Collegiate Athletic Information for Families
At MMSD we are committed to providing quality information to help families navigate the often difficult task of playing collegiate athletics.
From understanding the often complex academic rules to navigating the recruiting landscape the process to play collegiately is not always easily understood. We want to provide quality information to help you better complete tasks and gain an understanding of how to provide the best opportunity to play beyond high school. Playing college athletics is not a one size fits all approach so feel free to take these resources and identify a plan with your family, school counselor, coach and/or athletic director. We hope you are able to develop a plan that works best for you.
If you would like additional assistance or information please contact your school counselor.
The Basics
What is NCAA?
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a member-led organization dedicated to the well-being and lifelong success of college athletes. Over 1,000 colleges and universities make up the NCAA. Staff at the member institutions make up committees whose role it is to define the rules and regulations that govern NCAA legislation. The NCAA governs Division I, Division II and Division III schools.
What is NAIA?
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., is a governing body of small athletics programs that are dedicated to character-driven intercollegiate athletics. Each year more than 65,000 student-athletes have the opportunity to play college sports at 250 NAIA member institutions.
What is NJCAA?
As a prospective athlete you should understand the time commitment it takes to play in college. Please find the NCAA informational documents helpful in thinking about whether or not playing collegiately is something you have time for or would like to do.
Registration
As a student athlete it is important to consider all the variables associated with collegiate athletics. If you and your family have decided that playing collegiate athletics is the path you would like to pursue please use the following links to register for the appropriate organization.
NCAA Division I & II Profile Account (Free) - A free Profile Page account is the right account if you are a college-bound student-athlete who is:
- Still deciding which NCAA division is right for you.
- Planning to compete at an NCAA Division III school and have only attended a U.S. high school.
NCAA Academic & Amateurism Certification Account Division I & II ($100) - For future NCAA student-athletes, an Academic and Amateurism Certification account is the right account for college-bound student-athletes who are planning to:
- Compete at an NCAA Division I or II school.
- Take an official visit.
- Sign a National Letter of Intent.
NAIA Certification Account ($90) - For any student who is interested, or committed, to play at an NAIA school. You must register with the NAIA Eligibility Center.
Academic Requirements
Getting Started
To maximize your opportunity to play collegiately every student should make sure they are taking courses that will allow them to graduate and also qualify for all collegiate athletic options. Make sure you are aware and are taking qualifying courses during every year of high school. To find your school's list of qualifying classes please visit here. In the section designated "NCAA HS Code" you will want to type your schools 6-digit code:
LaFollette (501163)
Madison East (501150)
Madison Memorial (501157)
Madison West (501165)
NCAA Division I
A prospective student athlete looking to play at the Division I level must take 16 required core-courses in specific subject areas. They must, at minimum, obtain a 2.3 GPA within the 16 courses. Please reference the attached document for more specifics surrounding the requirements.
NCAA DIVISION I REQUIREMENT SHEET
NCAA Division II
NCAA Division III
NAIA
A prospective student athlete looking to play at an NAIA college or university must meet the following criteria:
- Minimum test score of 18 on the ACT or 970 on the SAT
- Achieve a minimum overall high school GPA of 2.0 (on a 4.0 scale)
- Graduate in the top half (50%) of their high school class
For MMSD students who are incoming freshmen can now become NAIA eligible without a test score or class rank - provided they meet the following minimum GPA (on a 4.0 scale)
- 2.3 GPA for recent graduates
- 2.8 GPA for students who have completed their 7th semester
- 3.3 GPA for students who have completed their junior year
NJCAA
Recruiting
Getting yourself recruited is not always easy and requires a lot of work on the part of the student and family. As a student take ownership of the process and make sure you are spending time researching and communicating with schools you are interested in. You want to be kind when passing on a school because you may have to come back to them if option A does not work out. It's also important to remember that in certain divisions like DI recruiting can only happen during certain times of the year. If a coach is not responding it may be during a time where they are not allowed to communicate with you. To better understand the recruiting timelines please see the following link for your specific sport: https://www.ncaa.org/sports/2018/5/8/division-i-and-ii-recruiting-calendars.aspx
Covid 19 Changes
Helpful Tools
Collegiate Athletics Checklist
This list is to get you thinking about the process for collegiate athletics. It is not an exhaustive list. If you have further questions please contact your High School counselor or coach.
