NCAA Freshman Eligibility Certification

If you are a incoming freshman athlete and are planning to participate in an NCAA Division I or Division II sports program this fall, you will need to finalize eligibility and amateurism status to be eligible to compete as a freshman.

To obtain final amateurism certification:
1.  Log onto http://www.eligiblitycenter.org/ and select the box for “Fall 2010 or After.”
2.  Log in using your e-mail address and password.
3.  Request final amateurism certification separately for each sport.  Track and cross country athletes, for example, will need to request separate certification for each.

If you are an athlete who originally registered with the NCAA Eligibility Center through the old website and have not transferred your account to the new site, you need to transfer your account before requesting final amateurism certification. 

Regarding academic certification, athletes must submit all required materials to the Eligibility Center.  This includes a final transcript with proof of graduation as well as an official transcript from any other high school that the athlete attended.

Important: 

1.  Be sure that a final transcript is sent by your high school to the Eligibility Center as soon as possible after graduation occurs.  Waiting until the middle of summer can result in a delay as many high school offices are closed for a few weeks of summer vacation.

2.  Also required is an official ACT or SAT test score sent directly to the Eligibility Center from the testing agency. 

3.  Be sure that the proper fee has been paid to the Eligibility Center for processing.  Each year there are a significant number of athletes whose certification is delayed because they have not yet paid the fee.

Academic certifications are prioritized by the date that a file is “Ready to Process” and by the date that an Institutional Request List (IRL) is submitted by the college or university for a particular athlete.  This is important to keep in mind as the following example illustrates:

If the IRL for a wrestler is submitted to the Eligibility Center by a university a month prior to the submission of an IRL for a soccer player by the same university, the file for the wrestler will be reviewed at the Eligibility Center before the file for the soccer player even though the wrestling season starts two months after the start of the soccer season.

For questions about eligibility requirements, or the eligibility certification process, contact Rick Allen at rick@informedathlete.com or at 918-994-7271.  For more information, register for our free monthly newsletter, or become a fan of Informed Athlete on Facebook.

Athletic Scholarships & Transfer Issues

“You need to transfer if you want to get more playing time.”

That’s the last thing that a college athlete wants to hear from his or her coach.  Sometimes transfers are initiated by the athlete, but many times they are initiated by the coach.

Throughout the years, I have encountered many different reasons for athlete transfers including coaches moving to another school, athletes’ wanting to move closer to home, athletes’ desire to switch schools, or because their scholarship has been reduced or cancelled.

You may be wondering why I am writing about the topic of NCAA transfers when most athletes and parents are just thinking about the NCAA recruiting process.  The transfer rules may be the last thing on your mind.  I understand that – I’ve been there.  However, I believe that you should at least be aware of some of the basic transfer rules.

The sport of baseball is a bit unique in that it is the only sport in which most athletes receive partial scholarships, yet they cannot transfer directly from one NCAA Division I school to another and be immediately eligible, even if their athletic scholarship is reduced or cancelled.

Of special note is the fact that in many transfer situations the first college can still control whether a player will play at another Division I or II school.

An NCAA Division I or II college must receive the written permission of the four-year school that a player is currently attending before they are permitted to speak with that player about the possibility of a transfer.  This can become an issue of conflict between athletes and coaches, and we have worked with a number of athletes and their families to help reduce this conflict and accomplish the transfer in a positive manner.

Players also need to remember that academic eligibility will be a very important factor in order to be immediately eligible at the next college, whether transferring from a four-year college or from a junior college.  Registering with the NCAA Eligibility Center and being classified as a Qualifier – even if you know you will be starting out at the junior college level – is an important factor and will make the transfer process much easier and less stressful when that time comes.

Contact us for further information if you need help with transferring.  Through the years, we have assisted many athletes through tough transfer situations.  To schedule an appointment with Rick Allen, please call us at 918-994-7271 or email rick@informedathlete.com