Find It Fast

NCAA Elgibility

Stevenson athletes on signing day
NCAA Eligibility Center

The NCAA Eligibility Center certifies the academic and amateur credentials of all college-bound student-athletes who wish to compete in NCAA Division I or II athletics.

Read our NCAA Eligibility Guide (PDF) 

What is the NCAA?

The National Collegiate Athletic Association, or NCAA, was established in 1906 and serves as the athletics governing body for more than 1,280 colleges, universities, conferences and organizations. The national office is in Indianapolis, but the member colleges and universities develop the rules and guidelines for athletics eligibility and athletics competition for each of the three NCAA divisions. The NCAA is committed to the student-athlete and to governing competition in a fair, safe, inclusive and sportsmanlike manner.

The NCAA’s membership includes:

  • 331 active Division I members
  • 291 active Division II members
  • 429 active Division III members

One of the differences among the three divisions is that colleges and universities in Divisions I and II may offer athletics scholarships, while Division III colleges and universities may not.

  • Please contact the NCAA when you have questions like these:
  • What are the rules and regulations related to initial eligibility?
  • What are the rules and regulations related to amateurism?
  • What are the regulations about transferring from one college to another?
  • What are the rules about athletics scholarships and how can they be reduced or canceled?
  • I have an education-impacting disability. Are there any other requirements for me?
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics

The NAIA is an alternative organization to the NCAA. Membership consists of nearly 300 smaller colleges and universities from the United States and Canada. The NAIA recruitment process is less cumbersome, with fewer restrictions on the contact a student-athlete and coach can make. For more information go to their website at http://www.naia.org/.

Online Recruiting Services

(not affiliated with Stevenson H.S.)