NCAA Eligibility Center Registration Process

How the new NCAA Eligibility Center Changes affect High School Athletes

The NCAA has recently tweaked their Eligibility Center process for high school athletes. In the past, only athletes that were interested in playing NCAA D1 or NCAA D2 athletics were required to register with the Eligibility Center and all had to pay a fee to register.

Per the NCAA website, the new classifications are as follows…

Certification Account: You need to be certified by the NCAA Eligibility Center to compete at an NCAA Division I or II school. You also need to be registered with a Certification Account before you can make official visits or sign a National Letter of Intent in Division I or II.
Profile Page: If you plan to compete at a Division III school or are currently unsure which division you want to compete in, create a Profile Page. If at any time you wish to pursue a Division I or II path, you will be able to transition to a Certification Account.

Why did the NCAA make this change?

It’s possible someone raised a great point. If I am going to play D3 athletics, which doesn’t use the NCAA Eligibility Center for eligibility decisions or possibly not get recruited at all by any NCAA coaches at the D1 or D2 level, why do I need to pay the NCAA the $80 fee to register (or $135 for International athletes).

What if I am still not sure about what school I will attend or what school/coach will recruit me?

This is where the change works. The NCAA will allow you to create a profile page for free and then transition that page to a paid Certification Account once you get further along in the process and are actively getting recruited by D1 and D2 coaches who will need access to your eligibility status. PDF link with transfer instructions If you think you will definitely be playing D3 athletics, then there is no need for you to update to the paid certification account because it is not used by NCAA D3 schools.

NCAA Eligibility Center

What do I need to register with the Eligibility Center?

To register for either account (Certification or Profile), you need a valid email address that you have access to, basic personal and contact information, and a way to pay the registration fee. You will be asked questions like what high schools or secondary schools you have attended and what sports you have competed in.

What will I get back?

You will be given an NCAA ID number via email, which will be visibly in the top right of your account when you login.

What else do I need to provide the NCAA Eligibility Center?

If you are registering for recruitment at NCAA D1 or NCAA D1 schools, you eventually need to provide the NCAA Eligibility Center with your SAT/ACT scores.

That can be accomplished by logging into the College board website here or the ACT testing agency here. Each organization used code 9999 to send your test scores to the NCAA Eligibility Center.