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The following article is sponsored by National Scouting Report. Visit NSR’s web site at nsr-inc.com
RECRUITING BLOG: ARE YOU ELIGIBLE TO PLAY COLLEGE SPORTS?
By Gary Silvers
You’re MVP of the Suburban One League. You’re a member of the National Honor Society. You’re president of your high school class.
What are your chances of playing an NCAA Division I or II sport and earning an athletic scholarship?
Zero … unless you’re registered with the NCAA Eligibility Center.
More than half of the high school athletes I have visited -- freshmen, sophomores and juniors -- informed me during our in-home interviews that they weren’t registered. About a quarter of them didn’t even know what the Eligibility Center was.
Do you know? Are you registered?
The NCAA Eligibility Center, formerly known as the NCAA Clearinghouse, certifies the initial academic eligibility and amateur status of all college-bound student-athletes who wish to compete in NCAA Division I or II athletics. It says so right in the front of the NCAA’s “Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete,” a must read for college prospects.
I strongly recommend college prospects register with the Eligibility Center at the beginning of their sophomore year. You can do it online at www.eligibilitycenter.org.
To create an account, click on the “New Account” button at the top right corner of the screen or the cell phone on the left side. Then give yourself plenty of time to complete the lengthy online registration.
There are five sections:
Account Creation:Provide a valid email address to begin the registration process.
About Me:Fill in your name, address, date of birth and gender.
My Coursework:Enter the name and location of the high school you attend. Also enter the name and location of previous high schools you attended.
My Sport:Select the sport(s) you hope to participate in at the NCAA Division I or II level. Add the non-scholastic and/or club teams you joined and the events you participated in during high school.
Payment:Your account will be eligible for processing once you pay a $75 registration fee by debit card, credit card or e-check.
Once you are registered, you will receive a 10-digit NCAA identification number. Colleges use that ID number to track your eligibility status and official college visits. (You are allowed a maximum of five official during your senior year of high school.) Colleges that are recruiting you will submit your name to the NCAA on an Institutional Request List, using your NCAA ID number.
During your junior year of high school, you should register to take the SAT, ACT or both. You should use the Eligibility Center code (9999) as a score recipient, so the Eligibility Center receives your test scores directly. After your junior year, ask your high school guidance counselor to send an official transcript to the Eligibility Center. Before registering for your senior year classes, ask your counselor how many core courses you still need to complete before graduation, so you can meet the 16 required by the NCAA.
At the beginning of your senior year, take the SAT or ACT again. The Eligibility Center will combine the highest scores from each section to determine your cumulative score. You should request final amateurism certification from the Eligibility Center on or after April 1 if you plan to enroll in college in the fall.
After graduation, ask your high school guidance counselor to send your final official transcript to the Eligibility Center with proof of graduation.
College-bound athletes will not receive their final eligibility status from the Eligibility Center until after graduation. It can take several weeks. Athletes competing in fall sports are processed first, followed by winter athletes and spring athletes.
If you have questions regarding your eligibility status, you should contact the coach or athletic department of the school that is recruiting you. The Eligibility Center is not permitted to give updates.
Are you eligible?
National Scouting Report, the world’s oldest and largest high school scouting and college recruiting organization, guides high school athletes and their families through the recruiting process. With its 18-phase national exposure program and thousands of college contacts, NSR boasts a 95-percent success rate helping qualified prospects earn scholarships. For a FREE consultation, call or email Area Director Gary Silvers at (215) 480-8764 or gsilvers@nsr-inc.com. For more information, visit NSR’s web site at nsr-inc.com/athletes.