• 8.1 Procedures for Eligibility Certification of Student-Athletes
• 8.2 Eligibility Checklist Preparation
• 8.3 Eligibility Committee and Certification of "Official Squad Lists"
• 8.4 Initial Freshman Athletic Eligibility and Admission to the University
• 8.5 NCAA Initial-Eligibility Requirements for Freshman Qualifiers
• 8.6 Freshman Nonqualifiers
• 8.7 NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse
• 8.8 Eligibility of Transfer Student-Athletes
• 8.9 Continuing Eligibility of Returning Student-Athletes
• 8.10 Athletic Eligibility Forms

Eligibility certification of student-athletes is a three-step procedure. Each of the following steps is to be completed prior to participation in any practice activities (this includes weight training and conditioning activities):

1. Academic Certification

   It is the responsibility of each coach to submit a Tentative Roster of student athletes who will be practicing with their respective team(s) for the upcoming academic year. This list should be submitted to the IUPUI compliance Office as soon as the anticipated team members are known but no later than June 1 each year, with timely corrections and/or updates thereafter. The Compliance Office will check the academic eligibility status for each prospective student-athlete.
    

   1. Admission and Matriculation Status.When there is any discrepancy between the official university record and alternate sources, the Compliance Coordinator will resolve any question with the IUPUI Office of Admissions. The Office of Admissions is responsible for all admissions decisions and for preparing the initial credit transfer recommendation for all transfer students. Individual academic departments are ultimately responsible for identification of acceptable course transfers in their respective areas of expertise.

      The Office of the Registrar records all courses approved for transfer credit and provides a record of official enrollments at all times.

       

   2. Initial Eligibility Verification.

      The Compliance Coordinator will verify that all appropriate documents are on hand to distinguish among qualifiers, partial-qualifiers, and non-qualifiers as determined by the Initial Eligibility Clearinghouse. The Initial Eligibility Clearinghouse is the final authority unless an appeal or waiver has been authorized by the NCAA.

       

   3. Class Status.

      Class status for athletic eligibility is determined by the Compliance Coordinator with concurrence by the Registrar on the basis of the official IUPUI academic record and examination of original academic records from all other post-secondary institutions previously attended by the student-athlete. Class status for IUPUI eligibility purposes is NOT determined outside the Department of Athletics by any individual counselor or academic unit and may frequently differ from the classification utilized for various other purposes on campus.

       

   4. Satisfactory Academic Progress.

      Satisfactory academic progress is determined by the Compliance Coordinator each term after a review of the student-athlete's official academic record and in accord with published NCAA and university guidelines. Individual academic units authorized to award degrees are responsible for the determination of the suitability and acceptance of any academic course for student-athletes enrolled in their respective programs and for establishing the criteria for retention and graduation for all students in these programs. Criteria do differ among academic units and if a student-athlete elects to change academic programs, a corresponding change in athletic eligibility may result.

       

   5. Record of Prior Participation.

      Each semester the Compliance Coordinator will be responsible for verification of the number of prior terms of competition in order to ensure that there is eligibility remaining for each student-athlete. This will also include verification when necessary of the number of seasons of competition utilized by each transferee at all former institutions.

    

2. NCAA and IUPUI Certification Forms and Rules Review

   Each academic year all student-athletes are expected to attend a mandatory Student-Athlete Orientation Program organized by the IUPUI Department of Athletics it is the responsibility of each coach to ensure that all team members are aware of the orientation schedule and that each team member is accounted for. All forms which are required by the NCAA and IUPUI for eligibility certification will be completed by each student-athlete at this meeting. NCAA and IUPUI rules and standards for athletic participation will also be reviewed during this orientation.

   Any student-athlete unable to attend this meeting, or any student-athlete subsequently added to the team roster, must individually schedule a meeting with the Compliance Coordinator to complete these required documents prior to any practice or further participation in the athletic programs.

    

3. Medical Certification

   The IUPUI Athletic Trainer must certify that each student-athlete has provided the appropriate medical documentation, received a medical examination and has been cleared by the athletic training staff for participation. It is an institutional policy that no student-athlete under any circumstance will ever compete, practice or tryout for any athletic activity without the Athletic Trainer's prior approval.

Once eligibility certification is completed, the Compliance Coordinator will notify each coach of the eligibility status of each student-athlete via the Team Roster Form.

