NCAA Approved Courses: What are the NCAA Core Courses?
The NCAA core courses requirements are part of the DI and DII eligibility requirements. In order to be eligible to compete and receive an athletic scholarship, you will need to take and pass a minimum of 16 core courses, covering subjects such as English, math, natural/physical science, social science, foreign language, comparative religion or philosophy.
TOP TIP: There are slightly different eligibility requirements for NCAA DI and DII, however in most cases, if you are eligible at the DI level, you will also be eligible at the DII level. So with this in mind, it is best to schedule your courses to meet the DI requirements so you can be assured of being eligible at both division levels.
REQUIREMENTS
DIVISION I
- Graduate High School
- Earn a core-course GPA of 2.3 or higher
- Complete 16 core courses
- 4 years of English
- 3 years of math
- 2 years of natural/physical science
(1 year MUST be a lab science if your school offers it)
- 2 years of social science
- 4 additional years of English, math, natural/physical science, social science, foreign language, comparative religion or philosophy.
You must complete 10 of the core courses by the end of your junior year (before the start of your seventh semester). Seven of the 10 core courses need to be in English, math or natural/physical science. The grades in seven courses will need to be ‘locked in,’ meaning you will not be allowed to retake them to improve your grades.
DIVISION II
- Graduate high school
- Earn a core-course GPA of 2.0 or higher
- Complete 16 core courses
- 3 years of English
- 2 years of math
- 2 years of Natural/physical science
- 1 year must be lab science if your school offers it
- 3 additional years of English, math or natural/physical science
- 2 years of social science
- 4 additional years of English, math, natural/physical science, social science, foreign language, competitive religion or philosophy.
- Earn an SAT combined score or ACT sum score matching your core-course GPA on the DII sliding scale
- Receive final certification on your amateurism status via the NCAA Eligibility Centre
DIVISION III
Division III schools are responsible for setting their own academic eligibility rules. If you are going to be competing for a DIII institution, or if you are unsure what division level you’ll be competing at, you can start with a free NCAA Profile page. If you do decide to pursue a DI or DII program, you can always transition to a Certification Account later.
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