Navigating NCAA Eligibility for Graduate Student-Athletes

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) sets forth specific eligibility rules that student-athletes must adhere to, encompassing academic, amateurism, and participation standards. These rules are especially important for graduate students who wish to continue their athletic careers while pursuing advanced degrees. Understanding these regulations, including the duration of eligibility, is crucial for effective long-term athletic planning.

Understanding NCAA Eligibility

NCAA eligibility pertains to the academic and amateur standards that student-athletes must meet to participate in college sports. Student-athletes at UNC must meet academic eligibility requirements in two or, in some cases, three distinct areas. First, a student-athlete must remain academically in good standing according to UNC’s academic eligibility requirements for all undergraduate students. Second, a student-athlete must meet National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) academic eligibility requirements to participate in competition. Finally, students who receive Federal Financial Aid (e.g., Pell Grants) must make satisfactory academic progress per federal standards; these standards are communicated by UNC’s Office of Student Scholarships and Aid.

Division I and II athletes are required to register with the NCAA Eligibility Center. For Division I specifically, athletes must complete their four seasons of competition within five calendar years from their initial full-time enrollment.

Initial Enrollment and Academic Redshirts

If a student-athlete enrolls as an Academic Redshirt because they do not meet minimum requirements for competition, they may receive athletics aid in the first year of enrollment and may practice during the first regular academic term, but they may not compete during their first year of enrollment.

Core Course Requirements and GPA

Prospective student-athletes need to successfully complete 16 approved NCAA core courses during their high school years. The exact requirements may vary slightly between Division I and Division II schools. A student-athlete’s GPA is calculated based on their performance in these core courses, rather than their entire high school transcript. It's important to note that achieving good grades alone doesn't guarantee academic eligibility, as academic benchmarks are only part of the overall equation.

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The 10/7 Rule

A key requirement for NCAA Division I eligibility is the 10/7 rule. This rule mandates that student-athletes must complete 10 of the required 16 core courses before the start of their senior year of high school (or seventh semester). Furthermore, seven of these 10 courses must be in subjects such as English, math, or natural/physical science. Once a student enters their senior year, the grades received in these core courses are "locked in" and cannot be changed.

Division III Considerations

Division III schools have the autonomy to establish their own academic eligibility rules. If a student-athlete intends to compete for a Division III institution, or is unsure of the division level, they can begin by creating a free NCAA Profile.

Junior College Pathway

Athletes who are unable to meet the NCAA or NAIA eligibility requirements may gain eligibility by competing at a junior college for two years.

The Five-Year Rule and Clock

Student-athletes are generally allowed five years to graduate college while receiving athletically related financial aid. For Division I athletes, they must complete those four seasons within five calendar years from initial full-time enrollment. Student-athletes are permitted to receive athletics aid past their fifth year of enrollment.

Redshirting and the Five-Year Clock

"Redshirts" practice with their team but do not compete with their team, leaving them with additional semesters of NCAA eligibility. Redshirting preserves a season of competition but does not extend the five-year clock. Even though redshirting preserves a season of competition, it does not extend the five-year clock. If approved, the season does not count as one of the four seasons of competition. However, the five-year clock still runs unless additional relief is granted.

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Exceptions to the Five-Year Rule

You may receive an additional season only in limited cases, such as: approved medical hardship waivers, prior COVID relief (if applicable), or NCAA-approved legislative relief.

Academic Progress Requirements

To maintain eligibility in Division I, student-athletes must earn at least six credit hours each term to be eligible for the following term and must meet minimum grade-point average requirements that are related to an institution’s own GPA standards for graduation. All Division I student-athletes must earn at least six credit hours each term to be eligible for the following term.

To remain eligible in Division I, student-athletes must complete 40 percent of the coursework required for a degree by the end of their second year in college. They must complete 60 percent by the end of their third year and 80 percent by the end of their fourth year.

Credit Hour Requirements

The NCAA requires that all student-athletes successfully complete 18 credits of degree applicable hours since the previous Fall term or the certifying institution’s preceding regular two semesters. Incoming student-athletes must successfully complete 24 credits of degree applicable hours prior to the start of the student-athlete’s second year of enrollment (third semester). *Football student-athletes must complete 9 hours (not 6 hours) in the fall term to be able to compete in all games in the following fall term. If they do not earn 9 hours, they can earn 27 hours from fall through summer to use a one-time football exception that will allow them to compete in all games. If they do not earn 27 hours, then they will not be able to compete in the first four games during the following fall term.

