Reporting of Contacts: When coaches return to campus after a recruiting trip, they must file a report and an expense statement with the appropriate administrator in the Department of Athletics (see self-study library for a sample form). Each contact and evaluation must be reported.
The Official Visit: Prior to the PSA's official visit, the Department of Athletics sends a letter and information book to each prospect (see self-study library for a sample of NCSU's letter). The coach is required to have on file the prospect's unofficial transcript including the SAT or ACT score. The NCAA now requires that prospects take the SAT or ACT before they are allowed to officially visit any NCAA Division I programs. Each PSA making an official visit prior to the early signing period must be certified to make that visit by the NCSU Admissions Office. After the official visit has taken place, the coach is required to document the PSA's visit with the appropriate administrator (see self-study library for a sample form).
The National Letter of Intent: When a PSA accepts NCSU's offer of financial aid, he or she must sign a National Letter of Intent, which is a contract between an educational institution and the PSA. Each sport has designated times when the National Letter of Intent may be signed. The National Letter of Intent is administered not by the NCAA, but the Collegiate Commissioners Association. Not all, but most, Division I institutions subscribe to the National Letter of Intent program.
Pre-Admission Form: Each coach is required to turn in a pre-admission form (see self-study library for a sample) with three completed original National Letters of Intent for each committed PSA to the assistant athletics director for academics. The assistant director of athletics for academics then forwards the National Letters of Intent to the executive associate director of athletics and then on to the director of athletics for his signature. The pre-admission forms must be approved by the director of admissions before the director of athletics will sign the National Letter of Intent. The prospect must be "admissible" or already admitted to the institution before the award may be officially signed.
Applicants with an AI above 2.00 are admitted by the Admissions Office without additional administrative or faculty review. Freshman applicants with an AI between 1.80 and 1.99 inclusive are subject to administrative review by the dean (or designee) of the college or school in which admission is sought (unless the college or school has a policy of accepting such applicants without review), or, if appropriate, by the dean of undergraduate studies.
Applicants to NCSU with an AI under 1.80 are classified as admission exceptions and require special consideration before admission is allowed. "Special-consideration" applicants require action by the Admissions Committee, composed of a faculty representative from each college or school, and include:
Transfer students requiring action by the Admissions Committee include any student with a cumulative college grade point average under 2.00 who is recommended by the director of admissions and the dean (or designee) of the college or school in which admission is sought [5.6.4.1, 5.6.4.2, 5.6.4.3, 5.6.4.4].
The table below shows the regular and exception admissions for athletes and nonathletes for the five years this policy has been in place.
Fall 1989 Fall 1990 Fall 1991 Fall 1992 Fall 1993
Athletics regular admits 108 98 78 77 113
Nonathletics regular admits 3,063 3,174 3,139 2,974 3,059
Athletics exceptions 19 9 12 3 2
Nonathletics exceptions 45 9 14 11 2
Source: University Planning and Analysis
The table below shows an example of the distribution of financial aid for a student-athlete in terms of the equivalency costs and percentages for the school years 1992-93.
Amount of Scholarship NCAA equivalencies
In state Out of state In state Out of state
Tuition $846 $7,888 17% 65%
Fees $575 $575 11% 5%
Room $1,574 $1,574 31% 13%
Meals $1,900 $1,900 37% 16%
Books $200 $200 4% 2%
Totals $5,095 $12,137 100% 100%
Source: NCSU Department of Athletics
NCSU Department of Athletics has clearly written policies pertaining to financial aid. These policies are outlined in the 1993-94 NCSU Student-Athlete Handbook (see figure 11.1).
I. Types of Financial Aid Available to Student-Athletes
A. A full athletics grant-in-aid consists of tuition and fees, room and board, and required course-related books.II. Limits on Institutional Financial AidB. A partial athletics grant-in-aid consists of specific costs of school, such as books and tuition.
C. Need based, non-athletics institutional aid
- Pell Grants: A student-athlete may receive a Pell Grant, which offers a maximum of $1,700 when living on campus and $1,850 when living off campus per academic year.
- Normal loans: A student-athlete may obtain a loan available to all students and administered on the same basis for all students.
A. A student-athlete may not receive aid in excess of a full athletics grant-in-aid. For example, a student-athlete on a full athletics grant-in-aid may not receive additional institutional financial aid.B. Student-athletes on a partial grant-in-aid may only receive institutional financial aid if the total amount of aid from all sources does not exceed the value of a full athletics grant-in-aid.
III. Exceptions to these standards set by the NCAA
A. Student-athletes may receive Pell Grant money in addition to a full athletics grant-in-aid.IV. NCAA Rules Involving Student-Athlete EmploymentB. Student-athletes may receive benefits or payments from the G.I. Bill of Rights, Military Reserve Training Programs, or some government-entitlement programs.
