NCAA Recruiting terms and definitions:



A Quick Reference to NCAA Recruiting, Eligibility, and Rules for the Prospective Tennis Student-Athlete

I. NCAA Recruiting terms and definitions:

Prospective Student-Athlete (PSA): A student who has started classes for the ninth grade. That student will remain a PSA until he or she starts classes at a four year institution or participates in an official practice.

NCAA Eligibility Center: Previously know as the “NCAA Clearinghouse.” The Eligibility Center evaluates a PSA’s academic record (core courses, GPA, and test scores) and amateur status to determine whether he or she is eligible to practice and compete at the Division I or II level. The Eligibility Center recommends that PSAs register after completing their junior year of high school.

Recruiting Materials: Any documents (printed or electronic) promoting a specific institution and its athletics program including but not limited to: General correspondence (snail mail letters), business cards, media guides, note cards, and e-mails.

• Coaches may not send recruiting materials to PSAs, their family, friends, or legal guardians until September 1 of their junior year of high school.

• Questionnaires can be sent at any time.

Contact: A contact is any face to face encounter between a PSA (or their parents, relatives, or legal guardians) and a coach (or other institutional staff member) during which dialogue occurs in excess of an exchange of a greeting.

• A contact cannot be made during a tournament—only at the completion of the event after the PSA has been “released” from the event.

• Off-campus contacts are not allowed until July 1 after a PSA’s junior year of high school.

Evaluation: Any off-campus activity designed to assess the athleticand/ or academic qualifications of a prospective student-athlete by a member of the athletics staff.

Official Visit: A visit by a PSA to an institution paid for in whole or in part by the institution. Also referred to as a “paid visit”

• PSAs are limited to 5 total visits.

• PSAs must present a test score and transcript and must be registered with the NCAA Eligibility Clearinghouse before making an official visit.

• Institutions can only finance one official visit to campus for a PSA.

• PSAs may take an official visit starting the first day of classes of their senior year

• Official Visits are limited to 48 hours and PSAs must be lodged, fed, and entertained at a comparable level to that of regular students.

• Parent and guardians may accompany a PSA on an official visit, but the institution can only assist in paying for lodging and meals. (No plane or train tickets)

• PSAs may be provided with up to 3 complimentary admissions to home sporting events.

• PSAs cannot “tryout” on an official visit

Unofficial Visit: A visit by a PSA to an institution made at the PSA’s own expense.

• PSAs can make unlimited unofficial visits and can visit before the beginning of their senior year of high school.

• PSAs cannot “tryout” on an unofficial visit.

Telephone Calls: Telephone calls to a PSA cannot be made until July 1 after a PSA’s junior year of high school. Coaches cannot make more than 1 call per week.

• PSAs can make unlimited calls to college coaches and can call before July 1 of the junior year.

• Coaches cannot have currently enrolled student-athletes call PSAs on their behalf.

Full Scholarship: Full scholarships are usually only offered in women’s tennis; most Division I programs have 8 full scholarships. It includes: Tuition, room, board, text books, and course-related fees.

Partial Scholarship: A percentage of the above. Partial scholarships are generally offered in men’s tennis; most Division I programs have the equivalent of 4.5 scholarships. (FYI: most top players don’t receive full scholarships)

Head Count Sport: A sport where the # of players receiving athletics aid is limited. Division I women’s tennis is a head count sport—only 8 players can receive athletics aid during the school year.

Equivalency Sport: A sport where scholarships can be split up amongst any number of athletes and the total value of all scholarships is equivalent to a set number. In the case of Division I men’s tennis the equivalency is 4.5.

Offers and Inducements: A coach (or other institutional staff member) is not allowed to offer financial aid or other benefits to a PSA or his or her relatives or friends other than what is allowed by NCAA regulations. This could include:

• Employment for PSAs relatives

• Gifts or clothing or equipment

• Cash or loans

• Merchandise

• Free or reduced cost housing or services

National Letter of Intent (NLI): See handout. The NLI is a document that formalizes a prospective student-athlete’s commitment to an institution. Generally the institutions that utilize NLIs are institutions that provide athletics based aid.

• Any commitment prior to the signing of an NLI is know as a “Verbal Commitment”

II. NCAA Eligibility Terms and Definitions

Qualifier: A PSA who has met the following criteria:

• Graduation from high school

• Completion of NCAA core curriculum

• Earned the minimum GPA in the core curriculum

• Earned the minimum SAT or ACT score

Non-qualifier: A PSA who has not met one or more of the above criteria

One Year Grace Period (Tennis, Swimming, and Diving): After the high school graduation date of the PSA’s class as determined by the first year of high school enrollment, a student-athlete has one year to become immediately eligible and retain the opportunity for four seasons of competition with the following stipulations:

• The PSA will be charged a season of eligibility for each year after the one-year grace period.

• The PSA will be charged a year in residence if he or she engages in organized events after the one-year grace period and before matriculation.

Matriculation after 20th Birthday (Tennis Only): If a PSA participates in organized tennis after his or her 20th birthday he or she will be charged with a season of eligibility and a year in residence.

Agents and Amateurism: Per NCAA legislation only an amateur student-athlete is eligible for intercollegiate athletics participation. A student-athlete may jeopardize his/her amateur status if he/she has inappropriate contact with an agent or their representatives.

• A student-athlete MAY NOT agree, either orally or in writing, to be represented by an agent for the purpose of marketing his/her athletics ability or reputation in a sport. In addition, it is not permissible for a student-athlete to enter into a verbal or written agreement with an agent for representation in future professional sports negotiations once his/her collegiate eligibility has expired in that sport.

