Register with the NAIA Eligibility Center

Register with the NAIA Eligibility Center

In order to participate in college sports in the USA, you must have an authorization from one of the college sports federations (NCAA or NAIA). The NCAA or NAIA will check if your academic performance meets the required standards and if you meet the college definition of an amateur. With this guide we will show you how to apply for the eligibility from the NAIA.

Creating the NAIA Account

To register with the NAIA, you need an account at the NAIA Eligibilty Center. It usually takes 20-30 minutes to fill out the online questionnaires.
  1. Open the NAIA Website in your web browser.
  2. Under Get access today enter your email address twice.
  3. Confirm your email address in your mailbox.
  4. Agree to the Terms and Conditions.

Complete Profile

After you have confirmed the Terms and Conditions, you will be asked to complete your profile in your NAIA account. You will be asked to complete your profile, including your academic and athletic background. Please answer these questions to the best of your knowledge.
  1. Enter your personal data.
  2. Pay the registration fee by credit card.
  3. Answer the questions about your school and sports career.

Tasks

When your profile is complete, tasks that need to be completed by you will appear in the Activity List. To become eligible to play, you usually only need to have your transcripts evaluated through InCred and sent to the NAIA. However, in certain cases, you may also need to submit your SAT score or a Clas Rank letter. for example, if your GPA is very low.  Here you can find instructions for the individual tasks:
Important:
The NAIA will only consider your diploma (Abitur, Matura, etc.) when evaluating your academic performance. Accordingly, a final decision about your eligibility to play can only be made after you have finished school. 

Short List

To ensure that an Athlete's information is verified by the NAIA in a timely manner, the Athlete must be on the Short List. This is a list of Athletes who are actively recruited and whose eligibility has yet to be finalized. To get on this list, you must be added by your coach. 
After registration, please send your future coach your Eligibility Center ID (ECID#) so he can add you.

Once he has done so, a new task will appear in your account to confirm the short list entry. This way NAIA knows that both sides are participating in the recruiting process by mutual agreement. 

Additional Questions

In some cases, the NAIA will ask additional questions to determine your eligibility status. While it is important to answer truthfully, the correct wording is also important. In order not to jeopardize your eligibility, we recommend that you always consult your advisor before answering these questions.