If you are planning to play (or trying to play) in NCAA Division I or II athletics you need to sign up at the NCAA Eligibility Center (Clearinghouse):  https://web1.ncaa.org/eligibilitycenter/common/

This web site has a list of approved courses from YOUR high school that will meet NCAA minimums. If you are not on target to meet NCAA minimums on subjects and number of courses, you will know after your sign-up and submission of Junior year transcripts (see below), and you can make Senior year curriculum adjustments. Meeting NCAA minimums is not usually a problem for most HS college prep tracks. The Clearinghouse certifies that you are academically eligible to participate in DI or DII athletics.

*  When you sign up at the Clearinghouse, you will complete some background information and an amateurism questionnaire. Sign-up costs $60 and families with previously demonstrated financial need on SAT/ACT exam fees can have this NCAA fee waivered also.   

*  For players taking the SATs/ACTs you need to use code 9999 when registering for the tests to send your scores directly to the NCAA and it will be posted in your file for prospective college (coach) access and eligibility verification. You will still need to send scores directly to admissions during the college application process, regardless of your NCAA Clearinghouse submission.   

*  Players will also need to get a final junior year transcript submitted to the Clearinghouse by July. This has to be submitted directly from the school and since it gets hard to get a hold of school officials during the summer, visit with your HS counselor and get this set up BEFORE the end of this school year.

Also:

Division III athletics do not award athletic scholarships, however many forms of financial aid are available. For those of you looking at DIII schools, you may find this web site helpful in understanding DIII programs and processes: http://www.collegestudentathletes.com/index.cfm If you think Division III or NAIA schools (and even some DII) would be a good fit for you, the free “Be Recruited” web site http://www.berecruited.com/ had a nice write up in the Wall Street Journal last year.

Some useful info:

*  Universities usually require that student-athletes meet the admissions criteria of the institution (and sometimes the athletic conference). Often academically prestigious schools and many others will use a “special admit” for some student athletes (e.g. UC Berkeley football players average SAT scores about 300 points less than the regular admits).

*  Beyond athletic scholarships, there are many sources of financial assistance to students. Typically these are need based and academically based. Contact the financial aid office of college(s) you are interested in to get specific details (their websites are usually quite complete). There are university level academic scholarships (very competitive) and departmental level scholarships (less competitive). The departmental level scholarships, usually $500-3,000/yr are awarded on specific criteria, but if your GPA is greater than about a 3.4 AND you declare a freshman major you may be eligible for department level scholarships when you start college (usually handed out at the beginning of the term). Do not worry about changing your mind about your major or declaring before you are certain; most students change majors a couple of times. Academic majors are most important during the 3rd and 4th yrs when your coursework becomes more specialized. Take home message: declaring a major as a freshman…even if you change later…might get you another $1,000. Talking to the department of the major will let you know what resources are available.

*  No matter what your status as a prospective student-athlete, most college applications require one or more essays. DO NOT let this go until the last minute since you will be busy this Fall with your senior year school and sports activities. Plan to spend some time this summer getting together at least a draft of your essay. The specific essay types are available by downloading the application materials from colleges of your choice. My advice is to air it out for review with parents, friends, and teachers for critical comment well before submission. College admissions are getting more and more competitive and most institutions are experiencing an uptick in applications due to the poor economy. Most academically competitive schools admit <10% of their applicants. Try the “College Confidential” web site to get the inside scoop on competitive admission schools. http://www.collegeconfidential.com/

*  Athletic scholarship offers are year to year. There are no multi-year offers ever.  If you are injured in a sport and have to sit a year out, you will still be eligible for a total 4 years of support.

*  Words of advice from Tom Jager, 2x Olympic Gold Medalist and UI Swimming coach: "the priority in college choice for student athletes should be academic program first…athletic program second, because you never know how your athletic career will progress."