The Truth About the NCAA Clearinghouse

Kelly Kulina: Your Link to the Colleges

One of the more frequent questions our staff gets throughout the recruiting/college search process is the NCAA Clearinghouse. I’d like to take some time to explain what the Clearinghouse is, how it operates and what you need to do to make sure that you’re on track to accomplish what you want to at the next level, both academically and athletically.

The NCAA Clearinghouse, now known as the NCAA Eligibility Center, regulates, maintains and processes all eligibility certifications. In plain English, the Clearinghouse makes sure that all prospective student athletes at the D-I or D-II level are academically eligible for intercollegiate sports and are certified as amateurs. For more information on academic eligibility requirements, check out the NCAA Freshman-Eligibility Standards Quick Reference Sheet. Assessing a player’s “amateurism” simply means checking for professional contracts, prize money or placement on professional rosters. Your amateur status will determine your eligibility for scholarships, team practice and intercollegiate play. For more information on amateurism, please see the NCAA’s Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete.

Players that register with the Clearinghouse will fall into one of three categories: 1) qualifier, 2) partial qualifier and 3) non-qualifier. A qualifier is eligible for scholarship money, team practices and games. A partial qualifier is eligible for athletic aid and team practice, but cannot play in intercollegiate games for one year. A non-qualifier cannot practice or play games in his first year. One important distinction to make is that being academically eligible for intercollegiate play is NOT the same thing as being admitted into the school. It is possible to be eligible and not offered admission to a particular school, and vice-versa!

When I was coaching at Jacksonville University and Maryland in my early years, each individual university’s Admissions Office had to determine eligibility for their incoming student-athletes. When the Clearinghouse first came about, there were a lot of concerns of how it was going to work, and what benefit it would have for student-athletes, athletic departments and academic standards. More so, would it more trouble than it was worth? After seeing both ways, I can honestly say that, after some bugs had been worked out of the system, it has definitely made a tremendous difference for admissions and college coaches. The effect on academic standards is pretty obvious, but even for coaches, the ability of the Clearinghouse to provide accurate and updated information regarding a prospect’s academic record is a major help in the recruiting process.

For players, registering with the Clearinghouse during the junior year may prove to be a useful compass when deciding which level of athletics to pursue from an academic standpoint. For example, if a prospect has a 2.0 GPA and historically does not test well, it may be worthwhile to look into community college. As I have stressed in my previous blog entries, finding the right fit academically is very important for your overall happiness and success in college. If you’re struggling with academics now, playing sports at the D-I or D-II level may not be the best formula for success on the field or the classroom right now.

So, what does all this mean? College coaches can no longer afford to waste time with “borderline” players. There are too few spots for many prospective student-athletes out there that are comparable on the field. The players that get the job done in the classroom are the ones that will get the last spot on the team, not because they’re a better player, but because they are less likely to be a liability down the road. It’s important to remember that coaches aren’t just looking for the best players; they’re looking for the best players that are going to represent their school, community and program in a positive way. Position yourself to be an asset, not a liability, for a coach and a baseball program!