OPPORTUNITIES TO EXCEL IN COLLEGE SPORTS NationalAssociationofIntercollegiateAthletics•1200GrandBlvd.,KansasCity,MO64106•816.595.8000•NAIA.org•PlayNAIA.org•page1

NAIA GUIDE FOR THE COLLEGE-BOUND STUDENT-ATHLETE

DearProspectiveStudent-Athletes,

WelcometotheNationalAssociationofIntercollegiateAthletics,anassociationthatboastsaproudtraditionofintercolle-giateathletics,academicexcellenceandcharactervalues.

AsyouexploreopportunitiestoPlayNAIAyouwilldiscoveracommunityofnearly300membercollegesanduniversities,60,000student-athletesandanenvironmentthatfocusesonathleticparticipationasonepartofthetotaleducationprocess.Ourmembersawardmorethan$450millioninfinancialaideachyear,competefor23nationalchampi-onshipsin13sportsandofferawideselectionofacademicandathleticprograms.

Today,theNAIAisanassociationthat,aboveallotherthings,caresaboutandisfocusedonstudent-athletesuccess–helpingyoutoattainyoureducationandathleticgoals.Ourmembersutilizeathleticsasavehicletotransformlivestobuildbetterfutures.

TheNAIAisreadytoassistyouintakingthatimportantfirststepinyourcollegesportscareer.WeinviteyoutoregisterwiththeNAIAEligibilityCenteratPlayNAIA.org.Oncethere,you’lllearnmoreabouttheopportunitiesthatawaityou.

SincetheNAIA’sfoundingin1937,weareproudofthemanyaccomplishmentsofourcurrentandformerstudent-athletesandwelookforwardtothelegacyyouwillestablishintheNAIA.

JimCarr,NAIAPresident

23 National ChampionshipsTheNAIAoffersbothmenandwomentheopportunitytocompeteathisorherhighest

level.Nationalchampionshipsare offeredin13sports.

Fall sportsMen’sCrossCountryWomen’sCrossCountryFootballMen’sSoccerWomen’sSoccerVolleyball

Winter sportsMen’sBasketball(DivisionsI&II)Women’sBasketball(DivisionsI&II)Men’sSwimming&DivingWomen’sSwimming&DivingMen’sIndoorTrack&FieldWomen’sIndoorTrack&FieldWrestling

Spring sportsBaseballMen’sGolfWomen’sGolfSoftballMen’sTennisWomen’sTennisMen’sOutdoorTrack&FieldWomen’sOutdoorTrack&Field

Emerging sportsMen’sCompetitiveCheer&DanceWomen’sCompetitiveCheer&DanceMen’sBowlingWomen’sBowlingMen’sVolleyball

Find NAIA schools that offer your sport at PlayNAIA.org.

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NAIA GUIDE FOR THE COLLEGE-BOUND STUDENT-ATHLETE

What about financial aid, scholarships, grants, loans?NAIArulesonfinancialaidarestraightforward.Eachschooldetermineshowmuchaiditawardstoanindividualstudent-athlete.Undernoconditionsmayanyoneelseprovidedi-rectfinancialassistancetoanystudent-athlete.Scholarships,grants-in-aidorstudentloansarecontrolledbyeachinstitutionthroughthesamecommitteethathandlesallstudentloansandscholarships.

Financialaidtostudent-athletesislimitedtotheactualcostof:TuitionMandatoryfees,booksandsuppliesrequiredforcoursesinwhichthe

student-athleteisenrolledRoomandboardbasedontheofficialroomandboardallowancelisted

intheinstitution’scatalog

Eachsporthasanoveralllimitontheamountoffinancialaiditcanawardasfullorpartialgrantstostudentsinthatsport.Forexample,theoveralllimitinbaseballis12.Baseballscholarshipscanbeawardedtoanynumberofstudents(forexample,1fullscholarship,10halfawardsand24quarterawards)aslongasthecombinedtotaldoesnotexceed12.

