Honest Game

HOW TO DO RECLASSIFICATION RIGHT

By Shanay Howard
Senior Manager, Lead Counselor, Honest Game

Reclassification among student-athletes has become very popular in the last couple of years. And with the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of student-athletes choosing to reclassify has skyrocketed.

Students choose to reclassify for many different reasons, but it’s important to pay attention to a few key things to ensure you are maintaining your NCAA eligibility.

What is Reclassification?

Simply put, reclassification means your official high school graduation date is different from a typical four-year high school start. This could mean graduating earlier than your classmates or graduating later because you took the same classes over again and/or repeated a year in high school.

Important: Avoid the Risk of Derailing Your Eligibility by Reclassifying

Before deciding to reclassify, students and parents should have a clear plan and be aware of what is necessary to ensure full-qualifier status upon graduation.

Why? Because NCAA Division 1 (DI) follows a strict timeline for courses and credits. The academic eligibility clock for DI schools starts your first year of high school and counts 4 years from there. This means, the NCAA DI is only going to evaluate your high school courses taken during your first four years of high school. Here are a couple scenarios to keep in mind:

  • Graduating early: Students need to notify the NCAA if the graduation date and/or year of college enrollment changes. If you are graduating early, ensure you qualify as an Early Qualifier.
  • Graduating on time (with the same class you entered 9th grade) but choosing to delay college: Students still need to meet requirements within their first four years of high school. After on-time graduation, you may take 1 NCAA unit (2 semesters) of NCAA-approved courses to meet requirements. If you have an NCAA approved Education Impacting Disability (EID), you may take up to 3 NCAA units (6 semesters) to meet requirements.
  • Graduating after your original 4 year graduation date: Students who reclassify and take a 5th or 6 year of high school before graduating high school, are evaluated by the NCAA for only the first 4 years courses taken in high school. They are not permitted to use any courses taken after the original 4 year graduation date to supplement NCAA eligibility requirements.
  • Courses taken after 4 years of high school: If you graduate on time with your incoming freshman class, the course(s) you take can be with an institution that is not your graduating high school and must be taken before enrolling full-time at college. The course(s) cannot replace course(s) that were locked in by the 10/7 rule, but can go towards achieving credit requirements and raising your GPA by replacing the remaining 6 NCAA-approved units to meet requirements. Check your Honest Game report to understand which of your courses would have been locked by the 10/7 rule.

No matter the scenario, all student-athletes looking to play in college must meet the NCAA’s 16 core course requirements. An NCAA DI college may choose to apply for a waiver with the NCAA if they can argue extenuating circumstances, however, you should never assume you will get a college to file a waiver for you. Waivers are used very rarely.

Avoiding the Pitfalls of Reclassification

Avoid Repeating Core Courses

If you repeat a grade, and you have earned grades of D or higher, don’t repeat those same courses (unless you are ahead in your credit count). Take different courses so you can continue earning NCAA credits toward your requirements. NCAA will not grant credit for the same course taken twice. By junior or more likely senior year, when the NCAA reviews your profile, it is often too late to make up the credits. Don’t be one of the many reclassified students, who find out too late that they are short required credits and can’t play NCAA DI sports.

Be Aware of the Consequences of Delayed Enrollment

The NCAA expects students to enroll in college within one year following their high school graduation. Some sports have an even shorter timeframe than that.

Any longer than one year, and students must sit out their first year at college. The NCAA also counts one season of competition for every year they compete. So for those who graduate high school early, this doesn’t mean they get an additional year to delay their collegiate enrollment.

Knowing these rules are important and unfortunately many families aren’t aware until it’s too late. Each year a student plays after their one year off, they will be charged a year of eligibility. NCAA full qualifier status also includes playing eligibility. You could be academically eligible but only approved for 3 years of playing if you did not enroll in college during the appropriate time frame.

Know What’s Possible After Graduation

For some students, choosing to take an NCAA course after graduation can help boost their NCAA GPA. It’s also possible to re-take the SAT/ACT.

The important thing to know is that you must have officially graduated from high school on time if you’re going to need additional course work to gain NCAA eligibility. If you meet your NCAA eligibility requirements after your first four years of high school, but don’t graduate on time, reclassifying will not affect your chances at playing at the NCAA DI level.

For those student-athletes who did not graduate high school in 4 years after entering 9th grade and you are not on track for NCAA DI eligibility, not all hope is lost! You can still explore options at NCAA DII, NCAA DIII, Junior College, or NAIA schools and then transfer to an NCAA DI school after meeting the transfer requirements.

Whether student-athletes choose to reclassify or attend a postgraduate or prep school, having a plan is key. Know the NCAA rules and the timeline for DI, maintain constant communication with the institution you plan on attending, and make sure you are on the right path. Honest Game can help!