All Mercyhurst University student-athletes are expected to understand and apply all NCAA rules regarding eligibility, recruitment, financial aid, amateur status and involvement in organized gambling.
REQUIRED NCAA FORMS (to be completed before you first practice each year; sent via e-mail to student-athlete from compliance coordinator).
Summary of Regulations
Student-Athlete Statement
Drug-Testing Consent
General Amateurism & Eligibility
HIPPA/Buckley Amendment Consent/Waiver Form
Banned Drugs Educational List
ACADEMIC STANDARDS
Because intercollegiate athletics is part of the fabric of the university, student-athletes must be committed to academic achievement and the pursuit of a degree. Student-athletes must meet academic standards throughout their careers on campus to remain eligible to participate in intercollegiate athletics. Member institutions in each division create academic standards specific to that division's goals.
DIVISION I
| Progress-Toward-Degree Requirements |
| Academic Requirements |
Prior to the Second Year of Enrollment |
Prior to the Third Year of Enrollment |
Prior to the Fourth Year of Enrollment |
Prior to the Fifth Year of Enrollment |
| Regular Academic Term |
6 semester/6 quarter hours of credit |
6 semester/6 quarter hours of credit |
6 semester/6 quarter hours of credit |
6 semester/6 quarter hours of credit |
| Regular Academic Year |
18 semester/27 quarter hours of credit |
18 semester/27 quarter hours of credit |
18 semester/27 quarter hours of credit |
18 semester/27 quarter hours of credit |
| Degree Credit |
Credits accepted toward any degree offered at the institution |
Credits used must go toward the designated degree |
Credits used must go toward the designated degree |
Credits used must go toward the designated degree |
| Annual/Percentage-of-Degree |
24 semester/36 quarter hours of credit |
40-percent of the designated degree must be completed |
60-percent of the designated degree must be completed |
80-percent of the designated degree must be completed |
| Grade-Point Average |
90-percent of the minimum GPA required for graduation (1.8 if a 2.0 is the minimum) |
95-percent of the minimum GPA required for graduation (1.9 if a 2.0 is the minimum) |
100-percent of the minimum GPA required for graduation (2.0 if 2.0 is the minimum) |
100-percent of the minimum GPA required for graduation (2.0 if 2.0 is the minimum) |
Teams in Division I are also subject to the Academic Progress Rate (APR), a standard that measures a team's academic progress by assigning points to each individual student-athlete for eligibility and retention/graduation.
AMATEURISM STANDARDS
Amateur competition is a bedrock principle of college athletics and the NCAA. Maintaining amateurism is crucial to preserving an academic environment in which acquiring a quality education is the first priority. In the collegiate model of sports, the young men and women competing on the field or court are students first, athletes second.
The NCAA membership has adopted amateurism rules to ensure the students' priority remains on obtaining a quality educational experience and that all of student-athletes are competing equitably.
All incoming student-athletes must be certified as amateurs. With global recruiting becoming more common, determining the amateur status of prospective student-athletes can be challenging. All student-athletes, including international students, are required to adhere to NCAA amateurism requirements to remain eligible for intercollegiate competition.
In general, amateurism requirements do not allow:
- Contracts with professional teams
- Salary for participating in athletics
- Prize money above actual and necessary expenses
- Play with professionals
- Tryouts, practice or competition with a professional team
- Benefits from an agent or prospective agent
- Agreement to be represented by an agent
- Delayed initial full-time collegiate enrollment to participate in organized sports competition