GPA Requirements

A student-athlete who is entering his or her second year of collegiate enrollment shall present a cumulative minimum grade-point average (based on a maximum 4.000) that equals at least 90 percent of the institution's overall cumulative grade-point average required for graduation. A student-athlete who is entering his or her third year of collegiate enrollment shall present a cumulative minimum grade-point average (based on a maximum of 4.000) that equals 95 percent of the institution's overall cumulative minimum grade-point average required for graduation. A student-athlete who is entering his or her fourth or later year of collegiate enrollment shall present a cumulative minimum grade-point average (based on a maximum of 4.000) that equals 100 percent of the institution's overall cumulative minimum grade-point average required for graduation. If the institution does not have an overall grade-point average required for graduation, it is permissible to use the lowest grade-point average required for any of the institution's degree programs in determining the cumulative minimum grade-point average.

Degree Applicability of Credit Hours

Student-athletes have a limited number of credit hours that will count as degree applicable for NCAA eligibility certification purposes. Within their first two years of enrollment, student-athletes are permitted to count all credit hours as degree applicable in eligibility certification. The limit on elective hours generally does not affect eligibility until the beginning of a student’s fifth semester. The number of allowable elective hours varies depending on a student-athlete’s major and academic record. Similarly, a student-athlete pursuing a program of study that requires a larger number of major courses will be left with fewer allowable elective hours. For instance, a student-athlete pursuing a BA in Communication Studies will have approximately 40 allowable elective hours while a student-athlete pursuing a BS in Biology will have approximately 18 allowable elective hours. By Exam (BE) credit, such as Advanced Placement credit, plays a significant role since any such credit that does not fulfill a general education or major requirement must be counted as an elective. Thus, BE credit could use up much of a student-athlete’s allowable elective hours.

NCAA certification is based on a student-athlete’s primary major. The second major is used to determine eligibility only if a student-athlete is ineligible based on his/her primary major. When certifying a student-athlete who has declared two majors within the same degree program, the institution may, but is not required to, include course requirements applicable to both majors for purposes of calculating percentage of degree, provided the student-athlete would be permitted to graduate without completing both majors. If a student-athlete is ineligible based on the primary major alone and the second major alone, then the majors can be combined if they are in the same degree program (BA, BS, etc.) and the total number of hours required to complete the program would be increased and used to determine NCAA eligibility. When certifying progress-toward-degree requirements for a student-athlete who has declared two majors within the same degree program, the institution may, but is not required to, include course requirements applicable to both majors for purposes of calculating percentage of degree (i.e., increase the number of credit hours in the denominator, provided the student-athlete would be permitted to graduate without completing both majors, for example by graduating upon completion of one major and dropping the other). Further, if an institution chooses to include only the requirements necessary to graduate with one of the majors in the percentage-of-degree calculation, then the institution must count only credits applicable to that major when determining fulfillment of the credit-hour requirements.

Declaring a Program of Study

by the beginning of the third year of enrollment (fifth semester or seventh quarter), a student-athlete shall be required to have designated a program of study leading toward a specific baccalaureate degree. A student-athlete who is entering his or her third year of collegiate enrollment shall have completed successfully at least 40 percent of the course requirements in the student's specific degree program. A student-athlete who is entering his or her fourth year of collegiate enrollment shall have completed successfully at least 60 percent of the course requirements in the student's specific degree program. A student-athlete who is entering his or her fifth year of collegiate enrollment shall have completed successfully at least 80 percent of the course requirements in the student's specific degree program.

