Schools that have football are classified as Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) or NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA). Football Bowl Subdivision schools are usually fairly elaborate programs. Football Bowl Subdivision teams have to meet minimum attendance requirements (average 15,000 people in actual or paid attendance per home game), which must be met once in a rolling two-year period. NCAA Football Championship Subdivision teams do not need to meet minimum attendance requirements. Division I schools must meet minimum financial aid awards for their athletics program, and there are maximum financial aid awards for each sport that a Division I school cannot exceed.

Division II

Division II institutions have to sponsor at least five sports for men and five for women, (or four for men and six for women), with two team sports for each gender, and each playing season represented by each gender. There are contest and participant minimums for each sport, as well as scheduling criteria — football and men’s and women’s basketball teams must play at least 50 percent of their games against Division II or Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) or Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) opponents. For sports other than football and basketball there are no scheduling requirements. There are not attendance requirements for football, or arena game requirements for basketball. There are maximum financial aid awards for each sport that a Division II school must not exceed. Division II teams usually feature a number of local or in-state student-athletes. Many Division II student-athletes pay for school through a combination of scholarship money, grants, student loans and employment earnings. Division II athletics programs are financed in the institution’s budget like other academic departments on campus. Traditional rivalries with regional institutions dominate schedules of many Division II athletics programs.

Division III

Division III institutions have to sponsor at least five sports for men and five for women, with two team sports for each gender, and each playing season represented by each gender. There are minimum contest and participant minimums for each sport. Division III athletics features student-athletes who receive no financial aid related to their athletic ability and athletic departments are staffed and funded like any other department in the university. Division III athletics departments place special importance on the impact of athletics on the participants rather than on the spectators. The student-athlete’s experience is of paramount concern. Division III athletics encourages participation by maximizing the number and variety of athletics opportunities available to students, placing primary emphasis on regional in-season and conference competition.

The NCAA Clearinghouse

The clearinghouse is not the NCAA, but an organization that performs services related to initial eligibility for the NCAA. The clearinghouse evaluates your academic record to determine if you are eligible to participate at a Division I or II college* as a freshman student-athlete.

*Note: Division III college-bound student-athletes are not certified by the Eligibility Center because Division III colleges and universities each set their own admissions standards and there are no initial eligibility requirements in the division. College-bound student-athletes should contact their Division III college or university regarding policies on admission, financial aid and athletics eligibility.

Does a student have to register with the clearinghouse? Yes. If s/he wants to participate in Division I or Division II athletics as a freshman, s/he must register with the clearinghouse.

When is the best time to register with the clearinghouse? Register after your junior year in high school. Fill out the online form at the Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse website: https://web1.ncaa.org/eligibilitycenter/common/

When you register, a transcript, which includes six semesters of grades, should be sent to the clearinghouse from the high school. Additionally, students should have their SAT or ACT test scores forwarded directly to the clearinghouse whenever they take the exam. When you register to take the SAT or ACT, mark code “9999″ so that the testing agency will send your scores to the clearinghouse. The clearinghouse may also take your scores from your official transcript.

The NCAA Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete has been designed to help you, your family and your high school administrators understand the NCAA initial-eligibility process and to prepare you for transitioning from high school to becoming an NCAA Division I or II student-athlete.

NCAA 2010-11 Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete:

http://www.ncaapublications.com/productdownloads/CB11.pdf

Web address:

www.eligibilitycenter.org

NCAA Eligibility Center contact information:

Document Mailing Address:

NCAA Eligibility Center
Certification Processing

P.O. Box 7136

Indianapolis, IN 46207-7136
Package or overnight delivery:

NCAA Eligibility Center

Certification Processing

1802 Alonzo Watford Sr. Drive