Clearinghouse: The NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse is an organization that works with the NCAA to determine students' eligibility for athletics participation in their first year of college enrollment. Students who want to participate in college sports during their first year of enrollment in college must register with the Clearinghouse. Located in Iowa City, Iowa, the Clearinghouse staff follows NCAA bylaws and regulations in analyzing and processing a student's high school academic records, ACT or SAT scores, and key information about amateurism participation. It is up to the Clearinghouse to determine the student's initial eligibility.
Commitment: Also known as an oral commitment or verbal commitment. A recruit's pledge to the coaching staff that he intends to accept their scholarship offer and attend a specific institution. The pledge is non-binding until a National Letter-of-Intent is signed. If a prospect breaks off a commitment with one school to commit to another, it is called a de-commitment.
- Silent commitment: A commitment made to the coaching staff of a specific school but not made public.
- Soft commitment: A commitment in which the recruit will continue to take official visits to other schools.
Eligibility: Student-athletes receiving an athletic scholarship must graduate from high school, complete 14 core courses (ex. English, math, science), earn a minimum required grade-point average in core courses, and earn a combined SAT or ACT sum score that matches his core-course grade-point average and test score sliding scale (for example, a 2.4 core-course grade-point average needs a 860 SAT); click here for more on the sliding scale.
- Qualifier: A student-athlete who meets the academic requirements listed above. A qualifier can practice or compete for a college or university during his first year of college, can receive an athletics scholarship during his first year of college, and can play four seasons in his sport if he maintains eligibility from year to year.
- Non-qualifier: Non-qualifiers do not meet the academic requirements listed above. Non-qualifiers cannot practice or compete for their college or university during their first year of college. They cannot receive an athletics scholarship during their first year of college, but they may receive need-based financial aid. They can play only three seasons in their sport if they maintain eligibility from year to year (to earn a fourth season they must complete at least 80 percent of their degree before beginning their fifth year of college).
Grayshirt: A term used in the recruiting process to describe situations in which a student-athlete delays initial enrollment in a collegiate institution to the winter or spring term after the traditional academic year begins. Students who grayshirt often use the fall to take classes part time or choose not to enroll in college at all.
National Signing Day: The first day prospective student-athletes can sign a national letter of intent (see below). For high school football athletes, Signing Day falls on the first Wednesday of February. There is a separate signing day for midseason transfers (junior college transfers) in December.
National Letter of Intent: (Sometimes abbreviated as NLI or LOI) A binding agreement between a prospective student-athlete and an institution in which the institution agrees to provide a prospective student-athlete who is admitted to the institution and is eligible for financial aid under NCAA rules athletics aid for one academic year in exchange for the prospect's agreement to attend the institution for one academic year. All colleges and universities that participate in the NLI program agree not to recruit a prospective student-athlete once he/she signs an NLI with another college or university. Therefore, a prospective student-athlete who signs an NLI should no longer receive recruiting contacts and calls and is ensured an athletic scholarship for one academic year. The NLI must be accompanied by an institutional financial aid agreement. College coaches are not permitted to comment publicly about prospects until they sign a letter of intent.
More on letter of intent
Thousands of high school athletes will sign their National Letter of Intent this week, beginning the next phase of their lives as a collegiate student-athlete. On the flip side, coaches all over the country will wait pensively in front of the fax machine for those coveted signatures.
But what does all this mean? Why all the hubbub for a sheet of paper and a signature?
Simply put, a National Letter of Intent seals the recruiting process. With his signature, a student-athlete accepts a four-year institution's athletic scholarship offer. The signature ends a student-athlete's recruitment and binds him to a single college or university.
By signing a letter of intent, the student-athlete agrees to attend the college or university for one year. The institution also agrees to provide financial aid for one year. Other institutions are prohibited to continue recruiting a student-athlete once he signs a letter of intent.
In football, the signing period begins on the first Wednesday in February. This year the signing period begins Feb. 7 and lasts through April 1. Most high school athletes sign letters of intent on the first day. Junior college transfers sign midyear, usually in December.
A signed letter is binding to the university or college, not a coach or team. It is binding for one academic year. It does not guarantee a spot on the team or playing time.
Student-athletes sign a National Letter of Intent only for the first year. NCAA rules require institutions to notify athletes whether their athletics aid has been renewed.
Schools recruiting a student-athlete will send a National Letter of Intent, indicating an official scholarship offer. A parent or legal guardian of a student-athlete under the age of 21 is required to sign the letter of intent along with the athlete. College coaches are not allowed to be present for the signing of a letter of intent.
Prior to receiving a signed letter of intent from a recruit, institutions are permitted only to confirm their recruitment of a prospect. Only after receiving a signed National Letter of Intent can institutions and coaches comment fully on the prospect.
Most Division I-A programs release signing lists on National Signing Day of the members of their incoming freshman class, which is generally around 25 members.
The National Letter of Intent program is intended to prevent last-minute changes on the part of both the student-athlete and the institution. The student-athlete is ensured financial aid for his first year of college while the athletic team is ensured his presence on the team for the coming season, pending academic qualification for the scholarship.
