The NCAA Eligibility Center verifies the academic and amateur status of all student-athletes who wish to compete in Division I or II athletics.
College-bound student-athletes who want to practice, compete and receive athletically related financial aid during their first year at a Division I or II school need to meet the following requirements:
- Graduate from high school.
- Complete a minimum of 16 core courses for Division I or II.
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| Division I: 16 Core Courses |
Division II: 16 Core Courses |
| 4 years of English |
3 years of English |
| 3 years of math (algebra 1 or higher level) |
2 years of math (algebra 1 or higher level) |
| 2 years of natural or physical science (including one year of lab science if offered) |
2 years of natural or physical science (including one year of lab science if offered) |
| 1 extra year of English, math, or science |
3 extra years of English, math, or science |
| 2 years of social science |
2 years of social science |
| 4 years of additional core courses (from any category above, or in a foreign language, nondoctrinal religion or philosophy) |
4 years of additional core courses (from any category above, or in a foreign language, nondoctrinal religion or philosophy)
|
- Earn a minimum required grade-point average in core courses.
- Earn a qualifying test score on either the ACT or SAT.
- Request final amateurism certification from the NCAA Eligibility Center.
For Division I student-athletes, the following must be completed in addition to the above standards:
- Earn at least a 2.3 grade-point average in core courses.
- Meet an increased sliding-scale standard (for example, an SAT score of 820 requires a 2.5 high school core course GPA)
- Successfully complete 10 of the 16 total required core courses before the start of their seventh semester in high school. Seven of the 10 courses must be successfully completed in English, math and science.
Students who earn at least a 2.0 GPA and meet the current sliding-scale standard will be eligible for practice in the first term and athletically related financial aid the entire year, but not competition. Freshmen who are academically successful in the first term will earn the ability to continue to practice for the remainder of the year.
Division III colleges and universities set their own admission standards. The NCAA does not set initial-eligibility requirements in Division III.
For more detail about academic requirements visit the Eligibility Center.
For more details about the Eligibility Center’s response to COVID-19, click here.
