NCAA Amateurism Certification
Do I have to register with the NCAA Eligibility Center?
Yes. If you want to compete in NCAA Division I or II athletics in your first year of college, you must register with the NCAA Eligibility Center and be certified academically and as an amateur.
When should I register with the NCAA Eligibility Center?
Register for the NCAA Eligibility Center at the beginning of your junior year in high school. The “My Sports” section should be updated regularly so that colleges or universities recruiting you will have up-to-date information about you. Be sure to ask your high school counselor to send your high school transcript to the NCAA Eligibility Center after you have completed at least six semesters of high school coursework.
Is there a registration deadline?
No. However, you must be certified both academically and as an amateur before you are eligible to compete at an NCAA Division I or II college or university during your first year of collegiate enrollment.
What is the cost of the registration fee?
The registration fee is $65 for domestic college-bound student-athletes. There is only one fee to register for the NCAA Eligibility Center, which covers both the academic and amateurism certifications. In addition, there is no reduction of the fee if the college-bound student-athlete does not need an academic certification (e.g., has already served an academic year in residence at a collegiate institution).
May I receive a fee waiver?
Yes, you are eligible for a waiver of the initial-eligibility certification fee if you have already received a fee waiver (not a state voucher) for the ACT or SAT. If you have not been granted a fee waiver by ACT or SAT, then you will NOT be eligible for a waiver of the certification fee. If you are seeking a waiver of the certification fee, you should confirm your eligibility with your high school counselor. Your high school counselor MUST submit an electronic fee waiver confirmation before your registration may be processed.
Who can help me complete the amateurism registration process?
Anyone can assist you in completing the process. However, when you have completed the registration process, YOU will be the only person allowed to submit the information to the NCAA Eligibility Center.
If I complete the registration process but don't attend a Division I or II college or university immediately following high school, do I need to complete the registration process again if I want to attend a Division I or II college or university later?
Before being certified for an NCAA Division I or II college or university, you will be required to update the information you provided for the sports-participation questions. You will not be charged a registration fee to update your file. However, if you fail to submit all the documents required or if no NCAA school requests your eligibility status, your account will be discarded after five years, requiring you to pay a new fee if a certification is requested after that time.
Will a paper copy of the amateurism form be available?
No, the registration form will only be available on the NCAA Eligibility Center website and must be completed online.
Once I complete the amateurism questions, how long will it take to find out if I am certified as an amateur?
After you complete all of the questions, the length of time it will take for you to receive your "preliminary status report" will depend on the answers you provided.
Can I receive different amateurism certifications for Divisions I and II?
Yes. Divisions I and II have different rules, so it is possible that your certification status may be different for each division.
How often can I update my information?
You can update your information as often as you need until you request a final certification of your amateurism status. At that point, you will no longer be able to update your amateurism information.
When can I request final amateurism certification?
Beginning April 1 for fall enrollees and beginning October 1 for spring/winter enrollees.
Who will be certified?
Every college-bound student-athlete who is attending an NCAA Division I or II college or university for the first time, must be certified by the NCAA Eligibility Center.
Am I automatically ineligible if I violated the amateurism rules?
No. The NCAA Eligibility Center will review your sports-participation history. If there are violations of NCAA amateurism rules, the NCAA Eligibility Center may certify you with conditions, which must be fulfilled before you are eligible for competition. The conditions will be set based on which rule was violated and the severity of the violation. Such conditions may include repayment of money or sitting out of competition for a specified number of games, or both. In some cases, the NCAA Eligibility Center may determine that the violations are such that permanent ineligibility for competition is the appropriate penalty.
Can I appeal a certification decision regarding my amateur status?
Yes. The NCAA has an appeals process in place if you choose to appeal the certification decision. You will need to work with an NCAA college or university since all appeals must be filed by the college or university staff.
Source: NCAA & The NCAA Eligibility Center
Yes. If you want to compete in NCAA Division I or II athletics in your first year of college, you must register with the NCAA Eligibility Center and be certified academically and as an amateur.
When should I register with the NCAA Eligibility Center?
Register for the NCAA Eligibility Center at the beginning of your junior year in high school. The “My Sports” section should be updated regularly so that colleges or universities recruiting you will have up-to-date information about you. Be sure to ask your high school counselor to send your high school transcript to the NCAA Eligibility Center after you have completed at least six semesters of high school coursework.
Is there a registration deadline?
No. However, you must be certified both academically and as an amateur before you are eligible to compete at an NCAA Division I or II college or university during your first year of collegiate enrollment.
What is the cost of the registration fee?
The registration fee is $65 for domestic college-bound student-athletes. There is only one fee to register for the NCAA Eligibility Center, which covers both the academic and amateurism certifications. In addition, there is no reduction of the fee if the college-bound student-athlete does not need an academic certification (e.g., has already served an academic year in residence at a collegiate institution).
May I receive a fee waiver?
