National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Overview

Recruiting Rules: Contact, Eligibility, Visits

Administer and Enforce Eligibility and Recruiting Practices

• Initial Eligibility [NCAA Clearinghouse]
• Definitions
• Prospective Student-Athlete (PSA): 1 st day of Grade 9.
• Recruit: 2 phone calls have been exchanged with coaches.

Recruiting Rules: Contact

• Correspondence: regular and electronic mail
• After September 1 st of Grade 11: Unlimited.
• Prior: may respond to requests for information BUT may not actively recruit.
• Phone Calls
• July 1 st after Grade 11: 1 per week.
• Parents count, messages do not.
• Incoming: unlimited, at any time.
• New Rule: 1 phone call in March of Grade 11.
• In-Person
• “Contact” – face to face encounter. Includes at practice and regattas.
• “Evaluation” – off campus activity to assess the academic qualifications or athletic ability.
• At regattas – July 1 Rule

Eligibility: NCAA Initial Eligibility Clearinghouse.

• Certifies academic eligibility.
• GPA: 14 Core courses.
• SAT/ACT
• Every student athlete must be certified BEFORE you can compete.
• Qualifier/Partial Qualifier/Non-Qualifier
• NCAA Clearinghouse
• Process can be started at any point in high school

Official Visits

• Once per school, total of 5.
• Only in Grade 12.
• The school can pay all expenses.
• Travel, housing, food, entertainment.
• MUST submit transcript and test scores first.
• 48-hour on-campus limit.

Unofficial Visits

• Can take as many as you want, to as many schools.
• May use at any point in high school career.
• School cannot pay for anything!
• School may provide up to 3 sport event tickets
• 1 for PSA, 2 for parents or guardians
• School can help to arrange hosts, classes, meetings on campus

Financial Aid & Scholarships/Admissions Process

Financial Aid

• Offered by schools on a need-basis.
• Determined by parents’ income and assets.

Scholarships

• Rowing – maximum of 20 full scholarships allowed.
• Varies school to school, can be divided or given whole.
• “Full Ride” – tuition, room, board, books, stipend.
• “Estimated Cost of Attendance” – all the above plus estimates for travel and spending money.
• Yearly renewable contract.
• Cannot be guaranteed for 4 years.
• Cannot be increased or decreased based on performance.
• Generally not revoked in case of injury.
• Generally revoked if you quit.

National Letter of Intent

• Declaration of commitment to attend and compete for a school and acceptance of a scholarship offer.
• Offered twice a year: Mid-November and Mid-April.

Application Options

• Early Admissions: applications due in November, decisions sent in December.
• Early action: non-binding.
• Early decision: binding, unless demonstrated financial hardship.
• Can only apply to one school early action or decision.
• Rolling Admission: applications are processed and evaluated as they arrive.
• Regular Admission: applications due Jan/Feb, decisions sent in April.

Relative Importance of Test Scores

• Consistent, improving grades are more important.
• Testing standards vary from school to school.

Athletic/Coaches Influence on Admissions

• Highly variable.

Timeline

Grade 9-10

• Study hard, get good grades.
• Develop rowing technique and fitness.

Grade 11

• Increase visibility.
• Team testing.
• Race results.
• Coaches recommendations.
• Continue improvement.
• Research and contact schools.Click here to see a listing of schools.
• Match academic achievement and interests.
• Match athletic achievement and goals.
• Atmosphere.
• Send Interest Letter and Profile.
• Take SAT’s – Spring.
• Keep strong academics.

Grade 12

• Summer: contact coaches; send transcripts and test scores; visit campus; request applications.
• Coxswains: send tape or CD.
• Choose 5 visit schools, application schools.
• Retake SAT’s
• Do you want to apply for Early/commit to NLI?
• Evaluate options and offers
• Make your choice.
• NCAA clearance is contingent upon high school graduation.

Interest Letter and Profile

Vital Information

• Basic profile.
• Full name.
• Address; email; phone numbers.
• Date of birth.
• Academic profile.
• Graduation Year.
• School w/address, counselor contact.
• GPA, advanced/honors courses.
• Tests scores.
• Rowing profile.
• Club/Team; coach and contact information.
• Height/Weight.
• Erg scores: variety of distances.
• Port/Starboard/Scull/Cox/All.
• Major race performances.
• Junior National Team/CanAmMex participation.
• Plus…
• Anything else you want the school to know about you and your life/academic/rowing goals

Thought Process: How Athletes Are Evaluated

• Academic compatibility.
• High school performance, test scores, interests.
• Demonstrated athletic ability.
• Size, erg scores, race results, coaches’ comments.
• Other sports.
• Length of rowing career.
• Intangibles.
• Motivation/Desire/Goals/Attitude.
• Teamwork and leadership skills.
• 4-year athlete?
• Compatibility with team
• Club/Team history
• Interests (perceived).