Amateur status
NCAA Division I & II
- If you want to participate in NCAA Division I or II, you must also be certified as an amateur student-athlete.
- The NCAA Eligibility Centre will determine the amateurism eligibility of all new students and transfer college-bound student-athletes for initial participation at an NCAA Division I or II member institution.
NCAA initial-eligibility guide for College-bound students.
NCAA Division III
- In Division III, certification of an individual’s amateurism status is completed by each institution, not the Eligibility Centre.
When you register with the Eligibility Centre, you will be asked questions about your athletics participation.
The information you provide will be reviewed and a determination will be made to whether your amateurism status should be certified or if a penalty should be assessed before certification.
You are responsible for achieving and protecting your eligibility status and this involves understanding numerous rules. If you wish to compete in college you need to see if you are eligible to do this you must register with the Eligibility Centre by visiting the NCAA Clearing House.
Once you have registered, you will be asked questions about your tennis. Your answers will be reviewed and your eligibility hopefully attained.
What is Amateur Status?
If you want to participate in NCAA Div I or II athletics, you must be certified as an amateur student-athlete. But what does this mean?
- Have you accepted prize money exceeding your expenses?
- Have you entered into an agreement with an agent or agency?
- Have you been enrolled in an academy?
- Have you delayed initial full-time collegiate enrollment to participate in pro tennis?
- Have you signed clothing or racket contract?
- Have you played on a pro team?
If the answer to any of these questions is yes, your eligibility could be called into question. This does not mean you may not be eligible but the rules are strict and you may lose one year’s eligibility so it is well worth at least a year before planning to go to check the amateur status rules.
Eligibility Tests
There are a number of eligibility tests which you need to take before progressing with your application and these are detailed below – please check with the college you are applying to for what it is they require.
Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT)
All NCAA Div I and II colleges, most NAIA, NCAA Div III and NJCAA colleges require this test. The test includes a written essay, critical reading and alternating sections of English and mathematics, mostly multiple choice exams at GCSE level.
Each section is scored between 200-800 points out of a total of 2400 possible points, but the only two sections that count for NCAA eligibility are mathematics and critical reading (1600 points in total).
It is well worth preparing well for these SAT tests by reading up on practice books and some companies even offer classes on the tests. The test is offered six times a year between October and June at designated centres in Britain and most other countries. Find more information about this test
American College Test (ACT)
The ACT is also an acceptable entrance exam but is not so readily available in the UK.
Find more information about this test