About Eligibility
Commitment to academic achievement and adherence to member-created rules are vital parts of the NCAA’s mission to integrate athletics into the fabric of higher education. NCAA member schools create rules to ensure that the Association’s 430,000 student-athletes compete on equal footing. Various NCAA committees and the national office staff members work to make sure rules are applied fairly.
Becoming Eligible
Initial-eligibility waivers
People behind the decisions
Division I Initial-Eligibility Waivers Committee
Adam Creasy, Texas
Bruce Edward Ellis, Penn State
David Reed, Kansas
Marielle vanGelder, North Carolina
Steve Duzan, Clemson
Chad Hawley, Big Ten Conference
Maria Peden, Houston
Matt Burgemeister, Atlantic Coast Conference
Dominick Giambrone Jr., Sun Belt Conference
Kimya Massey, Central Florida
Andrew Shoemaker, Kansas
Susan Bradley, Mississippi State
Brian Baptiste, Delaware
Jaunelle White, Alabama State
Steven T. Harrell, Murray State
Thomas Destefano, Northern Arizona
Rachelle A. Paul, Monmouth
Kim Callicoatte, Massachusetts
Roderick Perry, Wright State
Holly Trexler, Pacific
Amateurism Fact-Finding Committee
Doug Woolard, South Florida
Jon Jaudon, Virginia Tech
Brian Lutz, Toledo
Jason Leonard, Oklahoma
Anita Hazelwood, Louisiana-Lafayette
Bill Campsey Jr. San Jose State
A. Frank Arredondo, Conference USA
Kelly N. Widener, Princeton
Jennifer Phillips, James Madison
Alisha Tucker, Norfolk State
Jeffrey Roberts, Tennessee Tech
Joshua Snyder, Missouri-Kansas City
Jennifer Cardone, UC Davis
Michael Bitter, Stetson
Harold Bardo, Southern Illinois
The initial-eligibility waiver process may assist student-athletes who do not meet the legislated academic initial-eligibility standards.
Division I or Division II institutions may submit an initial-eligibility waiver on behalf of a student-athlete; however, a student-athlete may not submit a waiver. The NCAA eligibility center staff reviews the student-athlete's overall academic record and evidence of mitigating circumstances, applies guidelines approved by the Division I and Division II membership and decides whether to fully approve (allowing the student-athlete to receive an athletics scholarship, practice and compete), partially approve (allowing the student-athlete to receive an athletics scholarship and/or practice) or deny the waiver.
Division I or Division II institutions may appeal the staff decision to a membership committee.
Last Updated: Jun 3, 2013