Limitsonthetotalamountofaidthatcanbegiventovarsityathletesineachsport:Baseball............................ 12 Golf................................ 5 Tennis................. 5Basketball(DivisionI)...... 11 Soccer.......................... 12 Track&Field.... 12Basketball(DivisionII)....... 6 Softball......................... 10 Wrestling............ 8CrossCountry..................... 5 Swimming&Diving........ 8 Volleyball............ 8Football............................. 24

AcademicallygiftedstudentscanbeexemptedfromtheselimitsiftheymeetgradeortestscorecriteriaestablishedbytheNAIA.

NAIA participation experienceIntheNAIA,astudent-athletecancompeteduringfour“seasonsofcompetition”withinthefirst10semesters(15quarters)incollege.Aseasonofcompetitioniscountedwhenyouparticipateinoneormoreintercollegiatecontestswhetheratthevarsity,juniorvarsityorfreshmanlevel.Tocompete,student-athletesmustbeenrolledinatleast12hourseverysemesterorquarterandbemakingnormalprogresstowardabaccalaureatedegree.Theymustalsomeetfreshmanand/orcontinuingeligibilityrules.

What’s different about recruiting?TheNAIArecruitingprocessforbothfreshmenandtransfersislesscumbersome,withfewrestrictionsonthecontactbetweenastudent-athleteandacoach.Morefrequentcommuni-cationallowsthestudenttobecomemorecomfortablewiththeschoolandathleticsstaff.

Onceyouhavestartedyourcollegeexperiencebyenrollingand/orattendingclasses,representativesfromanotherNAIAschoolcannotinitiatecontactwithyou.Thisno-contactpolicyappliesevenifyouhavenotstartedclassesyet,buthavedrawnequipmentandbegunorganizedpractice.

Whatifyou’reinterestedintransferringtoanNAIAinstitution?BecauseNAIAcoachescannotcontactyou,you’llneedtotakethatinitiativebycallingoremailingthem.Oncecontacted,within10daystheNAIAinstitutionmustnotifyinwritingtheathleticsdirectororfacultyathleticsrepresentativeattheschoolwhereyouarecurrentlyenrolled.Theydon’tneedpermissiontorespondtoyou,butyourcurrentschoolmustbenotifiedthatthecontacthasbeenmade.

Can I visit a campus for a tryout? Studentsarepermittedamaximumoftwodaysoftryoutsthroughouttheirentirecareer,andthetryoutcannotinterferewithschooltime.Thetryoutmustoccuroncampus.Ifaschoolhasapolicyforreimbursingallstudentsforsuchvisits,thesamecanbeappliedtoyouasaprospectivestudent-athlete.

What about letters of intent? Asanassociation,theNAIAdoesnothavealetterofintentprograminwhichstudentssignabindingagreementtoparticipateinathleticsataparticularinstitution.Student-athletesmaysignlettersofintentwithanindividualNAIAschool,however,theyaren’tobligatedtoattendthatinstitution.Thatsaid,someNAIAconferencesrequiretheirmemberschoolstorecognizelettersofintentthataresignedwithotherinstitutionswithintheconference.Pleasecheckwithyourprospectiveschooltoseeifanyconferenceprogramsapply.

Admission standards for athletesToparticipateinathleticsintheNAIA,youmustbeadmittedtothecollegeoruniversityun-deradmissionstandardsequaltoorhigherthanthoseappliedtothegeneralstudentbody.

Questions for parents to ask about financial aid

Whattypesoffinancial-aidagreementsdoesyourschoolhave?

Whichcampusrepresentativeshavetosignoffontheagreementforittobevalid?

Whatwillthefinancial-aidagreementcover?Housing?Food?Books?Tuition?

Howlongwilltheagreementlast?Aquar-ter/semester?Afullacademicyear?

Ifmysonordaughtersignsafinancialagreementwithyourinstitution,canshe/hesignwithanotherschoolwithinyourconferencewithoutpenalty?

Ifmysonordaughterquitstheteam

aftertheseason,willheorshecontinuetoreceivethescholarship?

