NCAA E-learning, Distance and Hybrid Coursework Update
Here is information from NCAA Clearinghouse
E-learning, Distance and Hybrid Coursework UpdateIn an effort to provide clarity to students and parents making decisions regarding the 2020-2021 academic year, the NCAA Eligibility Center is providing additional guidance regarding distance, e-learning or hybrid options made available by schools with NCAA-approved core courses. The Eligibility Center will continue to monitor the environment and make determinations on extension of other COVID-19 relief policies as more information becomes available. |
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The DI and DII Academic Requirements fact sheets have been updated to include the SAT/ACT sliding scale. These updated document are located in the “Important New Rules” area, or can be accessed via the links below:
Please help us reach your student-athletes with this information!
- Did you know that the NCAA’s initial-eligibility academic standards are changing for student-athletes enrolling at an NCAA Division I university on or after August 1, 2016 (this year’s high school sophomore class and younger)? A brief summary of the changes can be found here.
- To assist in getting this message out, we have developed the Initial-Eligibility Resource Index , a new electronic tool that contains links to the NCAA Eligibility Center’s resources and presentations available free of charge. Please share these materials broadly with students, parents, coaches, etc.
Key Reminders
- Additional high school-specific resources are available on the High School Portal Resources page. The NCAA Eligibility Center receives thousands of calls each year regarding hardcopy transcript receipt due to the two- to three-week processing time needed to mail, log, scan, and post transcripts to student accounts. You are strongly encouraged to submit transcripts through one of the approved e-transcript providers (Docufide/Parchment, Scrip Safe, ConnectEDU, National Transcript Center/Pearson Edustructure, USMO ET, and XAP) as these transcripts usually appear in student accounts within 48 hours.
If you are reading this, then you are curious about playing college sports. Whether you are a parent or a student, we want to share with you what we have learned about competing at the collegiate level.
Please start with this comprehensive slideshow semninar presented by SportsForce.
College Athletics
There are three categories that you can divide most collegiate athletics into. All three have different requirements, expectations and characteristics.They are community colleges, NAIA schools and the NCAA.
Community Colleges
The first of the three is community college competition. Most community colleges have athletics programs and most compete against other community colleges while a few compete against small four year colleges.
NAIA – National Association Intercollegiate Athletics
The second is NAIA competition. NAIA is a competitive organizationwwhich governs smaller 4 year colleges across the country, most of which are religious and private institutions. The NAIA schools compete and offerl scholarships to compete but are governed by the NAIA and not NCAA.
NCAA – National Collegiate Athletic Association
Finally there are the traditional NCAA schools. These are the schools you may have watched on television. These schools are divided into three division. Division 1 schools are the traditional, large universities that have the most name recognition lik e UCLA. Divison 2 schools are smaller schools, both public and private. They compete just as Division 1 schools do and offer scholarships just as Division 1 schools do. Division 3 schools are the smallest of the NCAA schools. They compete just as the Division 1 and 2 schools do but Division 3 schools do not offer athletic scholarships. All of these levels have many rules and guidelines which regulate their competition, recruiting and overall existence.
Recruitment Process
The recruitment process is simple enough. College coaches from around the country search for players that they feel will help their school compete. Although the process is simple, we live in a very large country with more athletes than any coach could possibly see in one year. The process usually starts with identification, then contact, then discovery, then finally the offer.
Identification
Coaches use multiple avenues of indentifying potential athletes. The first tool they use is their “Potential” or “Prospective” Athlete questionaire on their teams’ website. Filling these out usually gets you a literature sent to you from that particular school. There is usually a volunteer on staff that is responsible for investigating these inquiries. The next step is statistics and rankings. College coaches do look at rankings and statistics in newpapers and sites like Max Preps but the realities is that if your team isn’t very good, your statistics will likely never be seen. The next level is advertising your self via social media, web resumes and online videos. Having a presence in a digital world (YouTube, FaceBook or even an athlete specific site like NCSA Sports) will definitely help your chances of being identified but the WWW is endless. Finally, coaches rely very heavily on their own recruiting staff getting out to competitions, Combines and tournaments to land the majority of their prospectives. Being on a great team helps significantly but playing against a great team can also greatly help your chances of being seen, especially if you impact the game. Probably the most important part of being identified is becoming eligible with the NCAA Eligibility Center or the NAIA Eligibility Center. The process to registered can be completed online and may require a nominal fee.
Contact
After an athlete has been identified, the coach will contact the athlete to inform them they have interest and would like to learn more about that athlete. Just because a coach contacts you does not mean you have a scholarship. It simply means your performance, statistics or potential has garnered further attention. Be aware that college coaches have a multitude of rules regulating their communication (with high school athletes. This includes how much they can say if they meet you in person, which weeks they can call or email you, etc. On the other hand, there are no regulations regarding how often or what times you may contact a college coach. It is highly suggested that you reach out to coaches at schools where you believe you may fit in as a college athlete. Their contact information can easily be found on the Internet. Sometimes the contact period can be as simple as saying hello and stating interest exists to more direct requests for things like Combine scores or competition video.
Discovery
If a college coach has contacted you then you have officially begun the recruiting process. The question is, how much interest have your generated? If you have definitely peaked a coaches interest, you will enter the Discovery Phase. During this period, the pursuiing coach will be actively trying to learn as much about you as possible. Coaches will request statistics, video and even a schedule of your upcoming competitions. Coaches will also ask for school references from counselors, teachers and coaches. It is very common for coaches to request a copy of your transcripts at this point to find out if you are a viable candidate. Academic eligibility is a very important part of the recruitment process. The end of this process either ends with that coach becoming disinterested or that coach scheduling a formal visit for you at their campus. The offer of a formal visit means you are in the final running for a scholarship to be offered.
Offer
Scholarships take many sizes and shapes. That “full-ride” scholarship is fairly rare when considering how many scholarships are given out each year. Many scholarships are partials scholarships and have requirements that must be met throughout the process. This portion of the process is very highly regulated so understand that you are entering a business agreement with more rules and regulations than you can imagine. It is not to be entered lightly and your diligence and research should be done before you are expected to make your final decision.
Miscellaneous
Some schools have budgets that allow their coaches to fly around the country looking for athletes. Other schools have to be creative in finding athletes. Coaches have strict guidelines detailing how many scholarships they may offer, how often they may communicate with athletes and many, many other minute details you probably won’t consider. It is important to understand that the recruitment process is a highly complex process and not easily understood.
Recruitment Facts
The number of high school athletes that actually go on to compete in collegiate athletics is very low. The number that receive scholarships for their efforts is even more remote. Here are some statistics regarding all HS athletes:
(of all high school seniors:)
• Only 6.0% (1 in 50) of Football players will play in college.
• Only 3.1% (1 in 36) of Basketball players will play in college.
• Only 6.4% (1 in 36) of Baseball players will play in college.
• Only 5.6% (3 in 50) of Soccer players will play in college.
• Only 2% of all high school athletes recieve a scholarship to play college athletics.
Links
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
National Collegiate Athletics
NCSA Athletic Recruiting
