ISU Athletics Hosts Seminar on New NCAA Academic Requirements

Student-athletes currently in ninth and 10th grades wanting to play collegiate sports will face tougher academic standards upon graduation.

The NCAA has approved new academic standards that, beginning with the class of 2016, raise the academic eligibility requirements for student-athletes.

To get local high school athletes prepared, the Springfield School District will host a seminar called "Got 16?" at 6:30 p.m. Thursday in the auditorium at Springfield High School, 101 S. Lewis St. The event is being presented by the Illinois State University Athletics Department.

The evening will highlight the core-course requirements, sliding scale and application process as established by the NCAA. Students, family members, coaches and school staff are invited to attend.

Larry Austin Sr., father of standout Lanphier Lions basketball player Larry Austin Jr., will also discuss his perspective as a parent going through the process. Austin Jr. has made a verbal commitment to play for the Tennessee Volunteers next year.

Under current rules, college-bound student-athletes need to meet the following requirements:

n Graduate from high school.

n Complete a minimum of 16 core courses for Division I or Division II programs.

n Earn a minimum required GPA in core courses.

n Earn a qualifying test score on either the ACT or SAT.

n Request final amateurism certification from the NCAA Eligibility Center.

In 2016, student-athletes will be required to:

n Earn at least a 2.3 GPA in core courses.

n Meet an increased sliding-scale standard (for example, an SAT score of 820 will require a 2.5 GPA in high school core courses).

n Successfully complete 10 of the 16 total required core courses before the start of their seventh semester in high school. Seven of the 10 successfully completed courses must be in English, math and science.

The new requirements will not affect students attending Division III colleges, which set their own admission standards.

Rick Sanders, director of school support for the Springfield School District, said the district is hosting the event now so freshmen and sophomores won't be blindsided by the changes.

"If families are not aware of these changes, the student-athlete may graduate without the necessary courses to be a qualifier for college- or university-level athletics," Sanders said.

For more information, visit www.sps186.org.

Contact Jason Nevel: 788-1521, [email protected], twitter.com/JasonNevelSJR