Chariot Learning
  • About
    • FAQ
    • Our Curriculum
    • Areas Chariot Learning Serves
  • Services
    • SAT & ACT Prep
    • SAT/ACT TestFlip
    • Academic Coaching
    • Subject Tutoring
    • Strategic Reading Club
    • Proctored Practice Tests
    • GRE Prep
    • College Essay Coaching
    • Roots2Words
  • Calendar
  • Testimonials
  • Blog
  • Resources
  • Contact
October 23, 2017 by Mike Bergin

NCAA SAT & ACT Eligibility Requirements

We all know how influential the SAT & ACT are in college admissions. However, not everyone realizes that the big tests also play a role in college athletics. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) oversees the Division I, II, and III sports with the philosophy that graduating from college is as important an achievement as winning on the field. One of the ways the NCAA manages the success of its student-athletes is by ensuring high school graduates are academically prepared for college coursework.

The NCAA requires college-bound student-athletes to meet a core-course progression requirement to be eligible to compete in the initial year of full-time enrollment at an Division I school. NCAA Eligibility Requirements also establish minimum requirements for grades and test scores on a sliding scale, which means the lower your GPA is, the higher your SAT or ACT scores must be if you want to play Division I sports in your first year of college:

NCAAAcademicRequirements2016

The eligibility requirements are not exactly stringent: a student with a GPA of 3.5 or higher needs a combined SAT EBRW/M score of 400, which you get for writing your name and leaving the rest of the test blank! Even a 2.3 GPA, which is equivalent to a C+ or 78 average, requires an ACT score in the 43rd percentile or, if that’s too tough, an SAT score around the 20th percentile. Curiously, the NCAA has always looked at the sum of the four multiple-choice ACT section, rather than the traditional average.

The good news for students seeking Division I eligibility is that NCAA superscores both the SAT and ACT, although the organization will not combine section scores from the current SAT with scores taken prior to March 2016. The bad news for some is that students with GPAs lower than 2.3 are automatically redshirted as freshmen, which means they will not be eligible to compete no matter how high their test scores are.

Note that NCAA has added Division II test score requirements as well, but they are even less demanding than Division I. Since these requirements shift over time, anyone interested in becoming an NCAA student-athlete should register with the NCAA Eligibility Center.

ACT NCAA SAT sports

Previous article5 Proven Methods to Enhance LearningNext article Better Takes Practice
Mike Bergin
Tens of thousands of students a year prep for the SAT & ACT through programs Mike Bergin created or organized. After more than 25 years of intensive experience in the education industry, he's done it all as a teacher, tutor, director, curriculum developer, blogger, podcaster, and best-selling author. Mike founded Chariot Learning in 2009 to deliver on the promise of what truly transformative individualized education can and should be.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Helping high schoolers with tests, school, and life is what Chariot Learning is all about. Let us know how we can help you!

Latest Posts

  • Self-Control and Score Outcomes
  • Tests as Equalizers and Predictors of Success
  • Beginner’s Mindset for Advanced Results
  • Make This Your Year of Preparation
  • Who Benefits from Admissions Tests?

What is TestFlip?

Learn about the ultimate in self-directed supplemental SAT/ACT prep, powered by Chariot Learning:

  • Decide your habits well. Your habits decide your future.
    by chariotlearning 6 months ago
    Decide your habits well. Your habits decide your future.
  • The depth of your struggle determines the height of your success.
    by chariotlearning 6 months ago
    The depth of your struggle determines the height of your success.
  • Be stronger than your excuses!
    by chariotlearning 6 months ago
    Be stronger than your excuses!
  • Believe in yourself, champ.
    by chariotlearning 6 months ago
    Believe in yourself, champ.
  • Knowledge isn
    by chariotlearning 6 months ago
    Knowledge isn't free. You have to pay attention.
  • Bring a little extra to your day ;)
    by chariotlearning 6 months ago
    Bring a little extra to your day ;)
  • The one thing you can control is your effort.
    by chariotlearning 6 months ago
    The one thing you can control is your effort.
  • Consistency for the work week. Intensity for the weekend!
    by chariotlearning 6 months ago
    Consistency for the work week. Intensity for the weekend!

Subscribe to Mike’s Podcast

Subscribe to Tests and the Rest

PARENT GROUP AND NEWSLETTER

Are you an Upstate New York parent with questions about college admissions, testing, and scholarships? The Upstate NY College Conversations Facebook group is for you. Join today!

And also sign up for College Road, our free email newsletter delivering expert educational advice, test news, admissions action steps, special offers, and more.

Testimonials

We honestly can’t say enough about how great a tutor Mike Bergin is... He had a great rapport with our son, taught him so much, and kept things upbeat and positive. The outcome was that our son got an ACT score of 34 on his first try!

Lisa & Joel, Hastings-on-Hudson parents

Read more testimonials...

PODCAST

Tests and the Rest is the ultimate college admissions industry podcast. Join Mike Bergin and Amy Seeley every Tuesday and Friday as they discuss the latest issues in testing, admissions, learning, and education with leading experts.
© 2023 Chariot Learning, LLC. All rights reserved.