Page 266 - 2019-20 NJCAA Handbook - May, 2020

No. Only those student-athletes who satisfy all provisions of the NJCAA Rules of Eligibility shall be allowed to
compete in the open tournament. Any type of competition in which student-athletes represent the college must be a part of the
college wrestling schedule. NJCAA member colleges may not provide funding for student-athletes not listed on the eligibility
form for that sport and that year. This funding includes, but is not limited, to transportation and meals. The community college
coaching staff may not coach or provide assistance to an athlete not listed on the NJCAA eligibility form for that sport, submitted
online by the member college to the NJCAA National Office.

CERTIFICATION ELIGIBILITY

Certifying Eligibility Form (Section 3.B.1)

Case 1
Online Eligibility Submission
SITUATION:
Community College A begins its fall term on September 5th. The first Volleyball match is scheduled for August 22 . What
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is the date the online eligibility must be submitted?
ANSWER:
NJCAA bylaws require eligibility to be completed in the online system prior to a student’s initial participation. In this case
the eligibility must be completed and submitted in the NJCAA Online Eligibility system prior to the match on August 22 .
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Case 2
Online Eligibility Submission using Projected Enrollment
SITUATION:
Community College A begins its fall term on September 5th. The first volleyball match is scheduled for August 22 .
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Student-Athlete R has not yet enrolled in classes at the time of the first match. Can the eligibility form be completed and
submitted using a project enrollment for student-athlete R?
ANSWER:
No, the fact the student is not enrolled in 12 or more credits that meet NJCAA requirements leaves the student-athlete
ineligible for participation. Student-Athlete R may not be certified using projected enrollment. Using projected enrollment would
be a case of falsification of information resulting in sanction.

Case 3
Online Eligibility Submission
SITUATION:
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Community College A begins its fall term on September 1 . The first date of competition in volleyball is September 6 .
When must the online eligibility for all participating student-athletes be submitted?
ANSWER:
Online eligibility for all student-athletes must be submitted prior to participation (Article V, Section 3.B.2). Penalties for
failure to submit are identified within Article V, Section 3.B.4 and due to student-athletes not becoming officially eligible until the
eligibility forms have been submitted online, all games in which the team has participated must be forfeited as per Article V,
Section 3.D.

Case 4
Beginning Date of Outdoor Track and Field Season
SITUATION:
Community College A participates in the NJCAA National Championship Indoor Track and Field Meet. Because of
their geographic location and the cold weather conditions, Community College A continues to participate in indoor track and
field meets after the National Championship Meet. Are the meets which are held indoors following the NJCAA National
Championship Indoor Meet considered a part of the indoor or the outdoor season?
ANSWER:
Any meets which are conducted after the NJCAA Championship Indoor Meet must be considered as part of the
outdoor track and field season even though they may be conducted as indoor meets. An outdoor eligibility form is required to
be submitted online as per the deadlines in Article V, Section 3.B.2.

Case 5
Deadline for Submitting Eligibility Forms
SITUATION:
The fall quarter at Community College A ends on November 15 according to their college catalog. The first basketball
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game of the published schedule is November 15 at 9 p.m. Must Community College A submit a basketball eligibility form
online for the fall quarter? NOTE: The next quarter begins on November 16 .
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ANSWER:
Yes. The first basketball game was played during the fall quarter; therefore, the college must submit an eligibility form
online prior to the first regularly scheduled contest as well as submitting a form for the following quarter as per the recertification
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deadlines in Article V, Section 3.B.2.b - Recertification. If the game would have been played on November 16 instead of
November 15 , the eligibility would be required to be submitted prior to participation in the first game but no recertification
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would be required at that time.