College Athletics

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College Athletics

College Athletics

Many students who participate in high school sports are interested in continuing their athletic participation at the collegiate level. While only a small number of student-athletes can compete at the varsity level in college, it is important to remember that most colleges offer a variety of other ways that students can meet their athletic goals, including club and intramural participation.

Students hoping to participate at the varsity level in college will be looking at either NCAA or NAIA colleges. Athletic scholarships may be offered to students attending NCAA Division I or Division II colleges and NAIA colleges. NCAA Division III colleges do not offer athletic scholarships for participation.

Eligibility:
If you are hoping to be a recruited athlete, it is important to be aware of the restrictions on when athletes can be contacted by coaches and when it is acceptable for you to reach out to college coaches. Additionally, the emphasis on academics is critical. Both NCAA and NAIA require student-athletes to register to determine their academic/ athletic eligibility.


NAIA Requirements:
Students must meet at least two (2) of the following requirements in addition to graduating from high school:
  1. Minimum GPA of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale.
  2. Minimum test score of 18 composite on the ACT or 860 on the SAT (excluding writing section) – They DO NOT superscore.
  3. Graduate in the top 50% of your high school class.
  1. You must submit test scores directly from the testing agencies. Their number is 9876.
  2. Students must submit a transcript after graduation. Only one transcript is needed and should be sent after graduation unless you qualify for an “Early Decision.” To be eligible for an early decision, students must have the minimum test scores and have earned at least a 3.0 GPA after junior year or at least a 2.5 GPA after the first semester of senior year. If you qualify for an early decision, you may send your transcript early, and you will receive an eligibility determination before you graduate from high school.
  3. The registration fee is $70

NCAA Requirements:
  1. The NCAA requirements are a bit more complex because there are different requirements depending upon which division a student hopes to play in during college.
  2. Please look carefully at your specific requirements depending on your year of graduation and your anticipated division of play. (Division 3 does not require eligibility approval for participation.)

Division I:
  1. 16 core classes:
    • 4 English
    • 3 Math
    • 2 Science
    • 1 additional credit in either English, Math, or Science
    • 2 Social Studies
    • 4 additional credits in Core Classes (English, Math, Science, Social Studies, or Foreign Language
    • 10 of the 16 Core Classes must be completed before the start of the senior year (7 of 10 must be in English, Math, and Science) 
  2. Minimum GPA and minimum test scores are based on a sliding scale
  3. Lowest eligible GPA is 2.3
  4. Students with a 2.0 GPA may qualify for an academic redshirt
  5.  
Division II


  1. 16 core classes:
    • 3 English
    • 2 Math
    • 2 Science
    • 3 additional credits in either English, Math, or Science
    • 2 Social Studies
    • 4 Additional years of Core Classes (English, Math, Science, Social Studies, or Foreign Language)
    • 10 of the 16 Core Classes must be completed before the start of the senior year (7 of 10 must be in English, Math, and Science) 
  2. Minimum GPA is 2.0
  3. Lowest eligible GPA is 2.0
  4. Minimum test scores are an ACT sum score of 68 or an SAT sum score of 820


ACT scores used to determine eligibility are the sum of the individual scores (English, math, reading, and science – NOT composite), and the SAT is the sum of the critical reading and math sections. Writing scores are not used. They DO superscore (which means taking the highest scores from each area added together rather than just using the highest from one single testing date.)
 
You must submit test scores directly from the testing agencies. Their number is 9999.
 
Something essential to understand regarding NCAA requirements is that they compute your Core GPA instead of looking at your overall GMHS GPA. Core GPA consists of your core classes ONLY – English, Math, Science, Social Studies, and Foreign Language. Please double-check the list of NCAA-approved courses on the NCAA website, as not all GMHS classes in the core areas are NCAA approved – You can see the list of approved GMHS courses here.

Online classes (such as credit recovery) cannot count for core classes.
 
They will require that you submit your transcript after your junior year and again after you graduate from high school.

Registration fee: $70

Additional NCAA Resources:
NCAA - Want to Play College Sports? - This is a good starting point for students who want to further develop their understanding of the various divisions and requirements.

Please contact your student’s athletic coach or school counselor with any questions.
  
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