The Compliance Coordinator will prepare a copy of the Eligibility Checklist for certification by the Eligibility Committee. This list does not become the "Official Squad List" and student-athletes may not engage in competition until the proposed list has been approved by the Committee and signed by the Registrar. Coaches may request additions to the Official Eligibility Squad List at any time by contacting the Compliance Office in advance. Sufficient time must be allowed to ensure opportunity for a thorough eligibility review and approval by the athletic Eligibility Committee prior to the anticipated date the individual is to be added to the Official Squad List and become eligible to represent the university in competition. The Compliance Office also may inform a coach that an individual student-athlete's eligibility status has changed.

Final approval for any student-athlete to engage in competition and designation of the "Official Squad List" is the responsibility of the IUPUI Eligibility Committee. This committee consists of the following university representatives: Registrar, Compliance Coordinator, Director or Associate Director of Admissions, Director or Associate Director of Financial Aids and Scholarships, Assistant Director of Athletics/Senior Woman Administrator and Faculty Athletic Representative. Acting on behalf of this Committee, the Registrar's signature will appear on all IUPUI Squad Lists as the approving authority. The Compliance Coordinator and Assistant Director of Athletics will participate in Eligibility Committee deliberations but will be non-voting members of the committee.

Each coach will be given a copy of the official Squad List for his/his sport when approved and will be responsible for allowing only student-athletes who have been identified on that list to engage in competition. Should the coach recognize that an error may have occurred or become aware of any circumstances that might warrant a change in the eligibility status for any student-athlete, the Compliance Office must be contacted before permitting the individual in question to engage in competition.

Only student-athletes who have been identified as eligible players on the Squad List are permitted to travel as official members of the team.

The Athletics Eligibility Committee will meet at least two times each academic year, i.e., once to certify student-athletes for the fall semester in all sports and once for certification and re-certification as may be necessary at the beginning of the spring semester. The Faculty Athletics Representative and the Registrar, jointly, are responsible for oversight of the Eligibility Committee. Periodically, they will schedule other meetings of this committee to evaluate effectiveness of the overall student-athlete certification process and to recommend changes or modifications that may be desirable.

If a prospective student-athlete is eligible for admission to IUPUI, it does not necessarily mean that this individual will be immediately eligible for athletic competition. NCAA initial eligibility requirements are often more stringent than the minimum admission criteria used at IUPUI as a basic urban institution. Students selected for IUPUI will often be required to complete one or more remedial courses designed to improve their probability for college success. These additional courses, when required and although permitted by the NCAA, may impact the total eligibility period for the student-athlete attending IUPUI.

A qualifier is a freshman student-athlete who has met all of following conditions:

• graduated from high school;

   

• successfully completed the core curriculum in grades nine through 12;

   

• earned the required grade point average (GPA) in the core curriculum, and

   

• earned the required ACT or SAT test score prior to attending any college or university.

The required ACT or SAT score must be achieved under national testing conditions on a national testing date. An initial-eligibility index, i.e., listing of appropriate minimum core course GPA's and corresponding ACT/SAT scores, is published each year in the NCAA Manual.

Freshman international student-athletes are also subject to this requirement.

A nonqualifier is a student-athlete who did not graduate from high school and/or who has not earned either the minimum GPA in the core curriculum or the minimum required ACT or SAT test score.

A nonqualifier may not participate in practice or competition during his or her first academic year in residence and can participate in no more than three years of competition at a Division I institution. A Nonqualifier is permitted to receive a fourth season of competition provided the student-athlete has received a baccalaureate degree prior to the beginning of the fifth academic year following the student-athlete's initial full-time collegiate enrollment.

A nonqualifier is eligible for non-athletic institutional financial aid that is not from an athletics source and is based solely on financial need, consistent with IUPUI and any future athletic conference regulations.

All freshman student-athletes, including those from a foreign country, must be certified by the NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse (IEC). The following steps must be taken for an incoming student-athlete to become certified as a freshman:

1. The prospective student-athlete (PSA) must obtain a Student Release Form from the high school guidance counselor, any NCAA Division I or II member institution or the Clearinghouse.

    

2. After the PSA completes the Student Release Form, he or she must submit this form to his or her high school so that the form and official high school transciprs may be sent by the high school to the Clearinghouse.

    

3. The Compliance Officer will submit an Institution Request List to the Clearinghouse upon receiving the IUPUI Prospective Student-Athlete Alert Form.

   Coaches should always submit the IUPUI Prospective Student-Athlete Alert Form to the Assistant Compliance Coordinator as early and as accurately as possible, in order to help facilitate the certification process. If either an incomplete name or inaccurate social security number are given, it can sometimes delay the certification process for several days or weeks.

