| USCAA ELIGIBILITY GUIDELINES |
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| SECTION 1 APPLICATION OF ELIGIBLITY RULES |
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| Section 1A | Institutional membership within the USCAA charges each institution with the responsibility of knowing, administering, and enforcing the eligibility standards adopted by the members of the association in respect to the institution's total athletic program. |
| Section 1B | The eligibility rules which follow apply to all students who participate in USCAA recognized intercollegiate competition. |
| Section 1C | Any student identified with a two-year or four year institution who then enrolls at a USCAA member institution shall be subject to the USCAA eligibility regulations. |
| Section 1D | Members who hold dual membership in NAIA and/or NCAA will be allowed to use those respective eligibility guidelines. The respective NCAA and/or NAIA eligibility form must be forwarded to the USCAA eligibility chair. |
| SECTION 2 DEFINITIONS |
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| Section 2A | Term of Attendance: Refers to any quarter, semester, or trimester (excluding summer or inter-terms) in which the student becomes identified at the institution. |
| Section 2B | Full-Time Status: A student is considered full-time when he/she enrolls in 12 or more credit hours during a semester. |
| Section 2C | Non-Term: Enrollment in fewer than 12 institutional credit hours during a semester, summer session or inter-term. |
| Section 2D | Normal Progress: The accumulation of academic credit at a rate which systematically will lead to a student's graduation. |
| Section 2E | Season of Competition: Participation in one or more intercollegiate contests whether in varsity, junior varsity, or freshman program. |
| Section 2F | Transfer: A student who becomes identified with a USCAA institution after having previously identified with a two or four-year institution |
| SECTION 3 ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS |
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| For a student to be eligible for any intercollegiate competition, a member institution must ensure that the student conforms to the following regulations: |
| Section 3A | The student must be a graduate of an accredited high school or have earned a graduate equivalent degree (GED). |
| Section 3B | All students must be enrolled in a recognized academic program and be making progress towards a 2/4 year degree at the attending college. |
| Section 3C | All students must be enrolled in a minimum of 12 credits at time of participation. If a student is enrolled in less than 12 credits, he/she will be considered part-time for eligibility purposes. |
| Section 3D | Second semester students must: a) pass 12 credit hours his/her first term, b) must have achieved a GPA of 1.6. Thereafter, all students must pass 24 credit hours the two preceding terms of attendance. Exception. If a freshman completes their first semester at an institution and leaves the following semester, upon the student's return they may reestablish their eligibility by completing the necessary credits to reach 12 during a summer or interim period only. |
| Section 3E | After accumulating 24-48 credit hours, the student must have achieved a 1.75 cumulative GPA. |
| Section 3F | After accumulating more than 48 credit hours, the student must achieve a 2.0 cumulative GPA. |
| Section 3G | Summer and inter-term credit hours can be used to satisfy the 12/24 credit hour rule and GPA requirement. Summer credit hours should be attached to the preceding spring term for eligibility purposes. Winter term credits should be attached to the first semester. |
| SECTION 4 ELIGIBILITY, TERMINATION, AND RE-ESTABLISHMENTS |
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| Section 4A | Each student is limited to four seasons of college competition within the respective sport. |
| Section 4B | If a student is not enrolled as full-time status for 12 consecutive calendar months, he/she may return to a USCAA member college and be immediately eligible. |
| Section 4C | A student who has not been identified with an institution during the first term does not become eligible to participate for second term until the first day of class. |
| Section 4D | Two eligibility forms must be filed for sports spanning two semesters. |
| Section 4E | A student who has graduated from a two-year institution the preceding semester shall be immediately eligible to participate. |
| Section 4F | Military exemptions will be granted to students whose careers are interrupted by service in the military. |
| Section 4G | A senior in a four-year college may be enrolled in less than 12 credits, if he/she are taking the credits necessary to complete graduation requirements. |
| Section 4H | College graduates are ineligible for athletic competition with the USCAA. Exceptions: Student athletes may complete their fourth year of athletic eligibility only if they are participating as a full time student at the institution for which they received their bachelor's degree. |
| SECTION 5 TRANSFER REQUIREMENTS |
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| Section 5A | If a student transferring to a member institution has ever participated in intercollegiate athletics, the student must have been academically and athletically eligible had he or she remained at that institution. If the transferring student is ineligible, they are required to complete one full academic year of residence at the certifying institution before being eligible to compete for the member institution. An academic year shall be completed when the student is enrolled in and completed a minimum full-time program of studies for two full semesters or three full quarters.
The institution to which the student is transferring must submit a formal request to the institution that the student is transferring from to determine the student's eligibility (form found under administrative forms at www.theuscaa.com). |
| Section 5B | Students transferring into USCAA member colleges during a mid-season sport shall be eligible to participate immediately, provided that each institution's athletic director signs off on the transfer, and that the student was academically eligible at the institution he/she is transferring from. |
| SECTION 6 SUBMISSION OF ELIGIBILITY FORMS |
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| Section 6A | USCAA eligibility forms must be signed by the registrar and be stamped with the college seal. |
| Section 6B | Forms must be submitted to the eligibility chair prior to the first contest. For sports spanning two semesters, the form must be submitted prior to February 1. |
| Section 6C | For adding players to rosters, the form needs to be resubmitted with the appropriate information. The deadline for adding players for sports spanning two semesters is February 1. |
| SECTION 7 INSTITUTIONAL APPEAL |
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| Section 7A | A member college may appeal an eligibility decision. A letter from the athletic director and student must accompany the appeal. |
| SECTION 8 INSTITUTIONAL VIOLATION |
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| Section 8A | Violations of USCAA eligibility guidelines will result in sanctions as determined by the Executive Board. |
| SECTION 9 HARDSHIP CASES |
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| Section 9A | Hardship cases deal only with seasons of competition. |
| Section 9B | The appeal must involve an injury, illness, or personal circumstance beyond the control of the student. |
| Section 9C | The athlete involved shall not have participated in more than 30% of the regular scheduled games during that particular season. Hardships should be filed no more than 30 days from the last day of competition. Member institutions shall consult with the USCAA national office for all documentation regarding hardships. |
If you have any questions regarding Athletic Eligibility at Paul Smith's College contact:
