If you are planning to attend a Division I or Division II college you need to start thinking about the courses you are taking. You should consider the following: the core courses required, if you have repeated a grade, gone to an International HS and what you need to do. NCAA has specific requirements for eligibility.
Core Courses Required
There are 16 core course requirements for a Division I and II colleges.
Course Division I Division II
English 4 years 3 years
Math (Algebra 1 or higher) 3 years 2years
Natural/physical science 2 years 2 years
(1 year of lab if offered by high school)
Add’l English, math or natural/physical sci 1year 2 years
Social science 2 years 2years
Additional courses 4 years 3 years
(from any area above, foreign language or non-doctrinal religion/philosophy)
Repeating a Grade
From the time you enter ninth grade for the first time, you have four years or eight semesters to complete your core-course requirement. This is critically important for students who have repeated a grade.
When repeating a grade upon entering Deerfield, you may lose NCAA credit for one or more classes-often in English, occasionally in Math-taken at your previous school. If NCAA deems that two courses duplicate each other, they will deny credit for one. As a result, we recommend that Juniors double up on English by adding a senior English. If you would like to appeal their decision, you may submit materials (course descriptions and syllabi) from both courses. The latter works best when you have a Division I or Division II college already interested in you. Otherwise, NCAA will not review your courses until your last year in high school (junior year for repeat students), which is often too late to make a change.
Overt interest from a Division I or II college can be a powerful catalyst. If a college is interested in you, they can act on your behalf in facilitating an early decision of eligibility, which could obviate the need for you to double up on English. Final approval would be based on a completed transcript.
What you need to do (this list and more detailed information can be found on the NCAA website)
Freshman and Sophomores Must:
- Start planning now!
- Work hard to get the best grades possible
- Take classes that match your high school’s list of NCAA courses.
- If you fall behind, use summer school sessions before graduation to catch up.
Juniors (or students in their third-year of eligibility) Must:
- At the beginning of you junior year, log on to the NCAA Eligibility Center website at www.eligibilitycenter.org and register.
- Register to take the ACT, SAT or both and use the NCAA Eligibility Center code “9999” as a score recipient. (test score requirements listed on the website)
- Double check to make sure that you are taking courses that match your high school’s list of NCAA courses.
- Request that your high school official transcript be sent to NCAA Eligibility Center after completing your junior year.-No Faxes (go to NCAA Transcript Request form or see Ms. Loveland in Academic Deans Office).
- Prior to registration for your senior year, check with the academic dean’s office and the NCAA Eligibility Center to determine the number of core courses that need to be completed your senior year.
If you have questions or need help please contact me or Peter Warsaw, Academic Dean. Refer to the NCAA website at www.ncaa.org for more information.
Thank You,
Mrs. Thiel