When is the Ideal Time to Sign up for NCAA Clearinghouse?
The best time to sign up for the NCAA Clearinghouse is at the end of your academic Junior year. The Clearinghouse is imperative if you are going to compete at the D I or D II level.
Many people ask me, “What exactly is the NCAA Clearinghouse?” I simply direct them to the definition on the NCAA website:
NCAA Clearinghouse is for students planning to compete at the either the Division I or Division II level during their freshman year. If you are going to compete as a freshman, then you must be registered with the NCAA Clearinghouse during your senior year in high school. The registration simply certifies that you, the student-athlete, are academically eligible to compete under NCAA regulations and guidelines so you can receive athletic based financial aid.
Division I and Division II coaches are sorting through hundreds, if not thousands, of players every year trying to find the best talent academically and athletically. The Clearinghouse is an easy way for a coach to know that a student-athlete has met basic academic requirements that qualify he/she to play at the collegiate level as a freshman.
To sign up for the NCAA Clearinghouse go to: www.ncaaclearinghouse.net
REAL CLEARINGHOUSE STORY
I know of a student-athlete that had a full-ride basketball scholarship to a school in Northern California, and the coach assumed he was cleared by the NCAA Clearinghouse because the student-athlete came from a prestigious high school. The student-athlete started his fall semester on campus, he was getting ready for his upcoming basketball season, and the coach just happened to find out that the student had not registered with the NCAA Clearinghouse. It nearly cost him his scholarship, even though he was a “qualifier.”
Registration with the NCAA Clearinghouse is IMPERATIVE. If you want to play as a frosh, YOU MUST BE REGISTERED! It may cost you some money, and there are ways to get it subsidized.
I hope this information gives you an idea of how important the NCAA Clearinghouse is to your collegiate future. Do well in the classroom, study for your SAT/ACT’s, and get ready for a GREAT college experience.