Fifty-four conferences and nine independent universities are members of the program, which is administered by the Collegiate Commissioners Association, not the NCAA.
This post was edited on 12/8 2:19 PM by Colreb
Commitment: Also known as an oral commitment or verbal commitment. A recruit's pledge to the coaching staff that he intends to accept their scholarship offer and attend a specific institution. The pledge is non-binding until a National Letter-of-Intent is signed. If a prospect breaks off a commitment with one school to commit to another, it is called a de-commitment.
- Silent commitment: A commitment made to the coaching staff of a specific school but not made public.
- Soft commitment: A commitment in which the recruit will continue to take official visits to other schools.
Eligibility: Student-athletes receiving an athletic scholarship must graduate from high school, complete 14 core courses (ex. English, math, science), earn a minimum required grade-point average in core courses, and earn a combined SAT or ACT sum score that matches his core-course grade-point average and test score sliding scale (for example, a 2.4 core-course grade-point average needs a 860 SAT); click here for more on the sliding scale.
- Qualifier: A student-athlete who meets the academic requirements listed above. A qualifier can practice or compete for a college or university during his first year of college, can receive an athletics scholarship during his first year of college, and can play four seasons in his sport if he maintains eligibility from year to year.
- Non-qualifier: Non-qualifiers do not meet the academic requirements listed above. Non-qualifiers cannot practice or compete for their college or university during their first year of college. They cannot receive an athletics scholarship during their first year of college, but they may receive need-based financial aid. They can play only three seasons in their sport if they maintain eligibility from year to year (to earn a fourth season they must complete at least 80 percent of their degree before beginning their fifth year of college).
Grayshirt: A term used in the recruiting process to describe situations in which a student-athlete delays initial enrollment in a collegiate institution to the winter or spring term after the traditional academic year begins. Students who grayshirt often use the fall to take classes part time or choose not to enroll in college at all.
National Signing Day: The first day prospective student-athletes can sign a national letter of intent (see below). For high school football athletes, Signing Day falls on the first Wednesday of February. There is a separate signing day for midseason transfers (junior college transfers) in December.
National Letter of Intent: (Sometimes abbreviated as NLI or LOI) A binding agreement between a prospective student-athlete and an institution in which the institution agrees to provide a prospective student-athlete who is admitted to the institution and is eligible for financial aid under NCAA rules athletics aid for one academic year in exchange for the prospect's agreement to attend the institution for one academic year. All colleges and universities that participate in the NLI program agree not to recruit a prospective student-athlete once he/she signs an NLI with another college or university. Therefore, a prospective student-athlete who signs an NLI should no longer receive recruiting contacts and calls and is ensured an athletic scholarship for one academic year. The NLI must be accompanied by an institutional financial aid agreement. College coaches are not permitted to comment publicly about prospects until they sign a letter of intent.
More on letter of intent
Thousands of high school athletes will sign their National Letter of Intent this week, beginning the next phase of their lives as a collegiate student-athlete. On the flip side, coaches all over the country will wait pensively in front of the fax machine for those coveted signatures.
But what does all this mean? Why all the hubbub for a sheet of paper and a signature?
Simply put, a National Letter of Intent seals the recruiting process. With his signature, a student-athlete accepts a four-year institution's athletic scholarship offer. The signature ends a student-athlete's recruitment and binds him to a single college or university.
By signing a letter of intent, the student-athlete agrees to attend the college or university for one year. The institution also agrees to provide financial aid for one year. Other institutions are prohibited to continue recruiting a student-athlete once he signs a letter of intent.
In football, the signing period begins on the first Wednesday in February. This year the signing period begins Feb. 7 and lasts through April 1. Most high school athletes sign letters of intent on the first day. Junior college transfers sign midyear, usually in December.
A signed letter is binding to the university or college, not a coach or team. It is binding for one academic year. It does not guarantee a spot on the team or playing time.
Student-athletes sign a National Letter of Intent only for the first year. NCAA rules require institutions to notify athletes whether their athletics aid has been renewed.
Schools recruiting a student-athlete will send a National Letter of Intent, indicating an official scholarship offer. A parent or legal guardian of a student-athlete under the age of 21 is required to sign the letter of intent along with the athlete. College coaches are not allowed to be present for the signing of a letter of intent.
Prior to receiving a signed letter of intent from a recruit, institutions are permitted only to confirm their recruitment of a prospect. Only after receiving a signed National Letter of Intent can institutions and coaches comment fully on the prospect.
Most Division I-A programs release signing lists on National Signing Day of the members of their incoming freshman class, which is generally around 25 members.
The National Letter of Intent program is intended to prevent last-minute changes on the part of both the student-athlete and the institution. The student-athlete is ensured financial aid for his first year of college while the athletic team is ensured his presence on the team for the coming season, pending academic qualification for the scholarship.
Fifty-four conferences and nine independent universities are members of the program, which is administered by the Collegiate Commissioners Association, not the NCAA.
This post was edited on 12/8 2:19 PM by Colreb
