Your football gets a coach interested. Your grades decide whether you're eligible, whether the university admits you, and how much academic money you can add to an athletic offer.
Three reasons grades matter
- Eligibility. NCAA and NAIA players have to be academically eligible to play.
- Admission. The university still has to accept you as a student.
- Money. Academic scholarships can be combined with athletic ones and bring your costs right down.
Which UK and Irish qualifications count
US universities and eligibility centres are used to UK and Irish qualifications. Depending on where you went to school, they'll look at:
- England, Wales and Northern Ireland: GCSEs (or IGCSEs) and A-levels, or BTECs
- Scotland: National 5s, Highers and Advanced Highers
- Ireland: the Junior Cycle and the Leaving Certificate
Before final results arrive, universities often work from your results so far plus predicted grades and a school reference.
NCAA eligibility
If you're aiming for NCAA Division I or II, you'll need to register with the NCAA Eligibility Center and send your school records. The NCAA checks them against its standards for international students, which differ between Division I and Division II. Division III universities don't use the Eligibility Center to certify players; each school applies its own admission standards.
The NCAA no longer requires SAT or ACT scores for eligibility, but some universities still ask for them for admission or scholarships, so check with each one.
NAIA and junior college
- NAIA: has its own eligibility centre, with its own academic rules for international students.
- NJCAA (junior college): generally requires you to have finished secondary school, and each college checks your records.
English language tests
As native English speakers, UK and Irish students usually don't need an English test such as the TOEFL. A few universities still ask, so it's worth checking.
Practical tips
- Keep copies of every certificate and results slip, from GCSE or Junior Cycle onwards.
- Ask your school early for predicted grades and a reference.
- Register with the Eligibility Center during Year 12, 5th year in Ireland, or S5 in Scotland if you're targeting the NCAA.
- If you've played for a club that pays players, get advice about amateur status before you register.
Eligibility rules change and every case is different. We check your academic record as part of the free evaluation and tell you where you stand.