NCAA Eligibility | United Scholastic Academy (2024)

How is NCAA academic eligibility determined?

You need to be certified by the NCAA Eligibility Center to compete at a Division 1 or Division 2 school. Create a Certification Account and the will guide you through the process of eligibility certification in accordance with the NCAA academic requirements listed above. You can also create a free Profile Page if you plan to compete at a Division 3 school or have yet to decide where you want to compete.

What are the NCAA Division 1 academic requirements?

The following NCAA academic requirements are in place for all prospective student-athletes who wish to receive an athletic scholarship to compete in NCAA Division 1 sports. Likewise, 99% of student-athletes who meet NCAA academic requirements for D1 athletics will meet NCAA academic eligibility standards at other division levels.

Below are the NCAA Division 1 academic requirements:

You must graduate high school.
You must complete 16 NCAA-approved core courses.
You must complete 10 core courses before your seventh semester (senior year), including seven in English, math or natural/physical science. Once you begin your seventh semester, you may not repeat or replace any of those 10 courses to improve your core-course GPA.
You must earn at least a 2.3 GPA in your core courses that are outlined the NCAA academic requirements.
You must earn an SAT combined score or ACT sum score matching your core-course GPA on the NCAA sliding scale for Division 1, which balances your test score and core-course GPA.

What are the NCAA core course requirements?

While the specific NCAA course requirements vary slightly between Division 1 and Division 2, you must complete 16 core courses in order to earn NCAA academic eligibility and enroll at your school of choice. Be aware that 10 of the 16 core courses must be completed for NCAA academic eligibility before your seventh semester (senior year) of high school. There are no NCAA course requirements for Division 3 eligibility as you must simply meet the admissions standards for the institution you wish to attend to compete with full eligibility in accordance with the NCAA academic requirements.

NCAA Division 1 core course requirements:

Four years of English
Three years of math (Algebra 1 or higher)
Two years of natural/physical science (including one year of lab science if your high school offers it)
One additional year of English, math or natural/physical science
Two years of social science
Four additional years of English, math, natural/physical science, social science, foreign language, comparative religion or philosophy

NCAA Division 2 core course requirements:

A: 4 points
B: 3 points
C: 2 points
D: 1 point

For core courses in which you earn an A, for example, you receive 4.00 quality points for a full-year course (4 points x 1.00 units). Additionally, you receive 2.00 quality points for a semester course in which you earn an A grade (4 points x 0.50 units), as well as 1.36 quality points for a trimester course in which you also earn an A grade (4 points x 0.34 units). You will use the same calculations to determine quality points earned for B, C and D grades, according to the NCAA academic requirements.

What SAT or ACT scores do you need? How are they calculated?

Use the NCAA sliding scale to determine the exact SAT combined score or ACT sum score you need to earn NCAA academic eligibility relative to your core-course GPA. The SAT combined score is calculated by simply adding the reading and math sub-scores. The ACT sum score is calculated by the English, math, reading and science sub-scores on the test.

You may take either the SAT or ACT as many times as you would like before enrolling at the college of your choice. According to the NCAA academic requirements, your best sub-scores from each test will be used to determine your combined score to meet NCAA SAT requirements or ACT sum score, no matter how many times you take the test.

The NCAA Sliding Scale: What is it? How do you use it to determine eligibility?

The NCAA sliding scale allows you to determine the necessary SAT combined score or ACT sum score you will need along with your core-course GPA to earn NCAA academic eligibility to a Division 1 or Division 2 school as a college freshman. The term “sliding scale” simply means that your required test score will vary depending on your core-course GPA, which must be at least a 2.300 to meet the NCAA Division 1 academic requirements or a 2.200 to meet the NCAA Division 2 academic requirements.

For example, if you graduate high school with exactly a 2.300 GPA in your core courses, you must have at least a 980 combined score to meet the NCAA SAT requirements or a 75 ACT sum score in order to meet the NCAA academic requirements for Division 1. Likewise, if you feature a stronger 3.000 core-course GPA, you can afford a lower test score and receive NCAA academic eligibility with a 720 SAT combined score or 52 ACT sum score. The NCAA sliding scale does vary slightly for Division 2 eligibility as you can see from the charts below.

