Student athletes must register with the NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse to be eligible to play NCAA Division I or Division II sports in college. (Athletes playing in NCAA Division III do not have to register.)

What is the NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse?
The NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse is the organization that determines whether prospective college athletes are eligible to play sports at NCAA Division I or Division II institutions. It does this by reviewing the student athlete's academic record, SAT or ACT scores, and amateur status to ensure conformity with NCAA rules.

What are NCAA Divisions I, II, and III?
The NCAA is the governing body of many intercollegiate sports. Each college and university regulated by the NCAA has established rules on eligibility, recruiting, and financial aid, and falls into one of the three membership divisions (Divisions I, II, and III). Divisions are based on school size and the scope of their athletic programs and scholarships.

When should students register with the clearinghouse?
The NCAA recommends that student athletes register with the clearinghouse at the beginning of their junior year in high school, but many students register after their junior year. There is no registration deadline, but students must be cleared by the clearinghouse before they receive athletic scholarships or compete at a Division I or Division II institution.

How do students register with the clearinghouse?
Students can register online at the NCAA Clearinghouse website. They will have to enter personal information, answer questions about their athletic participation, and pay a registration fee. The website will then prompt them to have their high school transcript and ACT or SAT scores sent to the clearinghouse.

Can students have the registration fee waived?
Students who have received a waiver for the SAT or ACT are eligible for a waiver of the clearinghouse registration fee. The student's counselor must submit confirmation of the student's test fee waiver. Go to the NCAA Clearinghouse's High School Administration page for more information.

What records does the clearinghouse require?
Students should arrange to have you send their high school transcript to the clearinghouse as soon as they have completed at least six semesters of high school. The transcript must be mailed directly from their high school. They must also arrange to have their ACT or SAT test scores reported directly by the testing company to the clearinghouse. Students can arrange this when they register for the ACT or SAT.

You are responsible for sending in students' final transcripts and proof of graduation at the end of their senior year.

How often can students update their athletics participation information?
Students can update the information on the athletics participation section online as often as they want (and should update it regularly), up to the time when they request a final certification of their status. At that point (usually three to four months before enrolling in college), students must finalize their information.

What are the NCAA academic eligibility requirements?
To play sports at an NCAA Division I or Division II institution, the student must:

Complete a certain number of high school core courses (defined below)
Earn a certain minimum grade point average in these core courses
Earn a certain minimum score on the SAT or ACT (for Division I, this is scaled according to the student's core-course GPA)
Graduate from high school
For more information, see the NCAA's Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete, available at the Publications section of the NCAA website.

What are core courses?
"Core courses" is the name that the NCAA gives to high school courses that meet certain academic criteria specified by the association. Students must complete a certain number of core courses for NCAA Division I and II eligibility.

How are high school courses classified as core courses?
All participating high schools submit lists of the courses that they offer that meet NCAA core-course criteria. If approved, the courses are added to a database that the NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse maintains. You can check this database, or view a list of approved core courses on the High School Administration page to see whether your student athletes are enrolled in courses that will count toward NCAA eligibility.

It will most likely be your job as counselor to provide the NCAA with the list of your school's core courses, and to update this list annually. The NCAA may ask for more information before approving a core course.

What are the NCAA amateurism eligibility requirements?
To play sports at an NCAA Division I or Division II institution, the student-athlete must follow NCAA amateurism rules as regards receiving a salary or prize money for athletic participation, playing with a professional team, and other areas. For more information, see the Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete linked above.

Keep in mind
The best way for students to prepare for a future in college athletics is to complete the approved core courses and earn appropriate grades in them. Indeed, more students fail to qualify to play NCAA sports because of lack of appropriate course work than for low test scores.

Make sure your athletes are enrolled in the courses on your high school's core-course list, and also know the eligibility requirements on the NCAA Clearinghouse website. Then make sure your athletes are taking the necessary courses, earning the necessary grades, and doing anything else they must to stay on track for NCAA eligibility.

