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
The initial-eligibility waiver process assists prospective student-athletes who do not meet the academic initial-eligibility standards.
People behind the decisions
Division I Initial-Eligibility Waivers Committee
Scott Swain, Tennessee
Kim Humphrey, Missouri
Colleen Evans, San Diego State
Kimya Massey, Central Florida
Tracy Bentley-Townlin, Oregon State,
David L. Graham, Ohio State
Consuelo Stebbins, Central Florida
Jack Thomas, New Mexico State
Charles Fourtner, Buffalo State
Andrew Shoemaker, Kansas
Susan Bradley, Mississippi State
Richard McGlynn, Auburn
Brian A. Baptiste, Delaware
Monica Love, Army
Melissa P. Pluchos, Winthrop
Kim Callicoatte, Massachusetts
Roderick Perry, Wright State
Sandra D. Michael, Binghamton
Traci Murphy, Canisius
Division I Amateurism Fact- Finding Committee
Heather Lyke Catalano, Ohio State
Leslie Claybrook, Rice
Stephen Robertello, Washington State
Brian Lutz, Toledo
Anita Hazelwood, Louisiana-Lafayette
Kelly N. Widener, Princeton
Alisha Tucker, Norfolk State
Fred Smith, Davidson
Jeffrey J. Roberts, Tennessee Tech
Josh Moon, Western Illinois
Stan Williamson, Campbell
Jill Redmond, Richmond
Milo W. Peck, Jr., Fairfield
Harold R. Bardo, Southern Illinois
A school must file an initial-eligibility waiver on behalf of the prospective student-athlete. The NCAA academic and membership affairs staff can make initial waiver decisions based on objective evidence of mitigating circumstances. Committees composed of representatives from Divisions I and II member schools hear appeals.
Waivers can be submitted for various circumstances, including deficiencies in core-course attainment, core-course grade-point average and graduation; not meeting the test-score or waiver- submission deadlines; a change on a transcript; and education-impacting disabilities.
Waivers can be conditionally approved (allowing a student-athlete to receive aid or receive aid and practice), fully approved or denied. Student-athletes can practice and receive benefits while initial-eligibility waiver requests are pending, subject to some restrictions.
Last Updated: May 31, 2012
