Athletics in College

The NCAA Clearinghouse is an organization whose purpose is to certify to colleges that prospective athletes are academically eligible to be recruited and to compete at the college level. If you expect to be recruited to participate in college sports, it is important to register with the Clearinghouse once your junior year is completed.

To register, go to www.ncaaclearinghouse.net, click on the Prospective Student-Athlete option, and fill out the Domestic Student Release form. There is a $50 fee to register, payable by credit card or check. If you have qualified for an SAT and/or ACT fee waiver, a fee waiver is available – see your college counselor for more info.

You will receive two forms to be brought to Ms. Toohey in the registrar’s office. These release forms allow her to send (a) your current transcript and (b) your final transcript to the Clearinghouse. There is a $2 fee per transcript.

It is also your responsibility to send your SAT and/or ACT official scores to the Clearinghouse through the College Board or ACT website. The SAT/ACT code to report scores to the Clearinghouse is 9999. It’s important to do this early in the recruiting process, as schools can’t have a recruit for an official visit until these scores are on record.

The rules of the recruiting process can be confusing and often differ for each sport. The Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete, available as a .pdf file on the Clearinghouse website, is a useful tool that explains eligibility requirements and recruitment guidelines. As a general rule, it’s good to remember that while coaches are regulated in how often they can contact a student-athlete, the athlete may always contact the coach.

If you are interested in competing in college, it’s a good idea to start contacting coaches on your own. Their contact info is available on colleges’ athletics web pages. Be sure to have some basic information on hand about yourself, your accomplishments, and your team. Use this opportunity as well to ask questions about the college team and coach, such as how many others are competing at the same position, when you might expect to start, what type of coaching style is employed, how long the coach is under contract, etc.

Starting the college search process early in the spring of your junior year helps make sure you can find schools that are the right fit for you athletically as well as academically and socially. As always, see your college counselor for more information and advice.