Understanding NCAA Eligibility Center Fees and Registration

For student-athletes aspiring to compete in NCAA Division I or II sports, navigating the NCAA Eligibility Center is a crucial step. This article provides a comprehensive guide to the NCAA Eligibility Center, focusing on registration, fees, and the overall certification process. The NCAA Eligibility Center certifies whether prospective college athletes are eligible to play sports at NCAA Division I or II institutions.

NCAA and Its Divisions

The NCAA is the governing body of many intercollegiate sports. Each college regulated by the NCAA has established rules on eligibility, recruiting, and financial aid and falls into one of the three membership divisions (Divisions I, II, and III).

When to Register

The NCAA recommends that student-athletes register at the beginning of their junior year in high school, but many students register after their junior year.

Where to Register

Students must register online at the NCAA Eligibility Center.

Types of NCAA Eligibility Center Accounts

There are generally two main types of accounts. It is important to understand the differences to determine the right account.

Academic and Amateurism Certification Account

For students wanting to compete at an NCAA DI or DII school, be placed on a school’s Institutional Request List (IRL), sign an athletic grant-in-aid, or are preparing to take an official visit they must create and pay for an Academic and Amateurism Certification Account. Effective September 1, 2022, this account includes a $100 required fee for domestic students/$160 for international students. (This account type is the same as the Certification account currently available.

Amateurism-Only Certification Account

All international student-athletes who plan to compete at a DIII school, as well as domestic student-athletes transferring from a two-year school to an NCAA DI or DII school who have not previously been certified, must create and pay for the Amateurism-Only Certification Account. Effective September 2022, this account includes a $70 required fee for all student-athletes.

NCAA Eligibility Center Fees

Understanding the fees associated with NCAA Eligibility Center registration is essential for prospective student-athletes.

Standard Fees

The fee for an Academic and Amateurism Certification account is $100 for domestic students and $160 for international students. The fee for an Amateurism-Only Certification account is $70.

Effective September 1, 2022, the registration fee is $100 for students from the United States and its territories and Canada, and $160 for students from all other countries. It is the same cost for Canadian athletes.

Read also: Crafting Your NCAA Profile

Fee Waivers

If you are unable to pay the registration fee for the NCAA Eligibility Center due to financial considerations, there is an option in the Payment section of your Eligibility Center account to indicate you are eligible to receive a fee waiver. If you qualify for a fee waiver on the SAT or ACT, there is an option in the NCAA Eligibility Center registration payment section to indicate you are eligible to receive a fee waiver. If you qualify for the federal free lunch program, you can have the NCAA fees waived by completing the NCAA fee waiver.

Students who have received a waiver for the SAT or ACT are eligible for a waiver of the registration fee. The student's counselor must submit confirmation of the student's test fee waiver.

Payment Methods and Refund Policy

Certification account registration is complete once your fee is paid (or fee waiver is requested, if eligible). You must pay online by debit, credit card or e-check. All fees are nonrefundable after 30 days. All payments to the NCAA are final. However, if you completed a duplicate registration and paid your registration fee twice, you may be eligible for a refund of the duplicate registration fee.

Key Steps in the NCAA Eligibility Center Registration

There are several key steps involved in NCAA Eligibility Center registration.

Creating an Account: Students must register online at the NCAA Eligibility Center. Need to locate your NCAA ID? Unsure which account type is right for you?
Providing Necessary Information: Below are some items you should have with you when creating an account.
- and international secondary and high schools and additional programs you attended, even if you did not receive grades or credits.
- Sports participation history. Select each sport you plan to participate in at an NCAA school. For certification accounts, list any teams you have practiced or played with, events in which you participated, expenses, awards and any individuals who advised you or marketed your athletic skills.
Submitting Academic Records and Test Scores: Students should arrange to have you send their high school transcript as soon as they have completed at least six semesters of high school. They must also arrange to have their SAT or ACT test scores reported directly by the testing company to the Eligibility Center. In January 2023, NCAA D1 and D2 dropped the requirement for standardized test scores for full-time student-athletes, meaning you’re not required to send your ACT/SAT scores to the NCAA Eligibility Center. When creating an Academic and Amateurism Certification Account, students will need to have the school NCAA portal administrator upload the official transcript (from all schools attended) and have the College Board or ACT.org send score reports directly to the NCAA Eligibility Center.
Updating Information: Students can update the information on the athletics participation section online as often as they want (and should update it regularly), up until the time when they request a final certification of their status.
Completing Core Courses: The NCAA requires prospective DI athletes to complete 10 NCAA-approved core courses before the start of your 7th semester of high school. Specifically, 7 of those 10 courses MUST be in the subject areas of English, Math, or Natural/Physical Science. Make sure your athletes are enrolled in the courses on your high school's core course list, and also know the eligibility requirements of the NCAA Eligibility Center.

NCAA Core Courses

This is the name that the NCAA gives to high school courses that meet certain academic criteria specified by the association. 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 Eligibility Center maintains. It is often the counselor who provides the NCAA with the list of your school's core courses and updates it annually. The best way for students to prepare for a future in college athletics is to complete the approved core courses and earn appropriate grades in them.

Final Amateurism Certification

If graduating high school in the spring or later in June, you may log in to your eligibilitycenter.org account after April 1 of your senior year to request your final amateurism certification.

Timing and Duration

The NCAA Eligibility Center process will take months or years to complete, depending on when you register. Initial NCAA registration will take 15-30 minutes, or up to 45 minutes for a Certification Account. Expect to spend around 30 hours throughout high school dedicated to the NCAA Eligibility Center process.

Important Considerations

Honest Insight: Profile Page account registrants receive an NCAA ID and important reminders from the Eligibility Center as they progress through high school.
Honest Insight: Registering with the NCAA Eligibility Center will not trigger an academic review and will not complete your certification until your final transcript is submitted upon graduation or if you are deemed an Early Qualifier. Make sure you’re completing the academic requirements each school year.
Your Certification account will be eligible for processing once the registration fee is paid or waived. (Effective 9/1/2022, fees are nonrefundable 30 days after the account is created.)
You can easily upgrade to a Certification Account when the time is right.
Student-athletes are not officially done with the NCAA Eligibility Center process until they are done with high school and officially declared eligible.

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