Sycamore Fans,
What is the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)?
The NCAA is a nonprofit organization, comprised of more than 1,200 colleges, universities, conferences, and other organizations, across the United States. It is comprised of three Divisions; I, II, and III. Each institution decides which division to belong to. The school makes the decision by matching its enrollment its enrollment, financial situation, and fan support with the requirements for each division. The school is then required to meet those requirements each year. The differences in divisions mostly depend on:
·      The number of sports a school has overall;
·      How many sports are available for both men and women;
·      How many athletes or teams the school has in each sport; and
·      The number of contests it plays against schools in the same division.
Indiana State University is an NCAA Division I member institution. Division I institutions must:
·      Offer at least seven sports for men and seven for women – or six for men and eight for women;
·      Offer two team sports for each gender;
·      Have both male and female teams or participants for each sport's playing season;
·      Offer a certain number of financial aid awards to student-athletes, without going over the maximum amount allotted;
·      Play at least the minimum number of contests against other Division I opponents; and
·      Meet attendance requirements for basketball and football.
What does it take to be an NCAA Division I student-athlete?
The process starts with high school seniors and/or junior college transfers. Prospective student-athletes (students in the 9th grade and above and junior college transfers) must register with the NCAA Eligibility Center. The NCAA Eligibility Center (formerly known as the Clearinghouse), certifies college-bound athletes who wish to participate in intercollegiate athletics for NCAA Division I or II institutions. Prospective student-athletes (PSAs) must submit final high school transcripts and all SAT/ACT test scores, along with answer a set of amateurism questions. Once all the information has been send the Eligibility Center, a review is conducted on the PSA's file.
What are the requirements to be a Division I Qualifier?
Graduating seniors in high school, currently must successfully complete the following requirements in order to practice, receive athletic financial aid, and compete at a Division I institution:
·      Complete these 16 core courses: 4 years of English, 3 years of (Algebra 1 or higher), 2 years of natural/ physical science (including one year of lab science if offered by your high school), 1 extra year of English, math, or natural/ physical science, 2 years of social science, and 4 years of extra core courses (from any category above, or foreign language, non-doctrinal religion or philosophy);
·      Earn a minimum required grade-point average in your core courses;
·      Earn a combined SAT or ACT sum score that matches your core-course grade-point average and test score sliding scale (for example, a 2.400 core-course grade-point average needs an 860 SAT); and
·      Graduate from high school.
PSAs must achieve the required score on the SAT or ACT before their initial term of full-time collegiate enrollment. This is true regardless of whether they are a citizen of the United States or of a foreign country. Also, state-administered ACT exams will be accepted by the Eligibility Center. Prospects may take the national test multiples times. All SAT and ACT scores must be reported to the Eligibility Center directly from the testing agency. Test scores will not be accepted if reported on a high school transcript. The best score from EACH segment of each ACT and SAT exam will be used to determine their total sum score for initial eligibility. When registering for the SAT or ACT, in addition to the school codes of the colleges they are interested in attending, the prospect must input the NCAA Eligibility Center code "9999" to make sure their score is reported directly to the Eligibility Center.
Transfer student-athletes, from a junior college, must meet similar requirements. Depending on whether or not they were a qualifier or not out of high school depends on if the transfer needs their Associate's degree. The NCAA academic standards for transfer students have been raised to better prepare these athletes for four year institutions.
Questions about NCAA eligibility? Please contact the Indiana State Compliance Office at (812) 237-4086.
