Student-athletes must register with the NCAA Eligibility Center to be eligible to play NCAA Division I or II sports in college. Athletes playing in Division III do not have to register.
The NCAA recommends that student-athletes register at the beginning of their junior year in high school, but many students register after their junior year. There is no registration deadline, but students must be cleared by the Eligibility Center before they receive athletic scholarships or compete at a Division I or II institution.
Students must register online at the NCAA Eligibility Center. They will have to enter personal information, answer questions about their course work and sports participation outside of high school and pay a registration fee.
Students who have received a waiver for the SAT or ACT are eligible for a waiver of the registration fee. The student’s counselor must submit confirmation of the student’s test fee waiver. Go to the NCAA Eligibility Center High School Portal for more information.
Students should arrange to have you send their high school transcript as soon as they have completed at least six semesters of high school. The transcript must be mailed directly from their high school. They must also arrange to have their SAT or ACT test scores reported directly by the testing company to the Eligibility Center. Students can arrange this when they register for the tests. You are responsible for sending in students’ final transcripts and proof of graduation at the end of their senior year.
To play sports at an NCAA Division I or II institution, the student must:
- Complete a certain number of high school core courses (defined below).
- Earn a certain minimum grade point average in these core courses.
- Earn a certain minimum score on the SAT or ACT.
- Graduate from high school.
