naIA
NAIA Eligibility Center More than 30,000 students register each year to become eligible to play college athletics.
Exposure & National Visibility:
Since opening in 2010, the NAIA Eligibility Center has had hundreds of thousands students register online providing unprecedented visibility and awareness of the opportunities to play intercollegiate sports at NAIA institutions. The exposure gained from partnerships with major testing services and the nation’s more than 20,000 high schools has allowed the center to become a platform for reaching high school student-athletes, their families and coaches on a national scale.
Level Playing Field:
NAIA rules help ensure that NAIA student-athletes compete against students with similar levels of training and competitive experience. The NAIA Eligibility Center reviews the experiences of athletes who have competed outside the traditional college setting to maintain a level playing field throughout NAIA competition. Coaches know that the rules are applied consistently to every student, every time. The NAIA Eligibility Center provides initial eligibility determinations, working with integrity to apply NAIA rules and provide quality customer service for students, parents and NAIA membership.
Focus on the Student-Athlete & Customer Service:
With NAIA rules, prospective students don’t have to worry about navigating a complex web of eligibility and recruiting contact rules. High school students have three academic eligibility criteria to focus on. If a student meets two of the criteria, then the student is eligible upon high school graduation:
• Cumulative GPA of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale
• Class rank in top 50% of graduating class
• If no class rank is on the transcript, nine college credits can be used in place of this requirement. (Effective May 1, 2020.)
• ACT of 18 or SAT of 970 Critical Reading and Math* Registering with the NAIA Eligibility Center is required for all first-time NAIA student-athletes. It only takes a few minutes to register.
High academic performers in high school can even receive a final eligibility determination before high school graduation, if they meet a higher GPA s
Select the NAIA Logo to find out more about registering with the NAIA Elgibility Center.