    

4. Once a certification decision has been made for a PSA, the decision is promptly reported on-line to IUPUI.

   IEC decisions are rarely changed unless made on the basis of erroneous or incomplete information. If the coach, however, has information that suggests there could be a mistake, immediately confer with the Compliance Coordinator in order to select the best course of action.

Coaches may talk to a student-athlete attending a two-year institution who is in his or her second year at the two-year institution or, if the student-athlete is in his or her first year, if he/she was a qualifier. Permission is NOT required in these cases. Coaches MAY NOT talk in-person to a student-athlete who was a partial or nonqualifier during that individual's first year of attendance at a two-year college.

Coaches are not permitted to talk with a student-athlete attending another four-year institution about transferring to IUPUI until we have received written permission to do so from the Athletic Director (not the coach) at the student-athlete's current institution. THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS TO THIS RULE. It is the responsibility of the student-athlete wishing to transfer to have this permission letter sent to the Director of Athletics at IUPUI. If a student-athlete, however, from another four-year institution has already matriculated at IUPUI, then permission is no longer required.

Once written permission has been obtained, the coach may review the potential transfer student-athlete's academic record very carefully with the Compliance Coordinator to determine eligibility status. It is extremely important to note that NCAA satisfactory progress rules do not have to be met for admission as a transfer student at IUPUI. Consequently, if a transfer student-athlete is eligible for admission to IUPUI, it does not automatically imply that he or she will qualify or meet the minimum requirements for participation in any athletic program.

NCAA regulations generally require a student-athlete who transfers from another institution, either four-year or two-year, to complete one full year in residence at the certifying institution before becoming eligible to compete. There are, however, several potential categories for waivers and/or exceptions to this one-year residence requirement. Many waiver or exception categories are sport specific. In order for a transfer student-athlete to qualify for an exception or waiver of the residency requirement, the student-athlete must meet and follow certain conditions as specified in the NCAA Bylaws. The Compliance Coordinator will determine if the individual student-athlete qualifies for any waivers and whenever a waiver must be requested from the NCAA, the Director of Athletics must review and agree to approve the request.

Transfer student-athletes must meet all applicable NCAA and IUPUI satisfactory progress requirements in order to be eligible for financial aid, practice and competition.

Both the NCAA and IUPUI require that a returning student-athlete be in good academic standing, as defined by IUPUI, and meet specific minimum satisfactory progress requirements as noted below in order to practice or to be eligible for competition.

Because IUPUI academic requirements are baccalaureate degree program specific, there will be instances where satisfactory progress requirements for individual student-athletes are more stringent than the minimum NCAA satisfactory progress requirements and some cases where they are the same. Acceptable academic progress requirements for student-athletes will never be less than the NCAA minimum.

1. NCAA Satisfactory Progress Requirement
    
   1. A student-athlete (who began college as a full-time student prior to August 1, 2003) who has completed at least one academic year of residence or utilized one season of eligibility in a sport or who is a mid-year transfer will be required to satisfy the following minimum requirements:
       
      1. Satisfactory completion prior to the beginning of each academic semester of a cumulative total of semester hours equivalent to an average of at least 12.0 semester hours during each of the previous academic terms enrolled, or
      2. Satisfactory completion of at least 24.0 semester hours of academic credit since the beginning of the previous fall term or since the beginning of the student-athlete's preceding regular two semesters.
          
   2. All student-athletes must have completed a minimum of six credit hours during the previous semester.
   3. All continuing or transfer student-athletes must designate a major leading toward a specific baccalaureate degree by the beginning of the fifth semester of enrollment to remain eligible for athletic competition.
   4. A student-athlete first entering college as a full-time student on, or after August 1, 2003:
   
    
   1. Satisfactory completion of at least 18 semester hours of academic credit during the previous two semesters.
   2. Satisfactory completion of at least 24 semester hours prior to competition in the student’s second academic year.
   5. Maintain an academic average equal to or exceeding the minimums established for the IUPUI school or division in which they are enrolled, i.e.; if their academic unit utilizes higher standards than those required by another academic unit, the student-athlete must continue to meet the standards that have been established for retention by the unit responsible for their individual academic program.
   6. As a prerequisite of eligibility for competition, a student-athlete shall progress in a baccalaureate degree program as specified below:

      (This applies to both continuing students and transfers.)

