Athlete's Process for Competing in Collegiate Sports
Collegiate Athletics
MANY STUDENTS ARE INTERESTED IN PLAYING SPORTS IN COLLEGE
For some programs, colleges may actively recruit and potentially award financial scholarships for students to attend their colleges (typically NCAA D1 and D2 sports), and for others, students may initiate involvement with particular sports during the colleges search process or when attending that college. We recommend that all interested athletes visit the college's athletic facilities during a campus visit to learn about their sports and recruiting processes.
There are rules and regulations to follow for students wishing to be recruited, and we recommend that interested students visit the NCAA Eligibility Center (download the most recent Eligibility Guide) and the NAIA Eligibility Center to learn the details.
Many schools offer Club Sports and intramural team competitions, and we recommend that all students check these out at the colleges where they intend to apply. Even if a college participates in an NCAA or NAIA league, they may have opportunities for students to play the same sports in a less competitive scenario through their club or intramural programs.
The Recruiting Process
The Application/Recruiting Process
1) Register with the NCAA
• Register with the NCAA Eligibility Center
• Click here for detailed instructions on how to register
2) TAKE NCAA CORE COURSES
• Find your high school's list of approved courses using code 053218 to ensure you are taking the right ones
4) Complete your college applications
5) Apply and be accepted to an NCAA SCHOOL
6) Complete the FAFSA - the sooner you fill this out the better.
7) Request Amateurism Certification
• Complete all questions & pay fee
• To receive certification, you must be on DI or DII Institutional Request List
5) Apply and be accepted to an NCAA SCHOOL
6) Complete the FAFSA - the sooner you fill this out the better.
7) Request Amateurism Certification
• Complete all questions & pay fee
• To receive certification, you must be on DI or DII Institutional Request List
8) Send final documents
• Final official transcript
• Proof of graduation
• Final official transcript
• Proof of graduation
9) You get to sign your acceptance letter
Account Types
Type 1) Free Profile: For students interested in Division III schools or who are not sure in which division they would like to compete. This account can transition to the second type at any time. Do not create a new account to request certification. Students can create this profile as early as sophomore year.
Type 2) Paid Certification Account: Students create and pay for this account, or transition their free NCAA profile by upgrading to a paid certification account. They complete all the tasks to apply for an 'amateurism certification' by the NCAA. College-bound student-athletes who meet Division I and II academic and amateurism requirements receive amateurism certification. Students must have a complete Certification Account in order to take official visits (paid for by the school) or to sign a National Letter of Intent (NLI). The fee for domestic students is $100.
The NCAA does not perform academic certifications for Division III-bound student-athletes. Each Division III school determines its own eligibility for admission, financial aid, and competition.
Proactive Student Actions
- Contact the recruiting coach to let them know you are interested in the school
- Let the recruiting coach know when you will be on campus to see if you can schedule an unofficial visit
- Send the recruiting coach information about your sports performance
- Share your NCAA ID number with recruiting coaches (this is located in the top-right corner of your EC account)
Recruiting Vocabulary
Amateurism certification: The NCAA process that evaluates prospective student-athletes to ensure they meet Division I and II amateur requirements.
College Visit: There are two types of college visits.
Official College Visit: (paid for by the college) before an official visit to a Division I or II school, students must send their high school transcript to the NCAA and register for a Paid Certification Account with the NCAA Eligibility Center.
Unofficial College Visit: (paid for by the student or legal guardians) there isn’t a limit on the number of unofficial visits a student may make after the first permissible date in each sport. Students should check recruiting shutdowns and dead periods when scheduling visits if they want to interact with coaches.
Division I Alternative standards:
Early Academic Qualifier: This term refers to high school students who meet specific criteria after six semesters of high school.
Qualifier: The term for prospective student-athletes who meet qualifier standards and may practice, compete, and receive an athletic scholarship during freshman year.
Academic Redshirt: The term for prospective student-athletes who do not necessarily meet academic criteria but may practice and receive an athletics scholarship, may not compete, and must meet academic requirements during freshman year.
Nonqualifier:Students who will not be able to practice, compete, or receive an athletics scholarship during freshman year.
Division II Alternative Standards:
Early Academic Qualifier: This term refers to high school students who meet specific criteria after six semesters of high school.
Qualifier: The term for prospective student-athletes who meet qualifier standards and may practice, compete, and receive an athletic scholarship during freshman year.
Partial Qualifier: The term for prospective student-athletes who may practice and receive an athletics scholarship but may not compete during freshman year.
Division III Standards: Each Division III school determines its own eligibility for admission, financial aid, and competition.
Institutional Request List (IRL): A list of college-bound student-athletes an NCAA Division I or II school is interested in recruiting
Name, Image, Likeness (NIL): Recent reforms in both the NAIA and NCAA allow student-athletes to be compensated for use of their name, image, and likeness.
National Letter of Intent (NLI): signing an NLI commits the student to attending a specific Division I or II school for one academic year. This voluntary signature ends the recruiting process.
NAIA: Stands for the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletes. This association of small North American colleges and universities evaluates student eligibility to receive athletic financial aid and compete in the 27 national championships it sponsors.
NCAA: Stands for the National Collegiate Athletic Association. This nonprofit organization regulates student athletics in American, Canadian, and Puerto Rican schools. It adopts and enforces rules for categorizing teams into competitive divisions, upper and lower limits for athletic scholarships, and creates an equitable recruiting environment.
NCAA core courses requirements: the minimum course requirements for college-bound student-athletes.
NCAA Eligibility Center: A part of the NCAA that evaluates and certifies that college-bound student-athletes are eligible to compete at Division I and II schools.
NCAA Eligibility Center account types: See the Recruiting Process tab.
NCAA ID: this is an identification number unique to the NCAA that is created for you once you create an Eligibility Center account. Division I and II coaches use this number to add students to their Institutional Request List during recruiting.
Recruiting calendar: Since NCAA member schools limit recruiting to certain periods during the year, each sport has a schedule of when a coach can initiate contact (Contact Period), can initiate limited contact (Quiet Period), and can not initiate contact (Dead Period) with a prospective student-athlete.
FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What happens if I become injured and can't play?
Answer: The coach and the athletic department determine whether a student will retain an athletic scholarship when injured.
2. How much time do student-athletes commit to their sport and sport-related activities?
Answer: Being a student-athlete is like having a part-time job. Typically students spend 30-40 hours per week practicing, playing, fundraising, and other activities.
