The NCAA Clearinghouse is an organization affiliated with the NCAA that evaluates students' academic records to determine if they are eligible to play in Division I or Division II colleges. See NCAA Clearinghouse Basics for more information.
Student athletes must register with the NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse to be eligible to play NCAA Division I or Division II sports in college. (Athletes playing in NCAA Division III do not have to register.) The NCAA recommends that student athletes register with the clearinghouse at the beginning of their junior year in high school, but many students register after their junior year. There is no registration deadline, but students must be cleared by the clearinghouse before they receive athletic scholarships or compete at a Division I or Division II institution.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the NCAA academic eligibility requirements?
To play sports at an NCAA Division I or Division II institution, the student must:
- Complete a certain number of high school core courses (defined below)
- Earn a certain minimum grade point average in these core courses
- Earn a certain minimum score on the SAT or ACT (for Division I, this is scaled according to the student's core-course GPA)
- Graduate from high school
For more information, see the NCAA's Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete, available at the Publications section of the NCAA website.
What are core courses?
"Core courses" is the name that the NCAA gives to high school courses that meet certain academic criteria specified by the association. Students must complete a certain number of core courses for NCAA Division I and II eligibility.
How are high school courses classified as core courses?
All participating high schools submit lists of the courses that they offer that meet NCAA core-course criteria. If approved, the courses are added to a database that the NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse maintains. To check West Essex Regional High School's list of approved core courses, please visit the High School Administration page and enter the West Essex CEEB/ACT code 311579.
Please click here for a list of additional online resources for student athletes.