Athletic Eligibility
Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA)
Incoming Freshman Information:
- Current 8th grade students must be promoted to their freshman year and be enrolled in 6 for-credit courses to be eligible to participate in a Fall MSHSAA activity their freshman year.
- Spring Eligibility requires incoming Freshman to meet the requirements listed below for current high school students.
Current High School Student Information:
- The semester prior to participation: students must have passed 3.0 units of credit (six classes), or 80% of coursework taken, whichever is greater.
- Semester of participation: students must be enrolled in 3.0 units of credit (six classes), or 80% of the maximum allowable credits, whichever is greater.
- Current freshman, sophomores, and juniors may take up to 1 full credit during summer school to count toward their Fall MSHSAA eligibility as long as the course can be counted toward an unfilled graduation requirement.
NAIA Eligibility Information
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Eligibility Center is responsible for determining the NAIA eligibility of first-time student-athletes.
Students must meet two of the following three requirements:
- Achieve a minimum overall Grade Point Average of 2.0
- Achieve a minimum of 18 on the ACT
- Graduate in the top 50% of your high school class
- Students may register online at http://www.playnaia.org/index.php.
Students need to:
- Request your transcript to be sent to NAIA. Request can be made through Family Connection.
- Request your ACT/SAT scores be sent directly to NAIA. The code is 9876.
Please Note: Eligibility is the student’s responsibility.
NCAA Eligibility Information
The National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA, was established in 1906 and serves as the athletics governing body for more than 1,280 colleges, universities, conferences, and organizations. The national office is in Indianapolis, Indiana but member colleges and universities develop the rules and guidelines for athletics eligibility and athletics competition for each of the three NCAA divisions. The NCAA is committed to the student-athlete and to governing competition in a fair, safe, inclusive, and sportsmanlike manner.
One of the differences among the three divisions is that colleges and universities in Divisions I and II may offer athletics scholarships, while Division III colleges and universities may not.
Eligibility Center Contact Information:
Certification Processing PO Box 7136 Indianapolis, IN 46207-7136(877) 262-1492
NCAA Core Courses:
- NCAA Division I and Division II currently require 16 core courses.
- Beginning August 1, 2016 - NCAA Division I will require 10 core courses to be completed prior to the seventh semester of high school. Also a minimum core course GPA of 2.300 is required for competition.
- Find your High School's list of Approved Core Courses here: https://web3.ncaa.org/hsportal/exec/hsAction?hsActionSubmit=searchHighSchool
Test Scores:
- Division I has a sliding scale for test score and grade-point average (you can see the table by following the link on the next page).
- Division II has a minimum SAT score requirement of 820 or an ACT sum score of 68.
- The SAT score used for NCAA purposes includes only the critical reading and math sections. The writing section of the SAT is not used.
- The ACT score used for NCAA purposes is a sum of the four sections on the ACT: English, mathematics, reading and science.
- All SAT and ACT scores must be reported directly to the NCAA Eligibility Center by the testing agency. Test scores that appear on transcripts will not be used. When registering for the SAT or ACT, use the Eligibility Center code of 9999 to make sure the score is reported to the Eligibility Center.
Grade-Point Average:
- Only core courses are used in the calculation of the Grade Point Average.
- Be sure to look at your high school’s list of NCAA-approved core courses on the Eligibility Center's website to make certain that courses being taken have been approved as core courses. The website is www.ncaaclearinghouse.net.
- The Division II grade-point-average requirement is a minimum of 2.000.
Division I |
Division II |
16 Core-Course Rule |
16 Core-Course Rule |
16 Core Courses: |
16 Core Courses: |
4 years of English |
3 years of English |
3 years of mathematics (Alg I or Higher) |
2 years of mathematics (Alg I or Higher) |
2 years of natural/physical science (1 year of lab if offered by high school) |
2 years of natural/physical science (1 year of lab if offered by high school) |
1 year of additional English, mathematics or natural/physical science |
3 year of additional English, mathematics or natural/physical science |
2 years of social science |
2 years of social science |
4 years of additional courses (from any area above, foreign language or nondoctrinal religion/philosophy |
4 years of additional courses (from any area above, foreign language or nondoctrinal religion/philosophy |
For more information regarding the rules, please go to www.ncaa.org. Click on “Academics and Athletes” then “Eligibility and Recruiting” or visit the Eligibility Center Web site at www.ncaaclearinghouse.net.
Please Note: Eligibility is the student’s responsibility.
NOTE: Check with your counselor regarding NCAA eligibility prior to signing up for online course options.