If you are interested in playing an NCAA sport in college, please see the information below and a helpful timeline for recruitment.
If you are considering DI or DII you need to be certified by the NCAA Eligibility Center to compete at an NCAA Division I or II school. Create a Certification Account and the NCAA will guide you through the process. **You need to create a Certification Account and pay the fee to make official visits to Divisions I and II schools or to sign a National Letter of Intent.
If you are considering DIII or undecided, Create a free Profile Page if you plan to compete at a Division III school or are not yet sure where you want to compete.
If you wish to pursue athletics at the college level (Division I, II or III) you must create an NCAA account. I have attached the NCAA College Bound Student Athlete Booklet below. Once you have read through that, you must create your account by Friday, June 14th so your counselor can upload your transcript.
***In January 2023, NCAA Divisions I and II adopted legislation to remove standardized test scores from initial-eligibility requirements for all student-athletes who initially enroll full time on or after August 1, 2023. Check with the NCAA school you plan to attend regarding whether standardized test scores are necessary for admission or scholarship requirements. **
Academic Standards for Initial-Eligibility Academic Standards The NCAA Eligibility Center verifies the academic and amateur status of all student-athletes who wish to compete in Division I or II athletics.
College-bound student-athletes who want to practice, compete and receive athletically related financial aid during their first year at a Division I or II school need to meet the following requirements:
Graduate from high school. Complete a minimum of 16 core courses for Division I or II ( SEE NCAA WEBSITE) Earn a minimum required grade-point average in core courses. Earn a qualifying test score on either the ACT or SAT. Request final amateurism certification from the NCAA Eligibility Center.
For Division I student-athletes, the following must be completed in addition to the above standards:
Earn at least a 2.3 grade-point average in core courses. Meet an increased sliding-scale standard (for example, an SAT score of 820 requires a 2.5 high school core course GPA) Successfully complete 10 of the 16 total required core courses before the start of their seventh semester in high school. Seven of the 10 courses must be completed in English, math and science. Students who earn at least a 2.0 GPA and meet the current sliding-scale standard will be eligible for practice in the first term and athletically related financial aid the entire year, but not competition. Freshmen who are academically successful in the first term will earn the ability to continue to practice for the remainder of the year.
Division III colleges and universities set their admission standards. The NCAA does not set initial eligibility requirements in Division III.
Junior Year
If you play a team sport, consider making a video of your play that you can send to coaches who cannot see you play in person. You may want to create a highlight reel!
Contact the admissions offices online and ask them for information about the programs that interest you and send a cover letter to coaches.
Visit colleges over spring break of junior year. These visits are crucial, to discover your preferences early on in the process. (Coaches will start to ask about your college preferences by mid-late summer.)
Be sure to make an appointment for a tour and information session in the admissions office. Call or e-mail coaches to make appointments to meet them before or after your admissions office appointments. Bring an unofficial transcript.
Plan more college visits for June. It is important to front-load your summer visits so that you know your preferences before the summer “recruitment dance” begins in July.
Senior Year
By now, you should have a 8-10 colleges and know your favorites. You should also have an idea of which of these colleges are very interested in you as an athlete.
During September and October, you may make a few more college visits, to meet team members and get to know the college and athletic program better. (These may be “official” visits for Division I colleges. Again, check the rules for campus visits at ncaaeligibilitycenter.org.) These visits are often the last chance for you and the coach to assess your interest in one another.
Work hard on your college applications! Remember, it is always the admissions office that admits prospective athletes, not the coach.
With luck, college coaches will have made some sort of admissions assurances by October—on the condition that you commit to attend the college of course. If your first-choice college starts making such overtures, you’re in luck! Remember, however, that some coaches are more reliable than others; be careful about promises and predictions and see your counselor.
By mid-December, Early Decision (“ED”) applicants hear back from admission offices and most of the college athletic recruitment is over. Athletic recruits denied admission in the ED round may apply to another college in a later, Early Decision II round. See your counselor if you were denied or deferred in ED and have a definite second-choice college. While coaches have less influence on admissions decisions in the “regular” admissions round, it’s not too late to consider how you communicate with coaches about your commitment to a particular school. Again, see your counselor
SAMPLE INTEREST LETTER:
Dear Coach Vulcano I am a junior (class of 2025) at Notre Dame School of Manhattan, and I am very interested inattending _________________ and playing on your baseball team. I have started on the XXXXXX varsity softball teamsince my freshman year, pitching and playing second base. Last year (my sophomore year) mypitching record was 8-1, with a 3.27 ERA, and I batted .367 with 23 RBIs. I have also gained somevaluable experience outside of school, in a variety of softball camps, including the Power PlayBaseball Camp, Brown University’s camp and Powell Brothers’ camp. This summer, I will attendthe Brown camp again, the PAL Showcase, and the New England All-Stars. I would be very interested to learn more about your softball program and what contributionyou think I might make to your team in the future. Of course, I will contact your admissionsoffice as well, to learn more about your school’s educational opportunities, particularly inEnglish and economics/business.