NCAA Division I Sliding Scale Use for Division I beginning August 1, 2016
GPA for Aid and Practice		GPA for Competition		SAT	ACT
3.550		4.000		400	37
3.525		3.975		410	38
3.500		3.950		420	39
3.475		3.925		430	40
3.450		3.900		440	41
3.425		3.875		450	41
3.400		3.850		460	42
3.375		3.825		470	42
3.350		3.800		480	43
3.325		3.775		490	44
3.300		3.750		500	44
3.275		3.725		510	45
3.250		3.700		520	46
3.225		3.675		530	46
3.200		3.650		540	47
3.175		3.625		550	47
3.150		3.600		560	48
3.125		3.575		570	49
3.100		3.550		580	49
3.075		3.525		590	50
3.050		3.500		600	50
3.025		3.475		610	51
3.000		3.450		620	52
2.975		3.425		630	52
2.950		3.400		640	53
2.925		3.375		650	53
2.900		3.350		660	54
2.875		3.325		670	55
2.850		3.300		680	56
2.825		3.275		690	56
2.800		3.250		700	57
2.775		3.225		710	58
2.750		3.200		720	59
2.725		3.175		730	60
2.700		3.150		740	61
2.675		3.125		750	61
2.650		3.100		760	62
2.625		3.075		770	63
2.600		3.050		780	64
2.575		3.025		790	65
2.550		3.000		800	66
2.525		2.975		810	67
2.500		2.950		820	68
2.475		2.925		830	69
2.450		2.900		840	70
2.425		2.875		850	70
2.400		2.850		860	71
2.375		2.825		870	72
2.350		2.800		880	73
2.325		2.775		890	74
2.300		2.750		900	75
2.275		2.725		910	76
2.250		2.700		920	77
2.225		2.675		930	78
2.200		2.650		940	79
2.175		2.625		950	80
2.150		2.600		960	81
2.125		2.575		970	82
2.100		2.550		980	83
2.075		2.525		990	84
2.050		2.500		1000	85
2.025		2.475		1010	86
2.000		2.450		1020	86
		2.425		1030	87
		2.400		1040	88
		2.375		1050	89
		2.350		1060	90
		2.325		1070	91
		2.300		1080	93
NCAA Division 2 Sliding Scale
Core GPA	SAT		ACT
3.300+	400		37
3.275	410		38
3.250	430		39
3.225	440		40
3.200	460		41
3.175	470		41
3.150	490		42
3.125	500		42
3.100	520		43
3.075	530		44
3.050	550		44
3.025	560		45
3.000	580		46
2.975	590		46
2.950	600		47
2.925	620		47
2.900	630		48
2.875	650		49
2.850	660		49
2.825	680		50
2.800	690		50
2.775	710		51
2.750	720		52
2.725	730		52
2.700	740		53
2.675	750		53
2.650	750		54
2.625	760		55
2.600	770		56
2.575	780		56
2.550	790		57
2.525	800		58
2.500	810		59
2.475	820		60
2.450	830		61
2.425	840		61
2.400	850		62
2.375	860		63
2.350	860		64
2.325	870		65
2.300	880		66
2.275	890		67
2.250	900		68
2.225	910		69
2.200	920		70 & above

NCAA Academic Eligibility Timeline

NCAA.org suggests following the timeline below in order to fulfill the NCAA academic requirements and earn your academic eligibility at the school of your choice. This is a proposed timeline for prospective student-athletes for both Division 1 and Division 2 to ensure you remain on track to meet the NCAA academic requirements for freshman eligibility.

Grade 9

Meet with your guidance counselor and receive a list of your high school’s NCAA core courses to ensure you are set up to take the right classes for NCAA academic eligibility.

Grade 10

Grade 11

Meet with your guidance counselor again to make sure you will graduate on time and meet the NCAA course requirements.
Take the SAT or ACT for the first time and submit your official test scores to the NCAA using code 9999.
After completing your junior year of high school, ask your guidance counselor to upload your official transcript to the NCAA Eligibility Center.

Grade 12

Complete your final core courses needed to meet the NCAA course requirements.
Take the SAT or ACT again, if needed, and submit your latest scores to the NCAA using code 9999.
Complete all academic and amateurism questions in your NCAA Eligibility Center profile.
Upon graduation from your high school, ask your counselor to once upload your final official transcript with proof of graduation to the NCA Eligibility Center.

For further assistance, please make sure to reach out to Mr. Nizam Alkins, the academic advisor for all student athletes registered with the United Scholastic Academy.

Please email:

admin@usacademy.ca

with the subject line: question for Alkins