Ifmysonordaughtersuffersaseason-end-inginjury,willthefinancial-aidagreementbehonored?

Ifmysonordaughterbecomesacademi-callyineligible,willtheagreementbehon-ored?

Onyourcampus,whoisresponsibleforcheckingthestudent-athlete’seligibility?

Isthereanacademicsupportprograminplaceforstudent-athletesonyourcampus?

Doyouoffermystudent’smajor?

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NAIA GUIDE FOR THE COLLEGE-BOUND STUDENT-ATHLETE

What if I didn’t attend a U.S. high school?ThecriteriaforalternativehighschoolexperiencesandthoseoutsideoftheU.S.aredeter-minedasfollows:

GED Students — must meet two of the three

Home Schooled Students

International Students — must meet two of the threeGraduatesofhighschoolsoutsideoftheUnitedStatesoroneoftheU.S.territories.

Note:Fordetailedinformationabouttheprocessforinternationalstudents,pleaseseetheNAIA Guide for the International Student-Athlete.

Do I meet the freshman eligibility requirements?IfyouwillgraduatefromaU.S.highschoolthisspringandenrollincollegethiscomingfall,therequirementsaresimple.Anenteringfreshmanmust:

Be agraduateofanaccreditedhighschoolorbeacceptedasaregularstudentingoodstandingasdefinedbytheenrollinginstitutionand

Meettwo of the threefollowingrequirements.Ifasanenteringfresh-manyoudonotmeetatleasttwoofthethreestandards,youcannotparticipateinathleticsforthefirstfullyearofattendance(2semesters,3quarters,orequivalent).

MUST MEET TWO OF THE THREE1. TEST SCORE REQUIREMENT

2. HIGH SCHOOL GPA REQUIREMENT

3. CLASS RANK REQUIREMENT

Achieve a minimum of 18 on the ACT

or 860 on the SAT.

Achieve a minimum overall high school

grade point average of 2.0

on a 4.0 scale.

Graduate in the top half of your high

school class.

Testsmustbetakenonastate,national or international testing date;scoresmustbeachievedonasingletest.TheSATmustbeachievedontheCriticalReadingandMathsectionsonly.TheWritingscorecannotbeused.Youmustpassthestandardizedtestpriortotheterminwhichyouwanttoparticipateinathletics. Whenregisteringforthetests,studentsshouldindicatetheNAIAcode“9876”tohavetheirscoressentdirectlytotheNAIAEligibilityCenter.

TheNAIAacceptsthegradepointaveragedeterminedbythehighschool,provideditisrecordedandawardedinthesamemannerasforeveryotherstudentattheschool.

Ifastudent’sclassrankdoesnotappearonthetranscript,asignedletterfromtheprinci-palorheadmaster,writtenontheschool’sletterheadandwiththeschool’sofficialseal,statingthestudent’sfinalclassrankpositionorpercentmaybesubmitted.

1. TEST SCORE REQUIREMENT

2. HIGH SCHOOL GPA REQUIREMENT

3. CLASS RANK REQUIREMENT

Achieve a minimum of 18 on the ACT

or 860 on the SAT.

GED students are recog-nized as having met the

GPA requirement.

(Not applicable)

1. TEST SCORE REQUIREMENT

2. HIGH SCHOOL GPA REQUIREMENT

3. CLASS RANK REQUIREMENT

Achieve a minimum of 18 on the ACT

or 860 on the SAT.

Achieve a minimum over-all high school grade point average of 2.0

on a 4.0 scale.

Graduate in the top half of your high

school class.

Internationalstudentsmustprovidetheiracademicrecordsinboththelanguageofissueaswellasacertified,word-for-wordEnglishtranslation.SeetheNAIAEligibilityCenterrequirementsformoreonsubmittinginternationalacademicrecords.

Learning disabilities. Studentswithdiagnosedlearningdisabilities,whodonotmeetthefreshmaneligibilityrequirements,mayhavetheiracademicprofilesreviewedbytheNAIANationalEligibilityCommitteeattherequestofanNAIAinstitution.

