What is the NCAA Clearinghouse?

For those athletes that plan on taking official visits to Division I or II college programs, you need to get to know what the NCAA Clearinghouse is and make sure you are registered. You can register any time during your junior or seniors years in high school and they do a number of different things for helping an athlete become eligible in college.

There may be parents or athletes who have never heard of the NCAA Clearinghouse and may think this article does not apply to them. But trust me in saying that it really does. Here is a definition of what I found that it does. “The NCAA Clearinghouse is an organization that clears athletes for initial eligibility in NCAA division I and II athletic programs.”

The main thing that the Clearinghouse does it to make sure that the athletes meet the requirements academically to play at a high level in college. They will check your Grade Point Average, ACT/SAT (Depending on which one you take), and what classes you have taken. A high school counselor should help provide you with more information about what classes you need to take.

Here is a look at the Division I requirements for those in the Class of 2008 (Seniors this fall). If you plan to enter college in 2008 or after, you will need to present 16 core courses in the following breakdown:

• 4 years of English
• 3 years of mathematics (Algebra I or higher)
• 2 years of natural/physical science (one must be a lab science)
• 1 year of additional English, math or science
• 2 years of social studies
• 4 years of additional core courses (from any area listed above, or from foreign language, nondoctrinal religion or philosophy)

It is important to at least touch base with the counselor and tell them that you are interested in playing sports at the scholarship level. Opening that line of communication can only help you when things get confusing down the road and during the middle of the process.

Another important aspect that the Clearinghouse provides relates to official visits. By using your social security number, they will track how many official visits you take. The college that you are visiting will request this information and go through the compliance office at the institution before hosting you. There is a lot of work behind the scenes for having an athlete on campus as an official visitor. It is not as easy as inviting you and you coming.

Because of the push towards technology, the Clearinghouse wants student athletes to register online. CLICK HERE to see that page now. I would look into that if colleges have talked to you about potential taking an official visit.