Yes, you are eligible for a waiver of the initial-eligibility certification fee if you have already received a fee waiver (not a state voucher) for the ACT or SAT. If you have not been granted a fee waiver by ACT or SAT, then you will NOT be eligible for a waiver of the certification fee. If you are seeking a waiver of the certification fee, you should confirm your eligibility with your high school counselor. Your high school counselor MUST submit an electronic fee waiver confirmation before your registration may be processed.
Who can help me complete the amateurism registration process?
Anyone can assist you in completing the process. However, when you have completed the registration process, YOU will be the only person allowed to submit the information to the NCAA Eligibility Center.
If I complete the registration process but don't attend a Division I or II college or university immediately following high school, do I need to complete the registration process again if I want to attend a Division I or II college or university later?
Before being certified for an NCAA Division I or II college or university, you will be required to update the information you provided for the sports-participation questions. You will not be charged a registration fee to update your file. However, if you fail to submit all the documents required or if no NCAA school requests your eligibility status, your account will be discarded after five years, requiring you to pay a new fee if a certification is requested after that time.
Will a paper copy of the amateurism form be available?
No, the registration form will only be available on the NCAA Eligibility Center website and must be completed online.
Once I complete the amateurism questions, how long will it take to find out if I am certified as an amateur?
After you complete all of the questions, the length of time it will take for you to receive your "preliminary status report" will depend on the answers you provided.
Can I receive different amateurism certifications for Divisions I and II?
Yes. Divisions I and II have different rules, so it is possible that your certification status may be different for each division.
How often can I update my information?
You can update your information as often as you need until you request a final certification of your amateurism status. At that point, you will no longer be able to update your amateurism information.
When can I request final amateurism certification?
Beginning April 1 for fall enrollees and beginning October 1 for spring/winter enrollees.
Who will be certified?
Every college-bound student-athlete who is attending an NCAA Division I or II college or university for the first time, must be certified by the NCAA Eligibility Center.
Am I automatically ineligible if I violated the amateurism rules?
No. The NCAA Eligibility Center will review your sports-participation history. If there are violations of NCAA amateurism rules, the NCAA Eligibility Center may certify you with conditions, which must be fulfilled before you are eligible for competition. The conditions will be set based on which rule was violated and the severity of the violation. Such conditions may include repayment of money or sitting out of competition for a specified number of games, or both. In some cases, the NCAA Eligibility Center may determine that the violations are such that permanent ineligibility for competition is the appropriate penalty.
Can I appeal a certification decision regarding my amateur status?
Yes. The NCAA has an appeals process in place if you choose to appeal the certification decision. You will need to work with an NCAA college or university since all appeals must be filed by the college or university staff.
Requesting Final Amateurism Certification
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• Navigate to your "My Planner" page by logging onto your account at www.eligibilitycenter.org. • Then select the red "Request Final Amateurism" button to begin. Notes: There is a tool tip that says "Click here to complete the request final amateurism certification process for this sport" which is displayed when you place the mouse over the red button. • The "My Eligibility Status" section is only displayed if a successful payment has been made for your registration (via credit card or e-check) or has been marked as "Fee Waiver Approved." College-bound student-athletes who have not paid or have a fee waiver pending will not be able to view the "My Eligibility Status" section and, therefore, cannot "Request Final Amateurism Certification." |
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• This page requires you to review your sports participation information and to check the box certifying that you have read and agree to the statements at the bottom of the page. • You can click the edit icon (in the shape of a pencil) if you need to update any information. If you select this button, it will take you back to the "My Sports" section for this sport to make changes or review more details. Then, you will need to start the final amateurism request process at the beginning from the "My Planner" page. • The "Continue – Request Final" button will not be available until you have checked the box stating you have read and agree to the statements on the page. |
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• Once you have read and agree to the statements, click the "Continue – Request Final" button. |
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• An orange box will appear stating "You have successfully requested your final amateurism certification for (your sport)." • Click "Ok." |
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• The button will now appear blue (completed) and should read: "Final Amateurism Requested." Note: There is a tool tip that says "You have already requested final amateurism certification for this sport. Click here to view the information you submitted." It is displayed when you place the mouse over the blue button. • If you click the blue button, you will get a read-only version of your sports-participation information (screen shot on Page No. 2). • Once you have requested your final amateurism for a sport, you can no longer edit the information you provided. * If you have registered for other sports you plan to participate in, follow the same instructions to request final amateurism for each sport. |
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• Once you have completed your request(s), click on "My Task List" to mark this task(s) as complete. NOTE: Each college-bound student-athlete will only get one task assigned, regardless of how many sports he or she has selected during registration. |
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• Under the "Open Tasks" tab, click the box to mark the "Request Final Amateurism Certification" task as complete. |
| • Click the green text "Click here once you have completed this task" to confirm you have successfully completed the task. |
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• Confirm you are sure you want to mark this task as complete by clicking "Yes" or "No." |
| • If you have no other tasks to complete, your task bar will turn blue. You can view this task or any other completed tasks under the "Completed Tasks" tab. |
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Source: NCAA & The NCAA Eligibility Center