9th Grade
- Earn best grades possible in all subjects, especially core subjects (English, Math, Science, History, World Language, etc.).
- Know where to find your high school's 48H list of core-classes.*
- LaFollette (501163)
- Madison East (501150)
- Madison Memorial (501157)
- Madison West (501165)
10th Grade
- Continue earning the best grades possible and stay on track for graduation.
- At the end of 10th grade year, register for an Eligibility Center Account (ask counselor for fee waiver, if eligible)*
- When scheduling classes for 11th, work with a counselor to choose qualifying core-courses.
11th Grade
- Make sure you are taking approved core-courses and they fit with the required subjects for NCAA eligibility.*
- Take the ACT/SAT and obtain the highest score possible.
- Update information in NCAA Eligibility Center portal, as applicable.*
- Have your school registrar submit an official transcript to the Eligibility Center, or NAIA portal.*
- Discuss with your counselor the collegiate options available to you.
- When scheduling classes for 12th, know and choose core-courses as electives.
12th Grade
- Take as many required, and elective core-courses as you can to obtain eligibility and admissions to college.
- Complete the FAFSA (Opens in October)
- Take the ACT/SAT again if necessary.
- Once decided on school, fill out application for admission.
- Update any information in the Eligibility Center portal and complete Amateurism Certification in April.*
- After graduation ask your school’s registrar to download the official transcript to the Eligibility Center, or NAIA portal.*
College Athletics FAQ’s
- Why do I need to get the best grades possible early in high school?
- What if I fail a course during 9th, 10th, or 11th grade?
- If I transferred schools, is the transcript from the school I am currently attending sufficient?
- Should I submit my test score directly to the NCAA or NAIA Eligibility Center?
Why do I need to get the best grades possible early in high school?
The NCAA Division I and Division II levels require specific subjects to qualify, in addition to matching GPA and ACT score. See below for the current NCAA Division core-course subject requirements.
Level | English | Math | Science | ADC * | History | ADC | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division I | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 16 |
Division II | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 16 |
*(must be in Eng, Math, Sci) - Certain subjects have specific requirements, please see your High School counselor for more information.
If you would like to play as a freshman in college you must graduate in 8 semesters and obtain a minimum of a 2.3 GPA for Division I, a 2.2 GPA for Division II and a 2.0 for NAIA.
The NCAA determines eligibility by a sliding scale, combining core-course GPA and ACT/SAT test scores.
What if I fail a course during 9th, 10th, or 11th grade?
You must make up any graduation requirements immediately. The NCAA expects all student-athletes to graduate within 8 semesters.
NCAA Division I requires that 10 core courses be locked in before the start of 7th semester. 7 credits must be in English, Math, or Science. You may not change the 10 courses once 7th semester begins.
If I transferred schools, is the transcript from the school I am currently attending sufficient?
Should I submit my test score directly to the NCAA or NAIA Eligibility Center?
Depends. If you are confident your score will be high enough to qualify and you would like to use one of your four free scores, then please do so.
However, if you are NOT confident in your score and you believe you may take it again, it is advised to wait until scores have been posted to send. With this option, you will have to pay per test score.
-
ACT Fee Per Test ($13)
-
SAT Fee Per Test ($12)
-
NCAA Eligibility Center Code - 9999
-
NAIA Eligibility Center Code - 9876
Postsecondary Schools in Wisconsin with Athletics
Schools in Wisconsin with Athletics
Division I
Division II
Division III
NAIA
NJCAA
Madison Area Technical College
*Cut NJCAA athletic programs for club sports starting in 2020-2021 SY
Undergraduate Admission Webpages
Division I
Division II
Division III
NAIA
NJCAA
Madison Area Technical College
*Cut NJCAA athletic programs for club sports starting in 2020-2021 SY