Athletic Recruitment

Students should go to the List of NCAA Courses, then type in Hotchkiss’s high school code (070335), or simply search for "Hotchkiss." They will then find a list of Hotchkiss courses approved by the NCAA. This list is updated annually. If an approved course that was offered during a student’s prep year is no longer offered when they are a senior, then the NCAA may archive it, which means that it may not appear on the list of approved courses, even though it will still count. Please contact the Dean of Academic Life for further clarification.

If you plan to go to an NCAA Division I school and play a sport, here are some guidelines:

• In order to qualify, a student must earn sixteen core-course credits and attain the required grade-point average in four years (eight semesters). The four years (eight semesters) are based on when you started grade nine (freshman year). For example, if you started your freshman year in the fall of 2009, the you would need to graduate in the spring of 2013 – i.e., in eight semesters – as illustrated below:
• 20010-11 (freshman year);
• 2011-12 (sophomore year);
• 2012-13 (junior year); and
• 2013-14 (senior year).

• If a student graduates "on time" in eight semesters and still need a core course, he or she may complete one core course in the year after graduation (summer or academic term). S/he may complete the core course at a location other than the high school from which she graduated. S/he may enroll full time at a Division I school at any time after completion of the core course. Graduation "on time" means that if his or her high school graduation takes place on June 1, s/he graduated June 1. If s/he doesn’t graduate on June 1 with the rest of his or her high school class, then s/he has not graduated "on time."

• If s/he doesn’t graduate "on time" in eight semesters, then any core courses taken after the eighth semester will not be counted toward his/her NCAA academic eligibility requirements.

• Students should follow an academic path that allows them to complete sixteen core courses in eight semesters. They should not rely on being able to take or use a post-graduation core course.

• If a student repeated a grade in high school, this rule still applies. The student will need to work with the Division I college or university s/he plans to attend to see if a waiver is possible. The college or university would file the waiver on his or her behalf. Waivers usually are for students who have had circumstances impact their ability to meet the requirements. The events surrounding the circumstances are beyond the student's control. For example, a student who couldn't attend high school for a long period of time because of an illness or hospitalization may be a candidate for a waiver.

• For new 11th graders from Quebec: please consult with the College Office, since you technically may have graduated from your previous school.

A student’s core-course GPA is the average of their best grades achieved for all required core courses. If they have taken extra core courses, then those courses will be used in their GPA, if they improve their GPA. The NCAA core-course GPA is calculated using only NCAA-approved core courses in the required number of core units. High school GPAs generally include the grades from most or all courses attempted in grades nine through twelve.

For Division I, maybe. Only courses completed in grades nine through twelve will qualify as core courses for Division I. If you graduate from high school on schedule (in eight semesters) with your incoming ninth grade class, then you may use one core course completed in the year after graduation (summer or academic year) prior to full-time collegiate enrollment. You may complete the core course at a location other than the high school from which you graduated and may initially enroll full time at a collegiate institution at any time after completion of the core course.

For Division II, yes. All core courses completed before your full-time enrollment at any college may be used by the Eligibility Center.

For students with diagnosed disabilities.

• For Division I only, beginning August 1, 2010, a student must graduate "on time" in order to use up to three (3) additional approved core courses taken before full-time enrollment in college.

• For Division II only, students may use any approved core courses taken before full-time enrollment in college.

• For Divisions I and II, students may use courses for students with education-impacting disabilities that are designated on the high school's List of NCAA Courses.

For more information regarding education-impacting disabilities, click here.