one opportunity.
limitless Possibilities.
If you want to play sports at an NCAA Division I or II school, start by registering for a Certification
Account with the NCAA Eligibility Center at eligibilitycenter.org. If you want to play Division III sports
or you aren’t sure where you want to compete, start by creating a Profile Page at eligibilitycenter.org.
ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS
To play sports at a Division I or II school, you must graduate from high school, complete 16 NCAA-approved
core courses, earn a minimum GPA and earn an ACT or SAT score that matches your core-course GPA.
CORE COURSES
Visit eligibilitycenter.org/courselist for a full list of your high school’s approved core courses.
Complete 16 core courses in the following areas:
D ivision i
Complete 10 NCAA core courses, including seven in English, math or natural/physical science, before your seventh semester.
ENGLISH
4 years
ADDITIONAL
COURSES
NATURAL/
PHYSICAL
SCIENCE ADDITIONAL SOCIAL
SCIENCE (Any area listed
to the left, foreign
language or
comparative
religion/philosophy)
3 years 2 years 1 year 2 years 4 years
MATH NATURAL/
PHYSICAL
SCIENCE ADDITIONAL SOCIAL
SCIENCE (Any area listed
to the left, foreign
language or
comparative
religion/philosophy)
2 years 3 years 2 years 4 years
MATH
(Algebra I
or higher)
(Including one
year of lab,
if offered)
(English, math or
natural/physical
science)
D ivision iI
ENGLISH
3 years
(Algebra I
or higher)
2 years
(Including one
year of lab,
if offered)
(English, math or
natural/physical
science)
ADDITIONAL
COURSES
GRADE-POINT AVERAGE TEST SCORES
The NCAA Eligibility Center calculates your grade-point
average (GPA) based on the grades you earn in
NCAA-approved core courses.
• DI requires a minimum 2.3 GPA.
• DII requires a minimum 2.2 GPA. Take the ACT or SAT as many times as you want before
you enroll full time in college, but remember to list the
NCAA Eligibility Center (code 9999) as a score recipient
whenever you register to take a test. If you take a test more
than once, send us all your scores and we will use the best
scores from each test section to create your sum score. We
accept official scores only from the ACT or SAT, and won’t
use scores shown on your high school transcript.
SLIDING SCALE
Divisions I and II use sliding scales to match test scores and
GPAs to determine eligibility. The sliding scale balances your
test score with your GPA. If you have a low test score, you need
a higher GPA to be eligible. Find more information about sliding
scales at ncaa.org/student-athletes/future/test-scores.
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THE GATE | MARCH 2019