If you want to compete in NCAA sports at a Division II school, you need to register with the NCAA Eligibility Center to make sure you stay on track to meet initial-eligibility standards.
If you have questions about your eligibility or the registration process, call us toll free at 1-877-262-1492. International students should submit their questions via our International Contact Form.
Register with the NCAA Eligibility Center
Get Ready. Get Set. Go!
Grade 9
- Ask your counselor for a list of your high school’s NCAA core courses to make sure you take the right classes.
Grade 10
Grade 11
- Check with your counselor to make sure you will graduate on time with the required number of NCAA core courses.
- Take the ACT or SAT and submit your scores to the NCAA using code 9999.
- At the end of the year, ask your counselor to upload your official transcript to the NCAA Eligibility Center.
Grade 12
Division II Academic Eligibility
To be eligible to compete in NCAA sports during your first year at a Division II school, you must meet academic requirements for your core courses, grade-point average (GPA) and test scores.
You must graduate high school and meet ALL the following requirements:
- Complete 16 core courses:
- Three years of English.
- Two years of math (Algebra 1 or higher).
- Two years of natural or physical science (including one year of lab science if your high school offers it).
- Three additional years of English, math or natural or physical science
- Two years of social science
- Four additional years of English, math, natural or physical science, social science, foreign language, comparative religion or philosophy
- Earn at least a 2.2 GPA in your core courses.
- Earn an SAT combined score or ACT sum score matching your core-course GPA on the Division II sliding scale, which balances your test score and core-course GPA. If you have a low test score, you need a higher core-course GPA to be eligible. If you have a low core-course GPA, you need a higher test score to be eligible.
For more details about the Eligibility Center’s response to COVID-19, click here.
What if I don’t meet the requirements?
If you enroll full-time at a Division II school, and you have not met all the Division II academic requirements, you may not compete in your first year. However, college-bound student-athletes that do not meet Division II full qualifier standards will be deemed a partial qualifier. All Division II partial qualifiers may receive an athletics scholarship and practice during their first year of full-time enrollment at a Division II school, but may NOT compete.
If you are concerned you may not meet the Division II academic requirements, consider taking the following actions:
- Ask for advice and accountability from your high school counselor. Check in with the admissions or compliance office at the college you hope to attend.
- Get tutoring or other study help.
- Graduate on time. Division I schools allow college-bound student-athletes who graduate on-time to take one core course during the year after they graduate high school.
- Avoid quick fixes through credit recovery programs. These courses may not be accepted by the NCAA.
- Keep your coursework. If the NCAA Eligibility Center needs to review your record due to irregularities, you may be asked to provide your coursework.
- Follow your high school’s policies. The best thing to do is work within the rules.
Amateurism
The NCAA promotes amateurism to create a level playing field for all student-athletes. The young men and women who play college sports are students first, athletes second. If you want to play NCAA sports at a Division II school you must be an amateur athlete.
For more details about the Eligibility Center’s amateurism response to COVID-19, click here.
