First things first: as long as you're a decent student taking a reasonable group of classes, you'll probably have no trouble flying through the NCAAClearinghouse.

The NCAAClearinghouse acts as a filter for NCAA Division I recruiting and NCAA Division II recruiting. The idea is that to compete in college, you have to have a reasonable level of academic ability. A bunch of athletes with 300 SATs and 1.3 GPAs would be a PR nightmare for the NCAA. So they set up the NCAAClearinghouse to make things interesting. An important thing to note is that the Clearinghouse doesn't apply to NCAA Division III recruiting, though most DIII schools have their own rules about the academic standards that you have to maintain to play for their teams.

You should meet with the college counselor at your high school when you are a freshman or sophomore to map out your curriculum. At the very least, if you're interested in playing Division I, you have to take at least 16 core courses in the following disciplines:

• 4 years of English


• 3 years of Math


• 3 years of Science


• 1 additional year of English, Math or Science


• 2 years of Social Science


• 4 years of additional courses

The second requirement is combined sliding scale that looks at your GPA and SAT or ACT score. For example, if you have a 3.5 GPA, you only need a 420 SAT to qualify! On the other hand, if you're rocking a 2.0 GPA, you have to get at least a 1010 on the SAT.

For more specifics on these two hurdles, download this NCAAClearinghouse Quick Reference Sheet.

One final technicality: the NCAAClearinghouse is now formally known as the NCAA Eligibility Center.