Mentorship · education · the whole journey · free for every student

School Counselors & Educators

The Counselor Desk

Every student athlete you serve, where each one stands on NCAA eligibility, what needs your signature this month, and the references behind every answer you give a family. One desk, free, and nothing on it is public until a family says so.

Create Free Educator Account NCAA Center Educator Lounge

Today’s Key for advisory

Loading today’s key…

Question of the Day Recruiting calendar Camps & showcases The books behind the keys

By Grade

Class year timelines

What has to happen each year so nobody loses a season over a course nobody caught. Print it, post it, hand it to a family. The ten course rule is the one that ends recruiting quietly, so it is called out where it lands.

9th grade

Build the four year plan

Map all four years of core courses with the student, chosen only from your school’s NCAA approved list.
Explain that every core course grade counts from the first day of 9th grade. The core GPA starts now.
Learn the 16 core distribution: Division I needs 4 English, 3 math (Algebra I or higher), 2 science, 1 more English, math or science, 2 social science, 4 additional.
If college sports is a real goal, create a free NCAA Profile Page to get an NCAA ID. It can become a Certification Account later.
Start the athlete’s Keys to the Journey page so film, stats and academics have one home.

10th grade

Register and check the pace

Register with the Eligibility Center. Division I or II hopefuls need a Certification Account; undecided or Division III can stay on the free Profile Page.
Check the pace: is the student on track for 10 core courses by the end of junior year, with 7 of them in English, math or science?
Hold core GPA at or above 2.300 for Division I and 2.200 for Division II. Below that, the sliding scale and test scores start to matter.
Any course not on the approved list gets a question before it gets scheduled, not after.
Point the family to the recruiting calendar for the sport and a college ID camp for the summer.

11th grade

The year that locks in

The ten course rule. Ten core courses, seven of them English, math or science, must be completed before the seventh semester begins. Once the senior year starts, those ten are locked and cannot be retaken to raise the GPA.
After the sixth semester ends, send the official transcript to the Eligibility Center. This is the step families skip.
If a target school requires test scores, have them sent to the Eligibility Center using code 9999.
Confirm the student’s academics on their Keys to the Journey page so the family can release them to college coaches.
Contact periods open for many sports around this year. Make sure the family knows when a coach is allowed to call.

12th grade

Finish it clean

Request final amateurism certification in the Eligibility Center account. It opens April 1 of senior year.
Complete the FAFSA as soon as it opens in the fall. Athletic aid and academic aid stack, and the deadline is earlier than families expect.
Keep grades up. Colleges verify the final transcript, and a senior slide can undo a scholarship.
After graduation, send the final official transcript with proof of graduation to the Eligibility Center.
Signing day and the National Letter of Intent: confirm scholarship terms in writing and read anything NIL before it is signed.

Division III sets no NCAA wide academic standard; each college uses its own admissions. NAIA and NJCAA have separate eligibility centers and rules. The official Guide for the College Bound Student Athlete is the document to hand a family.

Approved Course List

Is this course going to count?

The NCAA only counts courses on your school’s own approved list, and that list lives in the High School Portal. Here is how to check one in under a minute, and the rules that decide whether a transcript clears.

Look up your school’s list

The NCAA High School Portal. Search your school by name or CEEB code and open its List of Approved Courses. This is the source of truth.

Check a transcript

Our Check My Courses tool. Enter the core courses and grades and it shows core GPA, the ten course rule, division status, and what is left.

Resources for high schools

The NCAA’s own page for counselors: portal guides, how to add or update courses, and who to contact when a course is missing.

Division I

16 core courses · 2.300 core GPA

English4 years

Math (Algebra I or higher)3 years

Natural or physical science (1 lab)2 years

Additional English, math or science1 year

Social science2 years

Additional core (any above, world language, comparative religion or philosophy)4 years

Ten of the sixteen, including seven in English, math or science, before the seventh semester.

Division II

16 core courses · 2.200 core GPA

English3 years

Math (Algebra I or higher)2 years

Natural or physical science (1 lab)2 years

Additional English, math or science3 years

Social science2 years

Additional core4 years

No ten course rule in Division II, but the same approved list applies.

The Questions You Get

Does a course have to be on the list to count?

Yes. If your school offers it but it is not on your school’s approved list, it does not count, no matter how rigorous it is. Submit it through the portal.

Is core GPA the report card GPA?

No. The NCAA recalculates using only the 16 core courses on a 4.000 scale, unweighted. It is often lower than the transcript GPA, and it is the number that decides.

What about online, credit recovery or summer courses?

They count only if the specific course and provider are approved. Nontraditional courses have extra requirements. Check before the student enrolls.

Can a senior retake a course to fix the GPA?

Not the ten locked in before the seventh semester. That is why the junior year check matters more than the senior one.

Family Communication Kit

Ready to send, in your voice

Six notes for the moments that come up every year. Edit the brackets, tap Copy, paste into your email or student information system. Written so a family with no recruiting background understands exactly what to do next.

Sophomore or junior

Register with the Eligibility Center

Hi [Family name],

[Student] has talked about playing in college, and the first official step is registering with the NCAA Eligibility Center at eligibilitycenter.org. If Division I or II is the goal, create a Certification Account; if undecided, the free Profile Page is fine for now and can be upgraded later.

Two things I will handle on my end: making sure every course [Student] takes is on our school's NCAA approved list, and sending the official transcript when the time comes. Let me know once the account is created and I will note the NCAA ID in the file.

Happy to walk through it together. Just ask.
[Your name], School Counselor

Any year

Core course check in

Hi [Family name],

I reviewed [Student]'s schedule against the NCAA core course requirements. [He/She] currently has [X] of the 16 core courses complete, with a core GPA of about [X.XX]. Division I requires 2.300 and Division II requires 2.200.

Before [Student]'s senior year begins, 10 core courses (7 in English, math or science) must be finished. Those 10 lock in and cannot be retaken, so [next semester] is the time to stay on it.

One note: [course] is not on our approved list, so I recommend [alternative]. Let me know if you would like to meet.
[Your name], School Counselor

End of junior year

Transcript time

Hi [Family name],

Junior year is wrapping up, which means it is time to send [Student]'s official transcript to the NCAA Eligibility Center. I will send it directly from the school after final grades post. You do not need to do anything for that step.

Please make sure [Student]'s Eligibility Center account is active and, if any target college requires test scores, have them sent to the NCAA using code 9999.

If you have not yet, this is also a good time to confirm [Student]'s academics on Keys to the Journey so college coaches see verified numbers.
[Your name], School Counselor

Senior year

Final steps for seniors

Hi [Family name],

Three things finish [Student]'s eligibility this year:

1. Request final amateurism certification in the Eligibility Center account. It opens April 1.
2. Complete the FAFSA at studentaid.gov as soon as it opens this fall. Athletic and academic aid stack.
3. Keep grades up through graduation. Colleges verify the final transcript, and I will send it with proof of graduation after commencement.

Before anything is signed, including NIL agreements, please send it my way or to the college's compliance office. I am glad to review it with you.
[Your name], School Counselor

Onboarding

You added me on Keys to the Journey

Hi [Family name],

Thank you for adding me as [Student]'s school counselor on Keys to the Journey. Here is what that means: I can confirm core GPA, core course progress and Eligibility Center registration on [Student]'s page. Nothing I enter is public. You review it and decide whether to release it to college coaches, and you can keep it private.

I cannot edit anything else on the page. This just lets a coach know an adult at the school stands behind the numbers.

I will confirm [Student]'s academics by [date]. Questions anytime.
[Your name], School Counselor