TEST SCORE REQUIREMENT — Home school students who have a 20 on the ACT or 950 on the SAT are considered to have met the freshman eligibility requirement.

If a home schooled student completes a home schooling program conducted in accordance with the laws of the student’s state of residence,

but does not meet the test score requirement, a home school waiver may be requested from the NAIA Home School Committee.

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NAIA GUIDE FOR THE COLLEGE-BOUND STUDENT-ATHLETE

PlayNAIA.org connects you with NAIA schoolsAsanoptionalpartoftheNAIAEligibilityCenterregistrationprocess,studentscanparticipateintheNAIA Connections Service. Thisuniquefeatureallowsyoutocreateacustom-izedSportResumehighlightingyoursportsaccomplish-ments,positions,eventsandhonors.UsethesearchtofindNAIAschoolsthatofferyoursport,thetypeofcollege(location,numberofstudents,publicorprivate)andtheacademicareasthatinterestyou.Thenindicatewhichschoolsyouwanttoconnectwith,andwe’llsendyourSportResumedirectlytothem.NAIAcoachesandadmissionsrepresentativeswillgetintouchwithyou–andyou’vestartedtheconversationaboutopportunitiestoplaysportsincollege!

Early decisions for high school seniorsStudents,whohavecompletedtheirjunioryearofhighschoolandhaveatleasta3.0GPAona4.0scaleandtheminimumtestscoresrequired(18ACTor860SAT),mayobtainaneligibilitydeterminationbeforegraduatingfromhighschool.Thosestudentswillneedtore-questthattheirofficialtranscriptsaftertheirjunioryearbesenttotheNAIAEligibilityCenterandcontactACTorSATtohavetheirtestscoressentdirectly.

NAIA Eligibility Center at PlayNAIA.org determines eligibility of all first-time NAIA student-athletesTheNAIAEligibilityCenter,atPlayNAIA.org,isresponsiblefordeterminingtheNAIAeli-gibilityoffirst-timestudent-athletes.StudentsmusthavetheireligibilitydeterminedbytheNAIAEligibilityCenter,andallNAIAschoolsareboundbythecenter’sdecisions.

EverystudentinterestedinplayingsportsatNAIAcollegesforthefirsttimeneedstoregis-teronlinewiththeNAIAEligibilityCenter.Thisappliestohighschoolseniorsandtransfersfrombothtwo-andfour-yearcolleges.

WhatinformationwillIneedtoprovide?You’llcreateapersonalprofilewiththebasicfactsaboutyouracademichistoryandsportsparticipationtodate.

You’llneedyourcurrentcontactinformation,previousresidencesandaddresses,highschoolsattendedandhistoryofyoursportsparticipa-tionduringandafterhighschoolgraduation.

WhenyouregisterfortheACTorSAT,includetheNAIAEligibilityCenter(9876)onthelistofplacestestscoresshouldbesent.

AskyourhighschoolcounselorstosendtheNAIAEligibilityCenterafinalofficialtranscriptthatverifieshighschoolgraduation,classrankandcumulativegradepointaverage.

What are the costs?RegistrationforstudentsfromtheU.S.andCanadais$70;theinternationalstu-dentfeeUS$120.Transferstudentspay$90.Thisisaone-timenonrefundableregistrationfeeandincludesallservicesoftheNAIAEligibilityCenter.

Theregistrationfeewillbewaivedforstudentswithdemonstratedneed.IfyoureceiveafeewaiverfortheACTorSATtestorqualifyforthefederalfreeorreduced-costlunchprogram,contactyourhighschoolcounselor,whocanprovideconfirmationofyoureligibilityforafee waivertotheNAIAEligibilityCenter.Transferstudentscanqualifyforafeewaiverbasedonreceiptofaminimumof$4,500inFederalPellGrantfunds.