Institutional Roles and Responsibilities

According to UNC’s policy regarding Certification of NCAA Academic Eligibility, the Chancellor is responsible for approving the procedures for certifying the eligibility of an institution’s student-athletes under NCAA legislation. UNC’s Chancellor has designated the Director of Athletics as the individual responsible for rules compliance, and the Director of Athletics has assigned oversight of the compliance program to the Senior Associate Athletics Director. As the certifying officer for academic eligibility, the University Registrar is responsible for approving and signing the “Eligibility Declaration” to certify that student athletes meet all institutional and NCAA academic requirements for eligibility. The Compliance Office serves as the interpretative authority on campus in determining the application of NCAA rules when the Registrar is uncertain how they may impact academic eligibility. The Compliance Office also coordinates all NCAA and ACC waivers (i.e., Initial-Eligibility and Progress-Toward-Degree waivers with the NCAA and Medical Hardship/International Competition waivers with the ACC) and presents them to the Faculty Athletics Representative (FAR) for approval. Compliance shares documentation of waivers and transfer tracers with the ASPSA Academic Counselors and the Registrar’s Office. Student-athletes register with the NCAA’s Eligibility Center, usually at the end of their junior year of high school. Once a student chooses a school to attend, that school accesses their eligibility status via the NCAA’s Eligibility Center. The Department of Athletics Compliance Office can access the academic record of any prospective student-athlete (PSA) who registers with the Eligibility Center. Generally, the Compliance Office accesses the academic records for PSAs that are being recruited, as opposed to those who have already committed to attend. The NCAA produces a report (48C) to reflect a student-athlete’s eligibility status. The Department of Athletics Compliance Office manages all team certification of eligibility processes to ensure accuracy. When team rosters are finalized and academic eligibility certification is executed (prioritized based on the team’s first date of competition), the Office of the University Registrar confirms certification of initial academic eligibility by reviewing the 48C forms. They use the Athletic Eligibility Page in ConnectCarolina to document and track NCAA and UNC student-athlete eligibility. The Office of Undergraduate Admissions makes all determinations regarding whether a student’s coursework can be transferred to UNC. The Compliance Office and the ASPSA review course credits for all transfers to determine whether they meet NCAA eligibility rules (see below for more information regarding degree applicable hours). They consult with the University Registrar as needed during this preliminary review. The Office of Undergraduate Admissions acts as a liaison between UNC officials who determine degree credit (i.e., Advisors from the College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Business, the School of Journalism) and advises recruiting coordinators and/or coaches on potential application of NCAA transfer rules in determining whether a student-athlete will require additional credit hours to transfer. If more hours are needed, the student may need to take more courses before they can come to UNC, or they may be required to provide syllabi for specific courses to determine if those courses fulfill UNC requirements. The Compliance Office and the ASPSA provide a final list of transfer student-athletes to the University Registrar, who certifies them for continuing eligibility.

Monitoring Eligibility

Athletic certification is performed by two full-time NCAA Eligibility Specialists in the Office of the University Registrar. The Registrar’s Office uses the Athletic Eligibility Page in ConnectCarolina. They use this tool to track academic progress and eligibility status for each student-athlete, by term. Each worksheet is reviewed and cross referenced for certification of eligibility and degree applicable credit. The Faculty Athletics Representative (FAR) meets regularly with representatives from the Office of the University Registrar, the Department of Athletics Compliance Office and the Academic Support Program for Student-Athletes (ASPSA). The FAC calls on all UNC employees to maintain the integrity of student records and to refrain from demeaning student academic performance through selective, unauthorized release of protected information. The work of many elected and appointed groups of faculty includes reviewing student information and monitoring ongoing changes that will strengthen the academic experience for all students and specifically for students participating in our sports programs. We have accepted the broader issue related to past academic integrity problems.

Resources Available

Changes in a degree program (declaring or changing majors, adding/dropping a minor, etc.) can affect a student-athlete’s eligibility for competition. The NCAA Continuing Eligibility Tool is used to track Progress Toward Degree. The Registrar's Office asks advisors to enter the Tool once a semester. Nearly 20 percent of all UNC undergraduate students are the first in their families to attend college. About 20 percent of first-year student athletes in the Fall 2023 cohort identified as first-generation college students. The HeelGuides program pairs first-generation, first-year students with successful upperclassmen in the first-generation community.

Waivers

Waivers are available which provide exceptions to the general rule. No permanent rule has been adopted granting all athletes a universal fifth season beyond the existing framework.

Staying on Track

Meeting NCAA eligibility requirements requires careful planning, academically and athletically. By using an NCSA profile, you can easily gather all your essential recruiting details in one place, and our NCAA eligibility center resources will help you stay on track each year.

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