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?

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.

NCAA Time Management Document

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 Profile Account

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.

NCAA Academic & Amateurism Certification Account

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.

NAIA Certification Account

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

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

NCAA College Bound Student Athlete Guide 2022-2023

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.

College Athletics FAQ’s

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.