The National Collegiate Athletic Association’s Division I board announced sweeping changes to athlete eligibility requirements and scholarship aid during a news conference call on Thursday.
The Division I Board of Directors approved a slate of rules that gives conferences the option of adding more money to scholarships, schools the opportunity to award scholarships for multiple years, and imposes tougher academic standards on recruits.
“I believe that yesterday and today the board passed the three most significant initiatives in NCAA history that will ensure student academic success,” said Dr. Walter Harrison, president of the University of Hartford and chair of the NCAA Division I Committee on Academic Performance.
Incoming college freshmen will now have to have a 2.3 GPA in core high school courses, up from a 2.0, and will have to meet more rigorous standardized test score requirements, as the board bumped up the sliding scale. Student-athletes who fall in the 2.0 to 2.3 GPA range will be eligible to practice with the team and receive scholarship aid, but they will not be able to travel.
“We are calling this an academic red-shirt year, so that you will have your first year in college to concentrate on your studies and prepare yourself for success in college,” said Harrison.
In addition, freshman student-athletes will have to have taken 10 of their core high school courses their first seven semesters of high school. Seven of those 10 courses will have to be in math, English or science.
Student-athletes transferring from two-year schools will also face tougher academic standards. They will be required to have a 2.5 GPA at their community college, and only two of those credits will be allowed to be in physical education.
