HELPFUL LINKS

This is a FREE Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This financial aid is for federal and state granted finances to attend a public or private college institution. FAFSA is based on financial need per merit of the individual student. FAFSA also provides financial aid opportunities that extend throughout specific skills/awards and different financial aid offerings throughout different colleges and universities. Individuals intended on heading to college should file for the FAFSA scholarship opportunity.

FastWeb is the Google search engine of college scholarships. This search engine provides a full list of scholarship and financial aid opportunities to help with tuition and other costs of college. There is a wide variety of scholarships and financial aid on offer to student-bound individuals.

The NCAA Eligibility Center is the arm of the NCAA responsible for determining the academic eligibility and amateurism status for all DI and DII student-athletes. This is something that all prospective student-athletes need to complete in order to compete at an NCAA institution. You should register with the NCAA Eligibility Center at the beginning of your junior year of high school.

The NAIA requires all student-athletes to have their eligibility determined before they can play. All athletes are required to complete and should start the process during the beginning of your junior year of high school.

Membership as a student-athlete is available for two years. Athletic scholarship is available to student-athletes, however, this is not the case for schools in California. In order to participate in an NJCAA sanctioned sport, a student-athlete must be in good academic standing—in accordance with the rules and bylaws of the NJCAA, the member region and the individual institution. He/she must be an amateur; who has not exhausted his/her eligibility; and who is in good health.

Each governing body has core and key eligibility requirements for all student-athletes. These can range from academic to athletic restrictions and expectations.

The SAT is one of two exams that is required for a student-athlete to take in order to be eligible to attend college. Every student-athlete must achieve a certain score on the SAT in order to be eligible to play collegiate athletics; these scores differentiate between DI, DII and DIII accompanied with GPA requirements. Through the College Board website, you can register for an upcoming SAT exam and have your scores sent to the college of your choice. This website also provides practice exams and other learning tools to help prepare for the exam itself.

The ACT is the second of two exams that you can take to be eligible to attend college and obtain clearance through the NCAA and NAIA eligibility centers. Through the ACT website, you can register for an upcoming ACT exam, have your scores sent to the college of your choice, and even take practice exams to get prepared for the real one.

The NLI is the final step in your commitment to become a student-athlete.