What is the NAIA Clearinghouse? How Do I Register?

If it is your goal to play college sports it is never too early to start planning! The NAIA has over 250 schools across the US so we’re sure you can find the perfect fit for your college basketball career. Let’s take a deeper look into what the NAIA clearinghouse and Eligibility Center are and, what you need to do/have together in order to successfully register with the NAIA.

What is the NAIA Clearinghouse?

All potential student athletes who want to play their sport at a NAIA school must get cleared and NAIA Eligibility Center. To do this you must go to: PlayNAIA.org. PlayNAIA,org is the official clearinghouse for NAIA eligibility. Here the NAIA determines eligibility of all first-time NAIA student athletes. Student athletes must receive an eligible decision by the NAIA Eligibility Center before they can compete for the first time for the NAIA school they are attending.

NOTE: All NAIA schools are bound by the NAIA Eligibility Center’s decisions.

Every student athlete interested in playing sports at an NAIA school needs to register online with the NAIA Eligibility Center and receive an eligible determination. This applies to high school seniors and transfers from both two and four-year colleges

Play NAIA Eligibility Center is where student athletes need to go to register for the NAIA clearinghouse. Registering with the NAIA clearinghouse helps future student athletes also discover and connect with NAIA schools, coaches and athletic scholarships that might be available to them. Every student athlete must register with the NAIA Eligibility Center to play sports at an NAIA college or university.

How Do I Register for the NAIA Eligibility Center?

Student athletes who want to register for the NAIA clearinghouse must first sign up with their email. Make sure you use an email you will have access to all the time. Student athletes will then receive an email to the email address provided. The email from the NAIA contains a link to set your password and continue the registration and begin the eligibility process right away.

NOTE: If you don’t see the email in your inbox, check your spam folder as it might have gone there or try to re-register if it still hasn’t come through after some time.

Is There a Fee to Registering with the NAIA Eligibility Center?

Yes, there is a registration fee to become eligible with the NAIA. Depending on your location, this fee will vary. The List below shows you how much the registration will cost you from the different locations:

• $90 for U.S./Canadian students enrolling full-time immediately after high school.
• $135 for U.S./Canadian students with more than a summer break after high school.
• $150 for U.S./Canadian transfer students who have any college enrollment after high school graduation.
• $150 for international students.

The NAIA Eligibility Center fee is a non-refundable, one time payment fee.

Are there NAIA Eligibility Center Fee Waivers for Student Athletes?

The registration fee will be waived for U.S. student athletes who can demonstrate the need. If you are a student athlete who has received a fee waiver for the ACT or SAT test or, received federal free or reduced-cost lunch program; you must contact your high school counselor and ask them to provide confirmation of your eligibility for a fee waiver to the NAIA Eligibility Center. Fee waiver confirmations are required to
be completed by high school counselors through the online NAIA High School Portal regardless of when you graduated high school.

What information do I need to provide for the NAIA Clearinghouse?

After the payment has been submitted, it is time to get eligible by providing the NAIA with all the details of your sport history. Student athletes also have to send in academic records the the NAIA who then reviews your eligibility. Once this process is complete you are ready to compete. Now let’s take a look at this process in more detail, step by step.

The first step is to create a personal profile with the basic facts about your academic history and sports participation to date. You will need to include your current contact information, previous residences and addresses, high schools attended and history of your sports participation during and after high
school graduation.

TIP: When you register for the ACT or SAT, include the NAIA Eligibility Center (9876) on the list of places test scores should be sent.

Student athletes will need to ask their high school counselors to send a final, official transcript that verifies their high school graduation, class rank and cumulative grade point average to the NAIA Eligibility
Center through the NAIA High School Portal.

What does the registration process involve?

• On PlayNAIA.org you will fill out a profile about yourself, your academic history and sports experiences and pay for the registration. You then get an ID number that will help you track your status.
• Have all schools you have attended send the required academic documents directly to the NAIA Eligibility Center through the NAIA High School Portal
• Have your SAT / ACT test scores sent directly to the NAIA Eligibility Center.
• Share your number with your future NAIA coach so the coach can be sure that you are listed on his “Short List.”
• Once all of your complete information has been received, it will be evaluated by the NAIA Eligibility Center and your eligibility will be determined.
• You will be informed

NOTE: A Short List contains the names of the coach’s recruit list and provides priority for your review to begin with the NAIA Eligibility Center.

Do I need to register with the NAIA Eligibility Center if I’m registering with the NCAA?

