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In response to the NCAA membership's concerns about amateurism issues related to both international and domestic prospective student-athletes, President Myles Brand has authorized the creation of a centralized amateurism certification process.

The NCAA Eligibility Center will include an amateurism certification section that will be used to determine the amateur status of domestic and international freshman and transfer prospective student-athletes initially enrolling at NCAA Divisions I and II member institutions on or after August 1, 2007.  [Note:  In NCAA Division III, certification of an individual's amateurism status is completed by each institution.  

Prospective student-athletes must complete the sports participation section (formerly the amateurism questionnaire) when they register with the Eligibility Center.   

Registering with the Eligibility Center

Prospective student-athletes may register with the Eligibility Center via the Internet at the beginning of their junior year in high school.  As part of the amateurism certification process, each prospective student-athlete will be asked to answer several questions regarding his or her sports-participation history.  Early registration with the Eligibility Center and the completion of the sports participation questions will allow institutions to have preliminary information regarding a prospective student-athlete's amateurism status, which will promote consistency in the recruiting process.  

Register with the Eligibility Center

Certification of NCAA Divisions I and II Amateurism Rules

Amateurism certification will not cover all areas of NCAA Bylaw 12.  Institutions will be responsible for determining the amateur status of prospective student-athletes for the areas of the amateurism bylaws not covered by the amateurism certification process. In addition, institutions will be responsible for certifying compliance for all amateurism bylaws during the time period between the student-athlete's request for final amateurism certification and his or her initial enrollment at an NCAA institution. 

Selected amateurism rules to be certified by amateurism certification include: 

• Contracts with a professional team (Division I);
  
• Salary for participating in athletics (Division I);
  
• Prize money above actual and necessary expenses (Division I);
  
• Play with professionals (Division I);
  
• Tryouts, practice or competition with a professional team (Division I);
  
• Benefits from an agent or prospective agent (Divisions I and II);
  
• Agreement to be represented by an agent (Divisions I and II); and
  
• Organized-competition rule (Divisions I and II).

Prospective Student-Athletes: How to Request a Final Certification

Institutions: Start of "Gap Time" and Institutional Responsibility

Frequently Asked Questions

Last Updated: 9/16/09