NCAA Eligibility and Participation

Table of Contents

• Athletics Eligibility (Formerly Amateurism)
• Continuing Eligibility & Progress Towards Degree Requirements
• Practice & Competition
• Competition on an Outside Team
• Summer Participation

Athletics Eligibility (Formerly Amateurism)

Only an amateur student-athlete is eligible for intercollegiate athletics participation in a particular sport. Your initial amateur status is certified by the NCAA Eligibility Center and thereafter determined by the UWF Compliance office.

Continuing Eligibility & Progress Towards Degree Requirements

Student-athletes must maintain NCAA progress towards degree requirements in order to remain eligible for competition. All student-athletes must be degree-seeking students.

Progress Towards Degree: Undergraduate SA’s

• Full-Time Enrollment: SA’s must be enrolled as a full-time student each semester to maintain eligibility to practice and compete.
  • 12+ hours per semester.
  • SA’s can be less than full-time if they are in their last semester for graduation but must have a graduation application on file.
• NCAA Declaration of Major Rule: SA’s must have a major declared prior to entering their 5th full-time semester.
• Good Academic Standing: SA’s must remain in good academic standing with UWF in order to be eligible.
• Sport Specific PTD requirements:
  • Baseball: If SA does not meet 6 and/or 18 hours- they are ineligible for the entire academic year. SA has to be eligible for the Fall. If not, they are ineligible for the entire academic year.
  • Football: If SA does not pass 9 hours or earn an APR point in Fall- they must sit out 4 games the next season.

NCAA Division I Progress-Toward-Degree Requirements

Academic Requirements	Prior to the 2nd Year of Enrollment	Prior to the 3rd Year of Enrollment	Prior to the 4th Year of Enrollment	Prior to the 5th Year of Enrollment
Regular Academic Term	6 semester / 6 quarter hours of credit	6 semester / 6 quarter hours of credit	6 semester / 6 quarter hours of credit	6 semester / 6 quarter hours of credit
Regular Academic Year	18 semester / 27 quarter hours of credit	18 semester / 27 quarter hours of credit	18 semester / 27 quarter hours of credit	18 semester / 27 quarter hours of credit
Degree Credit	Credits accepted toward any degree offered at the institution	Credits used must go toward the designated degree	Credits used must go toward the designated degree	Credits used must go toward the designated degree
Percentage-of-Degree	24 semester / 36 quarter hours of credit	40-percent of the designated degree must be completed	60-percent of the designated degree must be completed	80-percent of the designated degree must be completed
Grade-Point Average	90-percent of the minimum GPA required for graduation (1.8 if a 2.0 is the minimum)	95-percent of the minimum GPA required for graduation (1.9 if a 2.0 is the minimum)	100-percent of the minimum GPA required for graduation (2.0 if 2.0 is the minimum)	100-percent of the minimum GPA required for graduation (2.0 if 2.0 is the minimum)

Table Source: NCAA Division I Academics

Progress Towards Degree: Graduate SA’s

• Full-Time Enrollment: SA’s must be enrolled as a full-time student each semester to maintain eligibility to practice and compete.
  • 6+ hours per semester is considered full-time.
  • SA’s can be less than full-time if they are in their last semester for graduation and have a grad app on file.
• Good Academic Standing: SA’s must remain in good academic standing with their grad department and the university. SA’s cannot compete if they are on academic probation.
  • Each grad program/department will have their own standard regarding Good Academic Standing for their program(s). It is the SA’s responsibility to know the requirements of their program.
• Progress-Toward-Degree Requirement: SA’s must pass six semester hours of graduate credit per semester for PTD.

Practice & Competition

Countable Athletically Related Activities (CARA)

NCAA sets the daily and weekly hour limitations of CARA. Student-athlete’s participation in countable athletically related activities (required practice, film review, weight training, team meetings, and competition) shall be limited to:

• In Season (Championship and Non-Championship Segment Segment):
  • A maximum of four (4) hours per day and twenty (20) hours per week.
  • Any athletically related activities on a competition day will count as a total of three (3) hours regardless of the actual duration. No CARA is permitted after the conclusion of a competition.
  • Student-athletes must have one (1) day off per week during the playing season.
• Out-of-Season:
  • A maximum of eight (8) hours per week.
  • During the 8 hours, a maximum of four (4) hours of skill-related workouts for all teams not in their playing season.
  • Must have two (2) days off per week.

For teams that are not in their championship segment, all CARA is prohibited one week prior to the beginning of the final examination period through the conclusion of the student-athlete’s final exams.

At the conclusion of the championship segment, a mandatory 7-day off period is required. During this time, a coach may conduct one team meeting and one individual meeting with each student-athlete, but no other CARA activities are allowed.

For teams that are not in 20-hour weeks, no CARA is allowed during University vacation periods (holidays such as Labor Day, Martin Luther King Day)

Competition on an Outside Team

During the Academic Year

Student-athletes with eligibility remaining may not practice or compete as members of any outside team or all-star squad in any non-collegiate, amateur competition in their sport except as allowed by the NCAA (e.g. national team exceptions, HS alumni game, etc). Any questions about such participation should be referred to the Compliance Office.

Some outside competition may be permitted during official vacation periods such as winter or spring break. Each sport has its own set of rules regarding outside competition so be sure to seek permission before participating in any outside competition -- especially over vacation periods. Any violations of this could jeopardize eligibility.

All outside competition must first be pre-approved by the Compliance Office. The Outside Competition Approval Form can be found in ARMS. This must be approved prior to the event you wish to participate in.

Summer Participation

Please check with the Compliance Office before participating in any summer events. All participation must be approved by the Athletic Director or designee prior to participation. Approval can be obtained by completing the Outside Competition Approval Form submitted through ARMS. The form must be submitted to the Compliance Office prior to any participation.

Participation in non-sanctioned leagues or events could jeopardize remaining eligibility.