Grades 9 and 10
 Student takes academic college-preparatory courses, preferably one in each of the
following areas: English, math, science, social studies and foreign language. The student
should compare course selection against the list of NCAA-approved core courses.
Grade 11
 Student continues to take college preparatory courses in the areas listed above.
 Student registers for the SAT and/or ACT, making sure to use code 9999 at the time of
registration. Using code 9999 will ensure the score is reported directly to the Eligibility
Center.
 Student registers with the NCAA Eligibility Center and completes both the academic
information and the amateurism questionnaire.
 At the end of the student’s sixth semester, the guidance counselor sends the student’s
transcript (or transcripts, if more than one high school) to the Eligibility Center.
Grade 12
 Student continues to take college preparatory courses in English, math, science, social
studies and foreign language.
 Student registers for additional ACT/SAT tests if necessary, making sure to use code
9999 at the time of registration.
 On or after April 1 of the senior year, the student goes back into their Eligibility Center
account to update their academic and amateurism information and request final
amateurism certification.
 After graduation, the guidance counselor sends the student’s final transcript (which needs
to include evidence and the date that the student graduated) to the Eligibility Center.

Send your test scores to the NCAA Eligibility Center by entering the code "9999" as one of the free test-score recipients in the box provided when registering for the SAT or ACT.

If you forget to use the "9999" code, you will need to contact the SAT or ACT directly and have the scores sent officially by the testing agency. The Eligibility Center must receive official scores directly from the testing agency in order to certify the student-athlete's initial eligibility. All test scores are required to be sent. This will aid in using the best scores from each exam in the certification of the student-athlete.

The 2011-12 Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete is now available. The Guide provides important information and key steps for high school student-athletes and parents as they begin the initial-eligibility process. The Guide and other informational materials can be found on the Eligibility Center Web site. To access them, follow the steps below:

Log onto www.eligibilitycenter.org

Click on "Fall 2011 or After"

Click on "Resources" at the top of the screen.

Click on "U. S. Students" in the notebook.

Click on "Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete."

The Guide is also available for purchase at NCAApublications.com

To be eligible for college athletics, students must go to the following website and enroll:

www.eligibilitycenter.org


I suggest you use the last four digits of you phone number as your PIN code.

On the application, it asks for your high school code: 446450

You will need to know your social security number.

You will need a Visa or Mastercard to apply online. The cost to register is $65.

You may request a paper application on the website if needed.

Students are encouraged to begin the NCAA Clearinghouse registration process during their junior year. Juniors should go online to www.eligibilitycenter.org to register.

*One important thing for juniors to do: Have your ACT/SAT scores sent to the NCAA Clearinhouse when you register to take the test. The scores MUST come from the SAT or ACT organization for your file to be complete.

Be sure and put the NCAA Clearinghouse as one of the recipients for test scores: 9999

Any senior who is planning to participate in any athletic event at the college level needs to register with the NCAA Clearinghouse in order to be eligible.

The NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse is an organization that works with the NCAA to determine a student’s eligibility for athletics participation in his or her first year of college enrollment. Students who want to participate in college sports during their first year of enrollment MUST register with the clearinghouse.

Located in Iowa City, Iowa, the clearinghouse staff follows NCAA bylaws and regulations in analyzing and processing a student’s high school academic records, ACT or SAT scores, and key information about amateurism participation, to determine the student’s initial eligibility.

The clearinghouse website is a wonderful source of information, and I encourage you to check it out at www.ncaaclearinghouse.net. If you still have questions after reviewing all of the information on the website, call 317/917/6222 Monday through Friday, noon – 4 p.m. Eastern time.

In order to register, you must create an account and then it will walk you through the steps. You will need a valid e-mail address to create an account and begin the registration process.

You will need to know that our high school code (CEEB) number is 446450.

You will need to pay the registration fee online and it is $65.00. You will have to pay by debit, credit card or e-check.