Do I need to register with the NAIA Eligibility Center if I’m registering with the NCAA?DeterminingifyoumeeteligibilityrequirementsforNAIAeligibilityisseparatefromNCAAeligibilitycertification.TheNAIAandNCAAaretwoseparateassociations,withtwodiffer-entsetsofrulesandcertificationprocesses.

NAIA Eligibility Center Phone:816-595-8300 Transcripts & Fee Waiver Confirmations Tollfree:866-881-6242 NAIAEligibilityCenterEmail:ecinfo@naia.org P.O.Box15340Hours:Monday-Friday KansasCity,MO64106 8:30amto5pmCentral

Register with the NAIA Eligibility Center at PlayNAIA.org.

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NAIA GUIDE FOR THE COLLEGE-BOUND STUDENT-ATHLETE

Who’s considered a professional in the NAIA?IntheNAIA,onlyamateurstudents-athletesareeligibletoparticipateinagivensport.Anamateurengagesinathleticscontestsforeducationalvalues,personalpleasure,satisfac-tion,andfortheloveofthesport,notformonetaryormaterialgain.Ifyoubecomeapro-fessionalinaparticularsportrecognizedbytheNAIA,youwillbeconsideredaprofessionalinthatsportonlyandareineligibleforintercollegiatecompetitioninthatsport.

Thefollowingwillcauseastudenttoloseamateurstanding: Signingacontractwithanyprofessionalteamorenteringintoanagree-

menttocompeteinprofessionalathletics,witheitheraprofessionalsportsorganizationorwithanyindividualorgroupofindividualsautho-rizedtorepresenttheathletewithaprofessionalsportsorganization

Participatinginanyathleticscontestasaprofessionalorasateammemberwhereyoureceivereimbursement,directlyorindirectly,ex-ceedingtheactualexpensesoftravel,mealsandlodging

Receivingremunerationforanyappearanceoradvertisement/promo-tionthatreferencesthestudent’scollegiateinstitutionorintercollegiateathleticparticipation.

How long can I compete?IntheNAIA,a“seasonofcompetition”iscountedwhenyouparticipateinoneormoreintercollegiatecontestswhetheratthevarsity,juniorvarsityorfreshmanlevel.Student-athletescancompeteduringfourseasonsofcompetitionwithinthefirst10semesters(15quarters)theyareincollege.Fortransfers,seasons ofcompetitionatthepreviousinstitution(s)aredeterminedundertherules oftheassociation(suchastheNCAA,NJCAA,etc.)underwhichyou competedpreviously.

What happens if I suffer an injury during college?Ifasastudentathleteyousufferaseason-endinginjuryorillness,NAIArulesprovideforawaytodealwiththelossoftheopportunitytocompete.Hardshiprequestsmustbeverifiedbythemedicaldoctorwhotreatedyou.Theinjurycannothaveoccurredinlastregularseasoncontestorduringpostseason,and

youcannothavecompetedinmorethanaspecifiednumberofcontests.Ifgranted,hard-shipsrestoreaseasonofcompetitionbutdonotrestoreanytermstowardthemaximum10semesters/15quarters.

What are the transfer student eligibility requirements?Ifyouenrollin12hoursandattendanyregularlyscheduledclassatatwo-orfour-yearcollegeandthendecidetotransfertoanNAIAschool,theNAIAconsidersyouatransferstudent,regardlessofwhetheryouparticipatedinintercollegiateathletics.

Ifyou’reatransferwhohasneverparticipatedinathleticsatanNAIAschool,you’llneedtoregisterwiththeNAIAEligibilityCenteratPlayNAIA.orgtohaveyoureligibilitydetermined.

