Student-Athlete Criteria
When students are considering Athletic Scholarships through the NAIA the following three criteria must be met.
- Eligibility to play the sport, to endure fairness of competition
- Determine the number of eligibile years to play the sport at a college/university level
- Meeting academic standards that are set by the NCAA Eligibility Centre
Determining Eligibility
In determining eligibility for the NAIA the following guidelines must be adhered to:
In the NAIA, only amateur student athletes are eligible to participate in a given sport. An amateur engages in athletics for educational values, personal pleasure, satisfaction, and for the love of the sport, not for monetary or material gain.
If you become a professional in a particular sport recognized by the NAIA, you will become ineligible for intercollegiate competition in that sport
The following will cause a student to lose amateur standing:
In the NAIA, only amateur student athletes are eligible to participate in a given sport. An amateur engages in athletics for educational values, personal pleasure, satisfaction, and for the love of the sport, not for monetary or material gain.
If you become a professional in a particular sport recognized by the NAIA, you will become ineligible for intercollegiate competition in that sport
The following will cause a student to lose amateur standing:
- Signing a contract with any professional team,
- Entering into an agreement to compete in professional athletics, with either professional sports organizations or with any individual or group of individuals authorized to represent the athlete with a professional sports organization
- Participating in any athletics contest as a professional
- As a team member where you receive reimbursement directly or indirectly, exceeding the actual expenses of travel, meals, lodging
- Exploiting for renumeration your athletic ability or fame through an exhibition or radio or TV appearance
- Using your athletic fame to write for the news media for pay beyond actual expenses
- Receiving payment for the use of your name or picture to promote any commercial product or enterprise
Academic Standards
Student athletes must meet two of the following three academic standards set in order to meet academic eligibility requirements with the NAIA. These include:
- Obtaining a minimum GPA of a 2.0 on a 4.0 scale
- New 2017-2018 year SAT score of a 940 (critical reading and math only) or an ACT score under review
- Be in the top 50% of the students graduating class, this can be verified by an official letter from the school stating: high school graduation year, and placement of student based on a cumulative GPA (your rank) and the number of students in your graduating class