Yes you do. The NAIA and NCAA are two separate associations, with two different sets of rules and certification processes. Determining if you meet eligibility requirements for NAIA eligibility is separate from a NCAA eligibility certification.

As an International Student Athlete – When Do I Need to Register with the NAIA Eligibility Center?

Most international students should register immediately after graduation or the end of the final academic term. International students who will enroll in the fall term at an NAIA school should have all required academic records submitted to the NAIA Eligibility Center at least two months prior to the start date of the term in which they are seeking eligibility.

TIP: Do not wait until the summer holiday months when many schools are closed as it it could delay your determination.

International student athletes (as of January 15, 2021) are required to purchase an InCred
evaluation for eligibility decisions. International transcripts that are sent directly to the eligibility
center will be forwarded to InCred for handling. Only records submitted to and verified by InCred,
as well as the official InCred credential evaluation, will be used to apply NAIA eligibility rules

NOTE: InCred offers international academic credential services to students outside of the United States

The NAIA Eligibility Center accepts only school stamped and sealed copies of your records via
post. Students who purchase InCred Evaluations can submit records electronically and use them
for both a credential evaluation and eligibility.

How do I send translations?
Academic records must be sent in BOTH the original language of issuance AND a literal, word-for-word English translation. If the translation is not a literal translation, the NAIA Eligibility Center reserves the right to request new translations or verify the translations with a third party. Translations do not need to be certified, notarized, school-stamped or official. Translations should be sent together (but can come in a separate envelope) with the original language documents to reduce processing time.

NOTE: If a third-party verification is required this could delay your review, so have literal, English translations submitted for all academic records.

What should I do if my school does not issue a class rank letter?
If your school does not issue class rank or the head of the school is unable to provide one; your eligibility will be determined on the two other criteria which are: test scores and grade point average.

International student reviews take significant time to complete. The NAIA Eliginbilty Center strive to complete international student reviews within 20 business days. The day count starts after the date that all of the following have been completed:
• Your online profile is submitted and all information is accurate and complete.
• Your coach has placed you on his Short List.
• All academic records submitted on your behalf officially from all previous schools you
have attended are marked as complete.
• Your official test score and/or class rank letter has been received

When will I hear back about the decision?
Student athletes who are aiming to enroll in Fall will have their eligibility decision released starting no earlier than May 1. Spring and winter enrollees with receive decisions when all necessary documents and
information have been submitted. Student athletes can accept scholarships, sign with a school and practice with the team all prior to receiving a final eligibility decision. However, student athletes cannot play in NAIA competition without receiving an eligibility determination.

I am a High School Senior – Can I Get an Early Decisions?

Student athletes who have completed their junior year of high school and have at least a 3.0
GPA on a 4.0 scale (2.5 on a 4.0 scale midway through senior year) and the minimum test
scores required, may obtain an eligibility determination before graduating from high school.
Those students will need to request that their official transcripts after their junior year be
sent to the NAIA Eligibility Center and contact ACT or SAT to have their test scores sent
directly. CLICK HERE for Early decision & Freshman Requirements pdf.

If I Have Played in Sports Competitions Since High School Graduation, Can I Still Be Eligible?

Yes, you can. The NAIA Eligibility Center evaluates each competition individually. If the
events or leagues you compete in are determined to be below elite-level competition,
it will not impact your eligibility.

What if I was not paid for playing sports after high school? Do I still need to give you information about competitions I participated in?

Yes, you are required to list all events and leagues in which you have competed since graduating from high school, regardless of their level or standard. This includes recreational leagues, amateur leagues, church leagues, national teams, premier leagues, individual competitions or tournaments, or any other type of organized competition. Some competitions that are amateur in nature can be considered “chargeable competition” and so, could impact your eligibility.

Who is Considered a Professional in the NAIA?

In the NAIA only amateur students athletes are eligible to participate in any given sport. An amateur engages in athletics contests for educational values, personal pleasure, satisfaction, and for the love of the sport, not for money or material gain.

If you become a professional in a particular sport recognized by the NAIA, you will be considered a professional in that sport only and are ineligible for intercollegiate competition in that sport. The following will cause a student to lose amateur standing:

• Signing a contract with any professional team or entering into an agreement to compete in professional athletics, with either a professional sports organization or with any individual or group of individuals authorized to represent the athlete with a professional sports organization
• Participating in any athletics contest as a professional or as a team member where you receive reimbursement, directly or indirectly, exceeding the actual expenses of travel, meals and lodging
• Receiving remuneration for any appearance or advertisement/promotion that references the student’s collegiate institution or intercollegiate athletic participate