      Semester of Enrollment	Course Requirements Completed
      Entering 5th Semester	25 Percent
      Entering 7th Semester	50 Percent
      Entering 9th Semester	75 Percent

      Student-athletes first entering college as a full-time student beginning August 1, 2003 must meet the following:

      Semester of Enrollment	Course Requirements Completed
      Entering 5th Semester	40 Percent
      Entering 7th Semester	60 Percent
      Entering 9th Semester	80 Percent

   7. As a prerequisite of eligibility for competition, a student-athlete shall present a minimum cumulative GPA as specified below:

      Semester of Enrollment	Baccalaureate GPA Required
      Entering 5th Semester	90 percent of req'd GPA
      Entering 7th Semester	95 percent of req'd GPA

      Student-athletes first entering college as a full-time student beginning August 1, 2003 must meet the following:

      Semester of Enrollment	Baccalaureate GPA Required
      Entering 3th Semester	90 percent of req'd GPA
      Entering 5th Semester	95 percent of req'd GPA
      Entering 7th Semester	100 percent of req'd GPA
      Entering 9th Semester	100 percent of req'd GPA

2. A FIRST TIME TRANSFER STUDENT-ATHLETE must meet provisions e-g as stated above.
    
3. A student-athlete with a deficiency in CGPA and/or number of credit hours necessary for eligibility shall be privileged to remove the deficiency during the summer terms. Student-athletes must note, however, that in some cases there may be further limitations imposed upon summer enrollment by specific NCAA Bylaws applicable to individual students in specific cases. All student-athletes who anticipate attending summer school are strongly encouraged to obtain prior approval from the Department of Athletics Compliance Office before summer school registration.
    
4. A student-athlete attending school while enrolled in the cooperative program must plan to be enrolled on campus during the semester(s) of his/her participation in athletics. Furthermore, he/she is required to meet the above eligibility provisions for the semesters he/she is on campus or those established by his/her respective unit, whichever shall be higher.
    
5. Student-athletes should note that not all academic units represented on the IUPUI campus recognize the X Policy and/or the Academic Forgiveness Policy. In the determination of the student-athletes CGPA, the Department of Athletics will utilize the method of grade-point calculation employed by the specific academic unit responsible for the individuals academic degree program unless a higher standard is required by the NCAA standards for determination of satisfactory academic progress. Questions for further interpretation should be referred to the Department of Athletics Compliance Office for resolution.
    
6. Any student-athlete failing to meet these eligibility requirements due to unusual circumstances may appeal to the Eligibility Committee for a review of his/her case on matters regarding participation in IUPUI athletic programs. If the issue concerns academic progress toward the student's declared major, however, the student-athlete is first encouraged to utilize the existing academic appeal process within his/her academic unit. The Eligibility Committee cannot modify or reverse a decision based on academic criteria or performance standards for a specific academic unit.
    
7. A student may be declared ineligible at any time, however, by a committee consisting of the Chancellor, Dean of his/her school or division, and the Director of Intercollegiate Athletics for any failure to measure up to high standards of college work, personal conduct, or moral character. A student-athlete placed on disciplinary suspension by the Dean of Students will also be ineligible for participation in the athletic program. Should this occur, the individual students may appeal in accord with the Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook.

   INTERPRETATIONS RELATED TO ATHLETIC ELIGIBILITY
    

8. Advanced Placement Credit will be considered as hours earned. Since grades are not recorded, this has no effect on grade point average.
    
9. Credit by examination, i.e., defined as special credit, earned during a semester or other existing forms of special credit will be counted as hours earned that semester. If a letter grade is assigned for a special credit course(s), this credit will be included in the student's grade point average.
    
10. If a student-athlete is academically ineligible on the first day of the academic year, that individual's eligibility status cannot be changed during the fall semester unless originally declared ineligible due to an error. Such individuals cannot regain academic eligibility any earlier than the first day after the official Transcript Effective Date (TED) upon which credits and grades carried during the preceding semester will appear on the student's official academic transcript.
     
11. Student-athletes who are academically eligible on the first day of the academic year will continue to retain that eligibility, unless subsequently reducing their enrollment beneath the required minimum, until the last day prior to the beginning of the succeeding academic term.

FORM 8A - Tentative Roster Approval Form

To be completed by the Head Coach and sumbitted to the Compliance Office no later than May 15.

FORM 8B - NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse Institutional Request List

To be completed by the Recruiting Coordinator and submitted to the Clearinghouse to request information on PSAs from the Clearinghouse.

FORM 8C - Transfer Student-Athlete Waiver Form

Used to obtain a release for a prospective transfer student-athlete.