Section 4.
REQUIREMENTS FOR ATHLETIC ELIGIBILITY The following rules shall be used to determine a student-athlete ' s eligibility for athletic competition in any one of the certified sports of the NJCAA. THIS ENTIRE SECTION MUST BE READ BEFORE A STUDENT-ATHLETE ' S ELIGIBILITY STATUS CAN BE DETERMINED. A. Student-athletes must be making satisfactory progress within an approved college program or course as listed in the college catalog. B. Student-athletes must be enrolled in full-time status using any combination of sessions within a term, and in classes that begin before the end of the regular sport season in which the student-athletes choose to participate, within 15 calendar days from the beginning of the term. 1. Student-athletes that do not conform to this rule will be ineligible for the remainder of the term.
C. Student-athletes must maintain enrollment in 12 or more credit hours of college work as listed in the college catalog during each term of athletic participation. Student-athletes that drop below 12 hours become ineligible 48 hours from the time of the drop date and remain ineligible until full-time status is regained within that term.
1. CLEP hours may not be used to meet enrollment requirements or previous term requirements. CLEP hours may only be used to meet accumulation bylaws.
2. Student-athlete enrollment should be verified 24 hours prior to National Championship / Bowl competition; if a student-athlete has maintained and currently is enrolled full-time 24 hours prior to National Championship / Bowl competition he / she will remain eligible throughout the National / Bowl Competition.
QUARTER ELIGIBILITY D. On or before the 15th calendar day from the beginning date of the term for the second full-time quarter, as published in the college catalog, a student-athlete must have passed 12 quarter hours with a 1.75 GPA or higher.
F.
E.
On or before the 15th calendar day from the beginning date of the term for the third full-time quarter, and all subsequent quarters thereafter, as published in the college catalog, a student-athlete must satisfy one of the following four requirements to be eligible for the upcoming quarter:
1. Pass a minimum of 12 quarter hours with a 2.00 GPA or higher during the previous quarter of full-time enrollment, OR
2. Pass an accumulation of quarter hours equal to 12 multiplied by the number of quarters in which the student-athlete was previously enrolled full-time with a GPA of 2.00 or higher,
OR
3. A first season participant must have passed a minimum accumulation of 36 credit hours with a 2.00 GPA or higher for the initial term of participation, regardless of previous term or other accumulation requirements( NOTE: This only establishes eligibility for the initial term, not subsequent terms),
OR
4. A first or second season participant must have passed a minimum accumulation of 54 credit hours for a fall sport, 63 credit hours for a winter sport, 72 credit hours for a spring sport, with a 2.00 GPA or higher, regardless of previous term or other accumulation requirement. A student-athlete who uses 4. E. 4 to attain eligibility, must also meet the requirements of 4. E. 1 or 4. E. 2 in all subsequent terms of full-time enrollment. Prior to the second season of participation in an NJCAA certified sport, student-athletes must pass a minimum of 36 quarter hours with a 2.00 GPA or higher. If the student-athlete has been enrolled in two( 2) quarter terms or less, the second season requirement becomes 28 quarter hours with a 2.00 GPA or higher.( This is in addition to satisfying 4. D or 4. E.) NOTE: All quarters attempted beyond 15 calendar days will count, whether full-time or not, excluding summer session.
SEMESTER ELIGIBILITY D. On or before the 15th calendar day from the beginning date of the term for the second full-time semester, as published in the college catalog, a student-athlete must have passed 12 semester hours with a 1.75 GPA or higher.
E.
On or before the 15th calendar day from the beginning date of the term for the third full-time semester, and all subsequent semesters thereafter, as published in the college catalog, a student-athlete must satisfy one of the following four requirements to be eligible for the upcoming term: 1. Pass a minimum of 12 semester hours with a 2.00 GPA or higher during the previous semester of full-time enrollment,
OR 2. Pass an accumulation of semester hours equal to 12 multiplied by the number of semesters in which the student-athlete was previously enrolled full-time with a GPA of 2.00 or higher, OR
3. A first season participant must have passed a minimum accumulation of 24 credit hours with a 2.00 GPA or higher for the initial term of participation, regardless of previous term or other accumulation requirements( NOTE: This only establishes eligibility for the initial term, not subsequent terms.),
OR 4. A first or second season participant must have passed a minimum accumulation of 36 credit hours for a fall sport, 48 credit hours for a spring sport, with a 2.00 GPA or higher, regardless of previous term or other accumulation requirement. A student-athlete who uses 4. E. 4 to attain eligibility, must also meet the requirements of 4. E. 1 or 4. E. 2 in all subsequent terms of full-time enrollment.
F. Prior to a second season of participation in an NJCAA certified sport, student-athletes must pass a minimum accumulation of 24 semester hours with a 2.00 GPA or higher.( This is in addition to satisfying 4. D or 4. E.)
G. Student-athletes must be enrolled full-time( 12 or more credits) at the college where they have chosen to participate when the regular season schedule of a sport begins. Student-athletes not enrolled during the term when the season begins remain ineligible throughout the season schedule unless they enroll on the first possible enrollment date following: 1. Their release from Active Armed Services of the United States with a discharge other than dishonorable. 2. Their return from a religious mission. 3. Their graduation from a high school or receipt of an equivalency diploma.
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