Initial Eligibility

“I am a high school student.  What should I do to make sure I will be academically eligible to be an NCAA Division II student-athlete?”

The NCAA Eligibility Center is an organization that clears all athletes (both domestic and international) for initial eligibility at the Division II level.  You should complete the following steps as soon as possible:

1. Go to http://www.eligibilitycenter.com and register with the NCAA Eligibility Center. You can begin this process as a junior in high school.
2. Upon completion of your junior year in high school, send an official transcript to the NCAA Eligibility Center.
   • NCAA Eligibility Center
     1802 Alonzo Watford Senior Dr
     Indianapolis, IN 46202
3. When you take the ACT or SAT, request that your scores be sent to the NCAA Eligibility Center. If you didn’t request the scores when you took the test, you may go to the testing center’s web site to have the scores electronically sent over. The Eligibility Center will NOT accept test scores as they appear on your high school transcript.
   • ACT Web site
   • SAT Web site

NCAA Core Course Requirement for Division II Initial Eligibility
3 years English 2 years Math (Algebra 1 or higher) 2 years Natural/Physical Science (1 year of lab if offered by high school) 3 years additional English, Math or Natural/Physical Science 2 years Social Science 4 years additional academic courses (in any of the above areas, foreign language, or comparative religion/philosophy) =16 total core courses

NCAA Standardized Test Score Requirement for Division II Initial Eligibility
Minimum SAT score of 820 (Critical Reading and Math sections only) or Minimum ACT sum score of 68 (Sum total of English, Math, Reading, and Science scores)

Students who meet these academic standards will be certified as a qualifier. A qualifier is eligible to practice, compete, and receive an athletics scholarship as a freshman. A qualifier has ten semesters of full-time college enrollment in which to use his or her four seasons of eligibility.

Students who do not meet these academic standards will be certified as a non-qualifier. A non-qualifier:

• Is not eligible for regular season competition or practice during his or her first year in college; and
• May not receive athletics based financial aid as a freshman, but may receive regular need based financial aid if the school certifies that aid was granted without regard to athletics ability.

Once accepted as a student-athlete into UNCP, the student-athlete must meet academic eligibility standards each year to remain eligible.

Continuing Eligibility

“I am currently a student-athlete at a Division II institution.  What do I need to do to remain academic eligible?”

To maintain your eligibility:

1. Pass at least 6 credits which are degree applicable each semester.
2. Earn 24 credits which are degree applicable each academic year.

• At least 18 of these credits must come during the fall and spring semesters.

1. Declare a major no later than the beginning of your fifth semester of enrollment.
2. Maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0.

*For transfer academic eligibility, please see the “TRANSFERS” section on our web site.