The initial eligibility requirements for college bound student-athletes hoping to compete at the NCAA Division 1 or Division 2 level is changing for students entering college after August 1, 2016. Below are resources to help parents and coaches understand the transition in requirements.

High school student-athletes who plan to participate in future inter-collegiate athletic competition, especially at the Division I and Division II levels, must monitor the continuing development of their academic eligibility credentials as set forth by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and register these credentials with the NCAA Eligibility Center beginning in their junior year of high school. Note: Division III colleges are not monitored by the NCAA’s initial eligibility requirements and do not require registration with the NCAA Eligibility Center. Contact your Division III college or university regarding its policies on admission, financial aid, practice and competition.

Five Steps toward being cleared academically by the NCAA Eligibility Center for initial Division I and Division II intercollegiate athletic competition as an entering collegiate freshman:

Step Zero:
Visit the NCAA website to learn how to register.

Step One:
Throughout your high school years, monitor your successful completion of required NCAA academic core courses closely by comparing your courses of study with those NCAA-approved academic core courses listed on pages 10-39 of the Columbia High School Curriculum Guide. You can review the Columbia High School Curriculum Guide by clicking here. All courses that are NCAA approved are denoted with the "NCAA" symbol throughout the Columbia High School Curriculum Guide.

Beginning with the class of 2016, Division I and II participation requires successful completion of 16 core courses in specific curricular areas. A minimum 2.30 NCAA core-course GPA is required for both Division I and II participation. Your core-course GPA, established by the NCAA Eligibility Center, will differ from your cumulative Columbia High School unweighted GPA.

Step Two:
During your junior year in high school, student-athletes must complete an online registration with the NCAA Eligibility Center. Go online to www.eligibilitycenter.org and click on “Enter Here” under “NCAA College-Bound Student-Athletes.” To create your initial-eligibility account, either click on the “New Account” button at the top right of the screen or the cell phone on the left side of the screen. You will need to provide a valid email address that will be active after you complete high school. You will be completing requested basic information about yourself, your high school(s) of attendance during your high school career, and the sport(s) you plan to participate in at an NCAA Division I or II college/university. The Eligibility Center will also ask about the high school and/or club teams you have been a part of and events you have participated in during your high school career.

As needed in completing the “My Coursework” section, your current high school information is as follows: Columbia High School, 901 Ironville Pike, PA 17512. Note: If you have attended more than one school (including summer school) during grades 9-12, you will have to have this information for any additional schools ready as well.

Your account can only be processed with payment of an application fee, payable online as you register with a credit card, debit card, or e-check. (A fee waiver is available if you have been granted a fee waiver for either the SAT I or ACT exams.). If you have any questions regarding creating your account, please contact your School Counselor.

Step Three:
Plan on taking the SAT I and/or the ACT college entrance exam beginning the second semester of your junior year. The combined sum score of only the Critical Reading and Math portions of the SAT I exam are used to establish your NCAA academic qualification on a sliding scale comparing your minimum SAT sum score requirement with your NCAA core course GPA.

A sum score of the English, Mathematics, Reading, and Science portions of the ACT exam is used to establish your NCAA academic qualification on a sliding scale comparing your minimum ACT sum score requirement with your NCAA core course GPA.
The minimum score sum requirements for the SAT I and ACT exams differ for Division I and Division II qualification.

When registering for either the SAT I or ACT exams, input the NCAA Eligibility Center’s code of 9999 to make sure that you meet the requirement of having the exam score reported directly to the Eligibility Center from the College Board (SAT) or ACT testing center. Scores listed on and reported through your Columbia High School grade transcript are unacceptable.

Step Four:
At the conclusion of your junior year of high school, request to have your official Grade 9-11 grade transcript sent to the NCAA Eligibility Center. The Eligibility Center will need official transcripts from all schools attended. Columbia High School transcripts are released by providing our Student Service Secretary or Counselor with the direct email address they will need to send them to (ex. College/University Athletic Director or Admissions Department). Please visit our Student Services Center for more information.

Step Five:
On or shortly after April 1 of your senior year, you will need to access your personal Eligibility Center account to complete your final Amateurism Certification. This is a required supplement to the questions you answered when you first registered with the NCAA Eligibility Center. 

NCAA Resources & Informational Contacts

• NCAA Website

• NCAA and NAIA College Recruitment PowerPoint

• Sara Sementelli

  • Email Address: ssementelli@columbiabsd.org

  • Phone Number: (717) 684-7500 ext. 3403

• Kristina Reuter (High school counselor/NCAA liaison)

  • Email Address: kreuter@columbiabsd.org

  • Phone Number: (717) 684-7500 ext. 3412

• Jennifer Jesberger

  • Email Address: jjesberger@columbiabsd.org

  • Phone Number: 717-684-7500 ext. 3410

Similar in some respects to the NCAA eligibility registration requirement, the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) requires all high school student-athletes interested in participating in intercollegiate athletics at a NAIA member college or university to register with the NAIA Eligibility Center. To play NAIA sports, every student-athlete must be registered with the NAIA Eligibility Center. A one-time registration fee is assessed.

The NAIA is home to nearly 300 member institutions, mostly smaller colleges/universities that resemble some of the Div-III NCAA institutions. Some examples of NAIA member colleges/universities are:

• Carlow College (Pittsburgh, PA) 

• Cedarville University (Ohio)

• Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Arizona, Florida) 

• Goshen College (Indiana)

• Houghton College (New York)

• Johnson & Wales University (Rhode Island, Colorado, Florida, North Carolina)

• Point Park University (Pittsburgh, PA)

ACT or SAT scores are required for eligibility certification, and must be requested to be sent to the NAIA Eligibility Center directly from the testing service using the NAIA Eligibility Center code number, 9876.

Upon graduation from high school, a student-athlete should request the release of their final transcript from Columbia High School to the NAIA Eligibility Center by providing our Student Service Secretary or Counselor with the direct email address they will need to send them to (ex. College/University Athletic Director or Admissions Department). Please visit our Student Services Center for more information.

• A student-athlete must graduate from high school, and satisfy two of the three following requirements:

• Achieve a minimum composite score of 18 on the ACT exam or a minimum of 860 on the SAT exam (Critical Reading/Verbal and Mathematics sections combined).

• Achieve a minimum overall high school unweighted GPA of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale.

• Graduate in the top half of your high school class.

NAIA Resources & Informational Contacts

• NAIA website

• NCAA and NAIA College Recruitment PowerPoint

• Sara Sementelli

  • Email Address: ssementelli@columbiabsd.org

  • Phone Number: (717) 684-7500 ext. 3403

• Kristina Reuter (High school counselor/NCAA liaison)

  • Email Address: kreuter@columbiabsd.org

  • Phone Number: (717) 684-7500 ext. 3412

• Jennifer Jesberger

  • Email Address: jjesberger@columbiabsd.org

  • Phone Number: 717-684-7500 ext. 3410