Athletes

NCAA Information for Prospective College Athletes

If you are planning to play athletics in college, start preparing now. There is more to being a college athlete than just having talent. When college recruiters visit Castleberry High School, one of their first questions is "Where is a copy of the transcript?" Because colleges are evaluated by the number of athletes who graduate, recruiters want to make sure that not only can an athlete perform athletically but academically as well. Here are some tips to follow to make sure that you are prepare yourself for success:

  • Successfully complete the Recommended Graduation Plan.

  • Choose courses which will give you the academic foundation to be successful in college.

  • Stay up with homework and assignments. All assignments are important. Just as athletic practices prepare you for a game, doing homework and classwork prepare you for tests.

  • If you are having trouble in a class, go to tutorials. Do not wait until it is too late.  If you are having a hard time finding time to go to tutorials because of practices, talk to your coaches. No excuses!!

If you plan to enroll in any Division I or Division II college or university, you must register with the NCAA Eligibility Center at the end of your junior year or at the beginning of your senior year. This does not apply to Division III schools. Please contact those schools individually for eligibility requirements.

In order to register, athletes must meet the NCAA eligibility requirements by taking the following courses in high school:

Division I (2008 and after) 16 Core Course Rule

  • 4 years of English
  • 3 years of mathematics (Algebra I and higher)
  • 2 years of science
  • 1 year of additional English, mathematics or science
  • 2 years of social science
  • 4 years of additional courses (from any area above, foreign language or nondoctrinal religion/philosophy) 

Division II (2005 and after) 14 Core Course Rule

  • 3 years of English
  • 2 years of mathematics (Algebra I and higher) 
  • 2 years of science
  • 2 years of additional English, mathematics or science
  • 2 years of social science
  • 3 years of additional courses (from any area above, foreign language or nondoctrinal religion/philosophy)

(*Computer science courses may only be used for initial eligibility purposes if the course receives graduation credit in mathematics or science and is listed as such on the high school's list of NCAA-approved core courses.)

Miscellaneous Helpful Information

  • Courses taken in 8th grade will satisfy core-course requirements as long as the courses are on the official high school transcript. (If an athlete took foreign language or math in middle school, he or she must have additional courses in grades 9-12. See your counselor for more information.)

  • Dual enrollment classes count in the core-course requirements.

  • Credit-by-Exams do not count in the core.

  • If you have attended another high school outside of Castleberry ISD, you must have that high school send an official transcript to the Eligibility Center even though those grades are on the CHS transcript.

  • Prospective student athletes must take either the SAT or the ACT. When you register for the test, you must enter the Eligibility Center as one of the institutions to receive your scores or have them sent by the testing corporation at a later date. The Eligibility Center no longer accepts the scores on the back of your transcript. We will send all test scores but they want official notification from the testing corporation.

In order to be eligible, students must achieve a certain score depending on their core GPA of the core courses listed above. The Eligibility Center has developed a test score sliding scale. For instance if you have a 2.4 GPA, you need at least an 860 on the SAT or a 71 on your ACT. The test score varies depending on your GPA. You can access this information on the NCAA Eligibility Center website.

NCAA Eligibility Center Registration

Prior to registering for the Eligibility Center, talk to your coach. Tell your coach of your intentions. Your Coaches are very valuable resources for student athletes and handle the NCAA Eligibility Center information and procedures. In addition, your academic counselor can also assist you with the process.

After you have discussed your future plans with your coach, register at www.ncaaclearinghouse.net. A student information brochure is available online as well as other helpful college and recruiting information. There is a registration fee. Waivers are available. Please see your CHS counselor for more information. Once you have registered, you will download two copies of an NCAA transcript release form. You and your parent will sign the forms, and you will bring them with one stamped addressed envelope to the counseling office. Mrs. Brown will send the Eligibility Center an official transcript at that time. She will later send an official copy of your final transcript upon graduation.

There is other information regarding athlete amateurism that you will provide to the Clearinghouse when you register. This is a new requirement.

Meeting the NCAA academic rules does not guarantee your admission into a college. You must still apply for admission to the college.

(Information provided by The NCAA Eligibility Center.)