National Letter of Intent

& Initial EligibilityOctober 2015 Rules Education

National Letter of Intent (NLI) Basics

• The NLI is a binding agreement between a prospective student-athlete and a NLI member institution

• A PSA agrees to attend the institution full-time for one academic year

• The institution agrees to provide athletics financial aid for one academic year

• If the agreement is not fulfilled: The student-athlete must serve one year in residence at the next NLI member institution and lose one year of competition in all sports

• Member institutions are required to cease recruitment of a PSA once an NLI is signed with another institution.

NLI Requirements

• The NLI MUST:

• Be accompanied by an athletics financial aid agreement

• A PSA not receiving athletics aid is not permitted to sign an NLI

• If the PSA declines the athletics aid in order to receive other institutional aid, the NLI must be declared null and void

• Include the NCAA ID

• Include a parent or legal guardian signature if the prospective student-athlete is under the age of 21

• Be signed within 7 days of the issuance date or by the end of the signing period (whichever is sooner).

• The NLI may not be signed prior to the signing dates for their applicable sport.

Reminder

• A coach or institutional representative may not hand deliver the NLI off campus or be present off campus at the time of signing.

• The NLI may be delivered by express mail, courier service, regular mail, e-mail or fax. An NLI submitted to an institution by electronic means is permissible.

Initial Eligibility

Academic Eligibility

• To be eligible, incoming freshmen MUST:

• Graduate from high school

• Complete the required 16 core courses

• Earn a 2.00 GPA or better in those core courses

• Earn a combined SAT score of 820 or a ACT sum score of 68

Required Core Courses

• 3 years (6 semesters) of English

• 2 years (4 semesters) of math (Algebra 1 or higher)

• 2 years (4 semesters) of natural or physical science

• 3 additional years (6 semesters) of English, math, or natural or physical science

• 2 years (4 semesters) of social science

• 4 years (8 semesters) of additional core courses

• Can be from any category above, foreign language, nondoctrinal religion or philosophy

Amateurism Eligibility

• All incoming student-athletes must be certified as an amateur.

• All college-bound student-athletes, including international students, need to adhere to NCAA amateurism requirements in order to preserve their eligibility for NCAA intercollegiate athletics.

For the staff at the NCAA Eligibility Center to certify a PSA’s amateur status, he/she must answer a questionnaire during registration. The questionnaire covers the following pre-collegiate enrollment activities:

• Contracts with professional teams

• Salary for participating in athletics

• Prize money

• Play with professionals

• Tryouts, practice or competition with a professional team

• Benefits from an agent or prospective agent

• Agreement to be represented by an agent

• Delayed initial full-time collegiate enrollment to participate in organized sports competition

Division II Qualifier

• All eligibility requirements are met

• A Qualifier may:

• Practice or compete for your college or university during their first year of college

• Receive an athletics scholarship during their first year of college

Division II Partial Qualifier

• Not all of the eligibility requirements are met but:

• The PSA has graduated high school

• One of the following conditions are present:

• The combined SAT score of 820 or ACT sum score of 68; or

• Completion of the 16 core courses with a 2.000 core-course GPA

Partial Qualifier (Cont.)

• A Division II Partial Qualifier may:

• Practice with your team at its home facility during their first year of college

• Receive athletically related financial aid during their first year of college

• Partial Qualifiers MAY NOT compete during their first year of college

Division II Nonqualifier

• A PSA will be considered a nonqualifier if he/she did not graduate from high school or if he/she graduated and are missing both the core-course grade-point average or minimum number of core courses and the required ACT or SAT scores

• A nonqualifier may not:

• Practice or compete during their first year of college

• Receive any athletically-related financial aid during their first year of college

Coming Changes

• Beginning August 1, 2018, to become a full or partial qualifier for Division II, all college-bound student-athletes MUST complete the 16 core-course requirement.

• This standard will apply to current sophomores in high school.

• The current Division II core GPA requirement is a minimum of 2.000. Division II core GPA required to be eligible for competition on or after August 1, 2018, is 2.200

• The minimum Division II core GPA required to receive athletics aid and practice as a partial qualifier on or after August 1, 2018, is 2.000

Coming Changes (Cont.)

• Division II currently requires a minimum SAT score of 820 or an ACT sum score of 68.

• Beginning August 1, 2018, Division II will use a sliding scale to match test scores and core-course GPA.

• The sliding scale for qualifiers and partial qualifiers can be found in the NCAA Manual.

• 14.3.1.1.3 Initial-Eligibility Index for Qualifiers

• 14.3.1.2.1 Initial-Eligibility Index for Partial Qualifiers

PSA Checklist• 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 10Register with the NCAA Eligibility Center at eligibilitycenter.org.

• Grade 11Check 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 12Finish your last NCAA core courses.

Take the ACT or SAT again, if necessary, and submit your scores to the NCAA using code 9999.

Complete all academic and amateurism questions in your NCAA Eligibility Center account at eligibilitycenter.org.

After you graduate, ask your counselor to submit your final official transcript with proof of graduation to the NCAA Eligibility Center.

Additional Links and Questions

• National Letter of Intent website

• NCAA Eligibility Center website

• Any further questions may be directed to the Compliance Office

• Anna Girdwood agirdwood@lindenwood.edu

• Massey Arnold marnold@lindenwood.edu