High School Student Athletes: Learn about the NAIA at the Shawnee Mission College Clinic

NEW at the Shawnee Mission College Clinic this year....the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) will be on hand to provide information and answer questions regarding the thousands of opportunities to play your sport at smaller four-year universities that belong to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). 

Did you know that of all the students who play sports in high school, about 7% will go on to play in college, but only 1% will play for an NCAA Division I school? 

Playing at an NAIA school is a great way to earn an athletics scholarship and get an excellent college education. NAIA member schools provide more than 60,000 student-athletes with opportunities to play college sports, earn $500 million in scholarships and compete in 23 national championships each year.

How do you know if you’ll be eligible to play in the NAIA? You’ll need to have your eligibility determined by the NAIA Eligibility Center. It’s easy to register at the website PlayNAIA.org. The NAIA Eligibility Center is completely separate from the NCAA’s clearinghouse, so if you’re exploring sports in college, you need to be sure to register with both.

NAIA eligibility rules are straightforward. There are no core courses, and you only have to meet two criteria after high school graduation: 2.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale; an 18 ACT or 860 Critical Reading and Math SAT; and graduation in the top 50% of your class. As long as you meet any two of these criteria after high school graduation, you’re eligible to compete in the NAIA your freshman year. The NAIA Eligibility Center also has options for getting an early eligibility decision before you graduate from high school. Early decisions are great for recruiting because it tells an NAIA coach that you’re eligible and ready to start playing immediately when you arrive on campus.

You can find out more about Early Decisions, NAIA sports and schools and much more at PlayNAIA.org.

Attend the Shawnee Mission College Clinic on Wednesday, Oct. 15th from 6:30 - 8:30 pm at Shawnee Mission East High School.  NAIA representatives will have a presentation room where you can stop in for 20 minute information sessions throughout the evening.  They will provide lots of information and answer your questions.