National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)
Early Preparation – Academically, Athletically, and Psychologically
On the academic side, the NCAA Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete is a MUST. This Guide can be accessed online via the NCAA website (click on academics & athletics then go to eligibility & recruiting) or purchased at the CAEP Seminar and Workshops.

The NCAA Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete provides information on NCAA rules for progressing from being a prospective student-athlete to a collegiate student-athlete. NCAA president Myles Brand said, “Good athletics is about winning in competition at games. Good academics combined with athletics are about winning in life.”

NCAA Eligibility Center (formerly NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse)
On November 1, 2007, amateurism and academic eligibility certification of prospective student-athletes moved “in house” to the NCAA Eligibility Center. The NCAA Eligibility Center is responsible for data collection and evaluation of both athletic participation (amateurism) and academic record. If prospective student-athletes plan to participate in intercollegiate athletics at a NCAA Division I or II institution, they must have both their academic and amateurism status certified by the NCAA Eligibility Center before representing the institution in competition. Prospective student-athletes from Division III, NAIA, NJCAA or community college institutions are not required to register with the NCAA Eligibility Center for either academic or amateurism review.

At the beginning of a student-athlete’s junior year (which officially begins September 1), the student-athlete must register online with the NCAA Eligibility Center and complete the NCAA Amateurism Questionnaire and the Student Release Form. This Student Release Form does two things:

• It authorizes each high school the prospective student-athlete has attended to send the NCAA Eligibility Center your transcript, test scores, proof of graduation and other necessary academic information.
• It authorizes the NCAA Eligibility Center to send the prospective student-athlete’s academic information to all colleges that requested his/her eligibility status.

Then, on or as soon as possible after April 1 one’s senior year, the prospective student-athlete will need to return to the NCAA Eligibility Center Web site to update and complete the Amateurism Questionnaire and request a final amateurism certification. Again, there is no additional fee required to update information beyond the initial fee.

The NCAA Eligibility Center only determines whether a prospective student-athlete meets NCAA requirements as a freshman student-athlete in a NCAA Division I or Division II college to be able to compete, practice and receive an athletics scholarship; it is the college that accepts one as a student. Final eligibility is not established until completion of high school. A preliminary eligibility report is sent mid-senior year. The student-athlete should ensure that a transcript is sent after he/she has completed at least 6 semesters of high school coursework and a final transcript is sent from the high school to the NCAA Eligibility Center.

Types of Financial Aid Available
Financial aid refers to money the student-athlete receives from the college or other source, such as outside loans or grants. Financial aid may be athletically related or based on something else, such as academic achievement or financial need. It is also referred to as a scholarship.

Financial aid/assistance beyond athletic scholarships:

• Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
  
• Grants such as Pell Grant (government)
  
• Student Aid Report (SAR)
  
• Work Study
• Loans:
  - Stafford Loans
  - Perkins Loans
  - Plus Loans