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NAIA Eligibility Center

Empowering Future Student-Athletes

Each year, over 50,000 students register with the NAIA Eligibility Center, paving their path to compete in college athletics.

 
PlayNAIA logo Exposure & National Visibility 
Since its establishment in 2010, the NAIA Eligibility Center has registered hundreds of thousands of students online, enhancing awareness of the opportunities available at NAIA institutions. Our strategic partnerships with major testing organizations and over 31,000 high schools nationwide have positioned the center as a key resource for high school student-athletes, their families, and coaches, providing unparalleled visibility in the intercollegiate sports arena.

Ensuring a Level Playing Field 
The NAIA’s rules and regulations are designed to create equitable competition among student-athletes, ensuring they compete against peers with similar training and competitive backgrounds. Eligibility center staff meticulously review the experiences of athletes who have participated outside the conventional college landscape, thereby upholding a consistent application of rules. The NAIA Eligibility Center provides initial eligibility determinations, working with integrity to apply NAIA rules and provide quality customer service for students, parents and NAIA membership.

Commitment to Student-Athletes and Customer Service  

bullet   Centralized Online Resource: The PlayNAIA.org platform serves as the central hub for all interactions with the NAIA Eligibility Center, allowing students to track their progress online. NAIA coaches can also efficiently monitor recruits through their institution's PlayNAIA dashboard. 

  • More than 31,000 high schools throughout the United States and its territories can utilize their individual PlayNAIA portals to submit student transcripts and evaluate fee waivers.

bullet   Simple Registration: All first-time NAIA student-athletes must register with the NAIA Eligibility Center, a process that takes just a few minutes. Prospective student athletes would simply visit PlayNAIA.org and input their desired email address they would use for their PlayNAIA profile. Once the email address has been confirmed, students can start the registration process.
 
bullet   Affordable Registration Fees: The registration fee is $110 for students graduating from high school, $145 for freshman with a break in enrollment, $160 for current college or transfer students, and $170 for international students.

  • A fee waiver system is available for U.S. students with demonstrated financial need.

 
bullet   Clear Path to Eligibility: Prospective student-athletes can focus on three straightforward academic criteria without the burden of navigating complex eligibility and recruiting rules. A student instantly qualifies for eligibility upon high school graduation by earning a 2.3+ GPA or by meeting two of the three following criteria:

  • A cumulative GPA of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale
  • Class rank within the top 50% of their graduating class
  • ACT score of 18 or SAT score of 970 (Critical Reading and Math combined)

 
bullet   Early Eligibility Determination: High-achieving students can receive a final eligibility assessment prior to graduation if they meet elevated GPA standards and qualifying test scores.

  • Junior Year Complete
    • GPA: 3.3+ without a test score
    • GPA: 3.0+ with a qualifying test score
  • Senior Mid-Year
    • GPA: 2.8+ without a test score
    • GPA: 2.5+ with a qualifying test score

 

Introducing InCred: Streamlined Solutions for International Students

InCred To better serve prospective international student-athletes, the NAIA Eligibility Center has integrated InCred, a comprehensive service for evaluating international academic records. This initiative combines admissions and athletic eligibility reviews into a single, cost-effective process.

InCred simplifies the admissions, transfer credit evaluation, and eligibility process, allowing international students to submit electronic records efficiently. The evaluations meet the standards set by AACRAO and other industry benchmarks, ensuring high-quality assessments. InCred stands as the only credential evaluation service that guarantees consistency between the NAIA Eligibility Center’s review and credential evaluations, facilitating a smoother transition for international student-athletes.