• Student-athletes (or their relatives or friends) MAY NOT accept transportation or other benefits (e.g., dinner, lodging) from anyone who wishes to represent their athletic interests.

• A student-athlete MAY NOT enter into any kind of agreement to compete in professional athletics, either orally or in writing, regardless of the legal enforceability of that agreement.

• Student-athletes MAY NOT receive any type of pay or compensation for play (either directly or indirectly).

• Student-athletes MAY NOT be involved in any commercial endorsements for a product, service or establishment.

III. NCAA Regulations, Rules, and Definitions for Enrolled Student-Athletes

Five-Year rule: A student-athlete has 5 years to complete 4 years of competition

• A student-athlete uses a season of competition if he/she participates in any competition, regardless of the length of time, during a season. For example, if an athlete plays in one minute of one game, he/she has used a season of competition in his/her sport. There is one exception to this rule. During a student-athlete’s initial year of enrollment at a four-year institution, he/she may compete in preseason exhibition contests and preseason practice scrimmages without counting such competition as a season of competition.

• A student-athlete who does not compete at all during one of his/her seasons will not use a season of competition. This is commonly referred to as a “redshirt” year. An athlete only receives one “redshirt” year within his/her five-year clock.

• One exception is in the case of a season ending injury at the beginning of a season of competition. An injured student-athlete may then apply for a Medical Hardship Waiver (aka Medical redshirt) to get that season of competition back.

Academic Requirements: Student-athletes will be expected to maintain NCAA academic standards in order to be eligible for practice and competition. NCAA legislation requires student-athletes also maintain progress toward a degree in order to maintain their academic eligibility. In general a student-athlete must be enrolled in a minimum full-time program of studies (i.e. 12 credit hours) to be eligible to practice and to compete.

|NCAA REQUIREMENTS |

| |Entering 2nd Year of Enrollment|Entering 3rd Year of Enrollment |Entering 4th Year of |Entering 5th Year of |

| | | |Enrollment |Enrollment |

| |24 semester/36 quarter credits |40% of degree requirements |60% of degree requirements |80% of degree requirements |

| |18/27 credits earned during |18/27 credits earned during |18/27 credit earned during |18/27 credit earned during |

| |academic year |academic year |academic year |academic year |

| |90% of GPA for graduation |95% of GPA for graduation |100% of GPA for graduation |100% of GPA for graduation |

| |(certify term by term) |(certify term by term) |(certify term by term) |(certify term by term) |

| |6 credits/term |6 credits/term |6 credits/term |6 credits/term |

| | |Declaration of degree program | | |

Employment: It is permissible for student-athletes to work during the academic year and vacation periods.

• There is no limit on the amount of money an athlete can earn during the academic year or vacation periods.

• Should a student-athlete work, they may be paid only for work actually performed and at a rate comparable with the going rate in the locale for the type of work performed.

• A student-athlete’s compensation may not include any remuneration for value or utility that the student-athlete may have for the employer because of the publicity, reputation, fame or personal following that he/she has obtained because of athletics ability.

• Student-athletes may not receive any special discounts or services from his/her employer unless they are provided to all employees.

• Student-athletes may not receive transportation to and from work, health benefits, vacation/sick time, bonuses, etc. unless the same benefits are available to all employees.

Financial Aid: A student-athlete may not receive athletics aid in excess of a full grant-in-aid (full scholarship). Institutions cannot award athletics aid to a student-athlete in excess of one academic year. An institution is required to notify a student-athlete by July 1 whether his/her athletics aid has been renewed, reduced or cancelled for the following academic year.

• An institution may not decrease or cancel a student-athlete’s athletics aid during the period of the award (i.e., academic year) on the basis of the student-athlete’s athletics ability, performance or contribution to a team’s success; because of an injury, illness or physical or mental medical condition; or for any other athletics reason.

• An institution may reduce or cancel athletics aid during the period of the award if a student-athlete renders himself/herself ineligible for intercollegiate athletics competition; fraudulently misrepresents any information on an application, letter of intent or financial aid agreement; engages in serious misconduct warranting substantial disciplinary penalty; or voluntarily withdraws from a sport at any time for personal reasons.

Extra Benefit: Any special arrangement by an institutional employee or booster to provide a student-athlete or the student-athlete’s relatives or friends a benefit not authorized by the NCAA. Receipt of an extra benefit may render a student-athlete ineligible. Examples include:

• A special discount, payment arrangement or credit on a purchase or service (e.g., dry cleaning, legal representation)

• Free or reduced-cost housing

• Transportation, an automobile or use of an automobile

• Services (e.g., movie tickets, dinners, use of a car) from commercial agencies (e.g., movie theaters, restaurants, car dealers) without charge or at reduced rates

• Cash, gift certificates or other items with value

Gambling: The NCAA opposes all forms of legal and illegal sports wagering. Sports wagering includes placing, accepting or soliciting a wager of any type with any individual or organization on any intercollegiate, amateur or professional team or contest. This means that student-athletes are prohibited from participating in the following activities:

• No wagers for any item (e.g., cash, dinner, clothing) on any practice or intercollegiate, amateur or professional competition.

• No sports “pools”.

• No Internet gambling on sports events.

• No fantasy leagues that award a prize or require a fee to participate.

• No exchange of information about an institution’s team and/or student-athlete with anyone who gambles including information about injuries, new plays, team morale, discipline problems, etc.

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