Butler Athletic Department

NCAA Eligibility

What is the NCAA? The National Collegiate Athletic Association is an organization of colleges and universities who have joined together to promote athletics and academics at the collegiate level. This organization sets standards by which member schools must adhere in order to participate in various sports. Athletes, coaches and school officials are all subject to these standards. All students entering college for the first time and who wish to participate in intercollegiate athletics must meet Initial NCAA Eligibility requirements.

Why should I be concerned about this when entering ninth grade? If you are a high school student athlete and you have thought at all about playing a sport in college you should become aware of the NCAA’s initial eligibility requirements. The courses you take in high school are used to determine whether you can play a sport in college. Under NCAA guidelines a student must take various CORE courses to be eligible to play at the Division I and II levels. These core course requirements are the same for every sport but are slightly different between Divisions I and II. NOT all Courses in the Butler Area School District meet NCAA Core course requirements. For some students this could affect your scheduling choices. (There are no requirements for Division III schools.)

What is a Core Course? Generally speaking a high school course is considered a core course if it is also considered college preparatory in nature. Most courses in English, Science, Mathematics, Social Studies and Foreign Language in the Butler Area School District are approved NCAA core courses, but not all. Computer courses, Vo-Tech, music and art courses, in fact most elective courses are not core courses. This does not mean you do not schedule these types of courses; it is just that the NCAA does not look at them to determine initial eligibility.

How do I know which courses are CORE courses? Included in this pamphlet is a list of the courses in Butler Area School District that are approved by the NCAA. You can also find this list on the NCAA clearing house web site at www.ncaaclearinghouse.net. If you continue scheduling under almost all of the school districts scheduling tracks you will also meet NCAA eligibility requirements. Your high school counselor can also help you understand these requirements.

What are the NCAA requirements? For students entering college in 2005 a student must have taken and passed 14 core courses to play or receive financial aid. Those requirements will change for students entering college in 2008

2005 requirements Div. I & II

14 core courses

4 years of English

2 years of Math (Algebra I or

higher)

2 years of Science (1 lab science)

1 year additional of English. Math

or science

2 years of social science

3 years of additional courses in

any of above areas, foreign

language, religion/philosophy.

2008 requirements Div. I & II

16 core course Div I only

14 core courses Div II only

4 years of English

3 years of Math (Algebra I or

higher)

2 years of Science (1 lab science)

1 year additional English, math science

2 years of social science

4 years of additional courses in

any of the above areas, foreign

language, religion/philosophy.

Students must also meet minimum requirements for core course Grade Point Average (GPA) and SAT/ACT test scores. Your Grade Point Average for the NCAA is calculated only from the core courses you take; classes such as Phys. ED and Art are not included. Check the NCAA Clearinghouse web site for more detailed information. www.ncaaclearinghouse.net. The Butler Area School district code for the web site is 390500.

When do I need to apply for initial eligibility? At the earliest a student athlete should apply the summer of their junior year but no later than the beginning of the spring semester of their senior year.

How do I apply? Apply on line at the NCAA Clearinghouse web site, www.ncaaclearinghouse.net. On this web site is a student initial eligibility guidebook that helps you understand the process and gives you tips on how the NCAA will determine your eligibility. There is a fee for a student to apply for the eligibility determination. The Butler Area School district code number when applying is 390500.

Butler Area School District

NCAA Core Courses:

Basic English 9

English 9 Avg.

Hon. English 9

Hon. Gifted English 9

CTP Communications 1

Basic English 10

English 10 Avg

Hon. English 10

Hon. Gifted English 10

CTP Communications 2

Basic English 11

English 11 Avg.

Hon. English 11

AP English 11

AP Gifted English 11

CTP Communications 3

Basic English 12

English 12 Avg.

Hon. English 12

AP English 12

AP Gifted English 12

CTP Communications 4

Creative Journal Writing

Journalism III

IHS English Make-up 1 &2

Speech and Debate

Vocabulary & Critical Thinking

Anatomy/Phys. App Health Tech

French 1

French 1 Gifted

French 2

French 3

AP French 5 Gifted

German 1

German 2

German 3

German 4

AP German 5

AP German 5 Gifted

Religious Literature

Japanese 1

Japanese 2

Japanese 3

Japanese 4

Spanish 1

Spanish 2

Spanish 3

Spanish 4

AP Spanish 5 Gifted

Latin 1

Latin 2

Latin 3

Latin 4

World History

World History Ave

World History Hon.

World History Gifted

World Cultures Basic

World Cultures Ave.

World Cultures Hon.

World Cultures Gifted

American Survey Ave.

American Survey Hon.

American Govt. Ave.

American Govt. Hon.

AP American History

AP Gifted American Hist.

AP European Hist.

AP gifted European Hist.

AP Comparative Govt. & Politics

Economics Ave

Economics Hon.

Pursuit of Justice

World Cult. Make-up

Psychology

Sociology

Basic Algebra I

Algebra 2

Algebra 2 hon.

Algebra 2 Hon. Gifted

Precalculus Part 1 &2

Pre-Calculus Hon.

AP Calculus

AP Calculus Gifted

AP Calculus BC

AP Calculus BC Gift

Elem. Algebra 1&2

Elem. Geometry

Geometry

Geometry Hon.

Geometry Hon/Gifted

AP Statistics

AP Statistics gifted

CTP Algebra 1

CTP Algebra 2

CTP Geometry

Biology Basic

Biology Avg

Biology Hon

Comp. Science

Oceanography

Molecular Bio

Anatomy/Physi

AP Biology

AP Biology Gift

Chemistry Avg.

Chemistry Hon

AP Chemistry

AP Chem. Gifted

Ecology & Envir.

Forensic Science

Intro to Science

Sci. Tech & Soc.

Energy Work

Physics

Physics Hon

Physics Gifted

AP Physics

AP Physics Gift

CTP Science 9

CTP Biology

CTP Chemistry

CTP Physics 1

CTP Physics 2

Contact your high School

Counselor If you have

further questions.