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Academics

9th/10 Grade

  • Take a strong academic course load and keep your grades up! College coaches want players they don't have to worry about who can balance academics and athletics. The higher your GPA, the more marketable you will be.

  • Tell your guidance counselor that you are interested in playing a sport in college so they keep NCAA or NAIA course requirements in mind whenever they meet with you.

  • Start your NCAA Worksheet to make sure you are meeting the eligibility requirements. Keep your guidance counselor up to date on your eligibility and ask questions if you have concerns.

  • Set up a free TWITTER  profile.

  • Register with the NCAA and the NAIA Eligibility Centers by the end of your freshman year. You should register at both if you are unsure as a student-athlete whether you would like to play in the NCAA group of colleges, at a NAIA college or even at your local community college.

  • Take the PSAT sophomore year.

11th Grade

  • Take a strong academic course load and keep your grades up! Remind your guidance counselor that you are interested in playing a sport in college so they keep NCAA/NAIA requirements in mind whenever they meet with you.

  • Review your academic plan for your junior and senior years with your guidance counselor so you know your academic goals and can address any issues.

  • Review the NCAA Eligibility Requirements. Update your NCAA Worksheet. To complete the worksheet, get a copy of your up-to-date transcript along with the list of  NCAA Approved Courses.

  • Visit colleges - Official vs Unofficial: Coaches may invite you for an official visit which is paid for by the school. Meet the coach and the team. Watch the team compete. Stay overnight if possible and visit the college campus and town. You are allowed one official visit to each DI college and up to five official visits total to DI schools. Likewise, one official visit is allowed to each DII & DIII college, although you may have unlimited total official visits to DII & DIII colleges. (You may take unlimited unofficial visits at your own expense.)

  • Register with the NCAA and NAIA Eligibility Center by end of junior year if you have not already. The NCAA Eligibility Center does not require that you are registered when you send your SAT or ACT test scores. They will match them when you register. After you have completed your junior year, send your transcript to the NCAA Eligibility Center. The NAIA Eligibility Center does not require transcripts until after graduation.

  • Take the SAT and/or the ACT tests and send your scores to your schools of interest and the NCAA (9999) and/or NAIA (9876) Eligibility Centers. If you plan to take one or both of these tests a second time, you can wait until the 2nd round to report the scores to the Eligibility Centers.

12th Grade

  • Keep your grades up! Remember that you are competing with other top-ranked student-athletes for a spot on a college roster and possibly an athletic scholarship.

  • Update your NCAA and NAIA Worksheets to make sure you are meeting the eligibility requirements.

  • Keep your guidance counselor up to date on your eligibility and ask questions if you have concerns.

  • Keep an up-to-date copy of your transcript.

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