Residency Rules if transferring from a four-year school — Ifyouparticipatedinanintercollegiatecontestinyoursportatafour-yearschool,youmustwait16weeksbeforeparticipatinginthatsportunlessyou:

Haveawrittenreleasefromtheathleticdepartmentatyourmostrecent four-yearcollege

Haveaminimum2.0GPAfromallpreviouscollegescombined

Meetalladditionalacademicrequirementsandanyconference-specific requirementsfortransfers

Residency Rules if transferring from a two-year school — Astudenttransferringfromatwo-yearschoolhasnoresidencyrequirement.If,however,youhaveparticipatedatafour-yearcollegepriortoattendingatwo-yearschool,youmusthaveawrittenreleasefromtheathleticdepartmentofthefour-yearinstitution. 24/36 Hour Rule — Transferstudentsarerequiredtohavecompleted24semester/36quarterhoursofinstitutionalcreditintheirlasttwosemesters/threequartersofenrollmentpriortotransferring.

Progress Rule — Ifyou’reatransferstudentwhohasalreadyusedoneormoreofyourfourseasonsofcompetitionincol-legesports,youwillneedtoshowcompletionofthefollowingbeforeyoucancompete:

Secondseason:24semester/36quarterinstitutionalcredithours

Thirdseason:48semester/72quarterinstitutionalcredithours

Fourthseason:72semester/108quarterinstitutionalcredithours(including48semester/72quarterhoursingeneraleducationoryourmajorfieldofstudy)

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NAIA GUIDE FOR THE COLLEGE-BOUND STUDENT-ATHLETE

Check out your resourcesPlayNAIA.org,theNAIAEligibilityCenter—informationforprospective

students,parents,highschoolandclubcoachesaboutNAIAschools,sportsandeligibilitydetermination.

Search for NAIA schoolsbysportsoffered,locationorconference.

ExploreNAIA Conferences.

NAIALegislativeServicesprovidesresourceson NAIA rules and eligibility.

National Junior College Athletic Association

National Federation of State High School Associations

JoinusonFacebook.

LearnmoreabouttheNAIAstudent-athleteexperienceonourTwitter

Visit the NAIA on YouTube.

What if I’ve competed in my sport outside of college?Athleteswhocompeteoutsidethetraditionalcollegesettingcangainanunfairadvantage,andtheNAIAaddressesthisissuewithits“competitiveexperiencerule.”Toensurethatstu-dentsarecompetingagainstthosewithsimilarlevelsoftrainingandexperience,theNAIAevaluatesastudent’scompetitionoutsideofcollege.Participationinsomeleaguesorlevelsofcompetitioncanresultinareductionofthestudent’savailableseasonsofcompetition.

Studentsarepermittedtoparticipateinnon-collegiatecompetitionduringthe12-monthperiodafterhighschoolgraduation.However,startingonthefirstdayofthe13thmonthfollowinghighschoolgraduation,the“competitiveexperiencerule”applies.Theruleappliestostudentsinthreemainsituations:

Studentswhotakemorethanoneyearoffbetweenhigh schoolandcollege

Studentswhogotocollegebutdon’tplaycollegesportsfor oneormoreyearswhileenrolled

Studentswholeavecollegeforoneormoresemestersafter firstenrolling

Astudentcanbechargedoneseasonofcompetitionforeachyearofoutsidecompetitionafterthefirstdayofthe13thmonthfollowinghighschoolgraduation.Astudentwillalsobechargedaseasonofcompetitionforeachyearofintercollegiatecompetitionregardlessofthedateofhighschoolgraduation.TheNAIAEligibilityCenter,supportedbyongoingresearchintobothdomesticandinternationalcompetition,determineswhichleaguesorlevelsofcompetitioninaparticularsportareconsideredcountable.

How do I remain eligible during college?NAIAstudent-athleteshavetobeenrolledinaminimumof12hoursatalltimesandbemakingprogresstowardadegree.Whenyoureachjunioryear(eitherathleticallyoraca-demically),youhavetomaintaina2.0GPAona4.0scale.Youreligibilityisreviewedattheendofeverytermyouareinschool.

Onceincollege,yourbestresourceforeligibilityquestionswillbeyourcampusfacultyath-leticsrepresentative.TheNAIA Official Handbookoutlinesallassociationrulesgoverningeligibilityandit’savailableonlineatNAIA.org