Page 35 - (FINAL!) UPDATED 13.0) 2020-2021 HANDBOOK - SEPTEMBER 2020 EDITION_Neat

Article V
Student-Athlete Eligibility
Student Requirements for Participation in NJCAA Athletics: In order to participate in an NJCAA sanctioned sport, a student-athlete must
be in good academic standing; in accordance with the rules and bylaws of the NJCAA, the member region and the individual institution.
He/ she must be an amateur; who has not exhausted his/her eligibility; and who is in good health. The sub-sections of Article V contain
rules detailing and defining these requirements.

Section 1 - General Eligibility Regulations
A. Effective Date: All NJCAA Rules of Eligibility become effective on [new effective date August 1): All grandfather clauses from past bylaw
changes were terminated effective August 1, 1989. All participants must meet the terms of the current effective NJCAA bylaws for the year
of their participation.
B. Member colleges must prepare and file individual student eligibility information that is accurate, current, complete and organized into an
audit ready file.

Section 2 - Academic Eligibility
A. General Academic Requirements:
A.1. In order to participate, a student-athlete must meet entrance eligibility requirements, enrollment requirements, and accumulation
requirements, or meet qualifications for limited exceptions.
A.2. Student-athletes must be making satisfactory progress within an approved college program or course as listed in the college
catalog.
A.2.a. Classes utilized for any academic eligibility portion must be:
A.2.a.i. Credit or credit equivalent bearing, AND
A.2.a.ii. Approved by the college governance structure, AND
A.2.a.iii. Listed in the college course archives system, AND
A.2.a.iv. Listed on an official college transcript.
A.2.b. Courses offered for Continuing Education Units (CEU) may not be used for NJCAA eligibility purposes.
A.2.c. Credits offered solely as part of a certificate program and not a college degree program may not be used for NJCAA
eligibility purposes.
A.3. Academic Year: As defined by the NJCAA, begins on August 1 and concludes July 31 the following year.
A.4. Definitions and Requirements:
A.4.a. Term: The word “term” as used within Article V refers to official unit of class attendance at a college, typically quarter,
semester, or trimester.
A.4.a.i. Summer sessions are considered a term and student-athletes who enroll in a summer session full-time,
at the same institution utilizing any combination of summer school sessions, shall have that term count
as a full-time term for all eligibility rules.
A.4.a.ii. Institutions using a modified administrative term will be evaluated by the NJCAA National Office and an
interpretation will be ruled.
A.4.b. GPA: A student-athlete’s grade point average (GPA) shall be determined by dividing the earned/passing accumulated
quality points by the corresponding earned/passing credit hours at each institution ofattendance.
A.4.b.i. GPA is calculated to the 1/100th of a point. Example: 2.87
A.4.b.ii. Rounding up the GPA is not permissible.
A.4.c. Pass/Satisfactory: Classes graded on a Pass/Fail or Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory which are successfully completed by
a student-athlete shall be calculated as “C” grades for the GPA for NJCAA purposes.
A.5. Transfer Academic Eligibility: Transfer students must meet the academic requirements of Article V Section 2.D by the 18th
calendar day (not to end on a weekend or Federal holiday) of the term which they choose to participate, to be considered for
immediate eligibility. In addition to transfer regulations, student-athletes who transfer must conform with all generally applicable
academic regulations.