All student-athletes must notify the Athletics Department of any scholarships they receive from outside organizations.
A. Any athlete on a full athletics grant-in-aid may not receive employment wages during the academic year (excluding vacation periods listed in the institution's official calendar).V. Renewal of Athletics Grant-in-AidB. Athletes on partial scholarship may only receive employment wages during the academic year if his or her team is not up to the NCAA's maximum scholarship limit in that sport.
C. If a team is not at the NCAA maximum scholarship limit, athletes on partial scholarship may earn the difference between their scholarship and a full scholarship.
D. Student-athletes may work during the summer up until the first day of the fall semester classes and during vacation periods as listed on the institution's official calendar.
E. Fifth-year students on a full or partial athletics grant-in-aid with no athletics eligibility remaining may receive employment wages.
All student-athletes must notify their head coach before seeking employment.
A. The NCAA only allows grants-in-aid to be awarded one year at a time.VI. Graduation of Athletics Grant-In-AidB. Summer school aid is not automatic. Your coach and the director of athletics will decide who is awarded aid and how much is to be given. Applications for summer school financial aid will be available in the spring semester prior to summer school.
NCSU may cancel or reduce any athlete's grant-in-aid during the period of the award if one or more of the following occurs:
A. If you render yourself ineligible for athletics compensationB. Misrepresent yourself or give false information on your application or letter or intent
C. Voluntarily withdraw from your sport for personal reasons
D. Engage in misconduct serious enough to warrant disciplinary action and cancellation of aid
The University's policies regarding renewal/nonrenewal, cancellation and reduction are available at the student-athlete eligibility meeting or upon request from the director of athletics or his office.
VII. Post-Eligibility Athletics Aid
North Carolina State University is committed to assist qualified student-athletes in their educational pursuits and realize their ultimate goal of graduation. Therefore, the Department of Athletics has allocated a limited amount of financial resources to permit some student-athletes the opportunity to continue their athletically related financial aid within the guidelines established by the NCAA.
A. To qualify the student-athlete must:
- Be progressing toward graduation
- Be in good academic standing with the University
- Be willing to assume limited work responsibilities with the athletics department
B. To receive Post-Eligibility Athletics Aid you must fill out an application during the spring semester of your fourth year.
The Department of Athletics is currently developing a written policy for financial-aid grants to student-athletes. In the meantime, the department is operating according to its written outline of financial-aid procedures [5.6.4.1, 5.6.4.2, 5.6.4.3].
Under current procedures, the Faculty Academic Committee of the Council on Athletics monitors student-athletes' compliance with NCSU academic standards, NCAA and ACC academic eligibility rules, and interaction with the University Academic Support Program for Student-Athletes. The Council on Athletics applies and clarifies current rules for academic eligibility, but it neither sets academic standards nor dictates the philosophy of the athletics program.
Evaluation of each student-athlete's academic eligibility to compete in intercollegiate competition is conducted by the faculty athletics representative, who is a faculty member, in consultation with the Faculty Academic Committee of the Council on Athletics. Since the beginning of the 1990-91 academic year, the Faculty Academic Committee has reviewed transcripts for each student-athlete three times each year: at the end of the spring semester, after the second summer session, and after the fall semester. The faculty athletics representative formally certifies the eligibility of each student-athlete to compete intercollegiately.
In 1991 the Faculty Academic Committee made several recommendations and clarifications of policy relating to student-athletes. These recommendations addressed the policy on D grades in C-wall courses, the definition of satisfactory academic progress, the policy on medical-absence waivers, and the procedure for handling grade changes to ensure that such procedures were not used solely to maintain athletics eligibility. All of these policies were approved by the chancellor and are now in effect. Continued review of the use of retroactive medical withdrawals from the University led to a successful appeal to the NCAA that its policy on such withdrawals be changed to permit use only in exceptional situations.
Although the academic performance of the individual student-athletes is monitored and evaluated several times per year, there is currently no collective, overall evaluation of student-athletes in each sport. The implementation of such an evaluation would enhance the contact among the coaches, faculty, and academic support personnel, would improve the knowledge and understanding of the academic situations faced by student-athletes, and might lead to improved academic performances by student-athletes. Participants in this process should include the faculty athletics representative or designee, the assistant athletic director for academics, the director of the Academic Support Program for Student-Athletes, the head coach and coaching staff, and the ASPSA academic coordinator for each sport.
Recommendation 11.8: The NCSU Department of Athletics should hold ongoing meetings to systematically evaluate the academic performance of each team.
"Academic Warning I" means that a student's cumulative grade point average at NCSU is less than 2.0 but greater than that which would result in Academic Warning II on the graduated-retention schedule. It is assigned to students who have:
Credit hours attempted at NCSU Cumulative grade point average Cumulative grade point average plus credit hours transferred greater than or equal to less than1-35 1.6 2.0 36-47 1.7 2.0 48-59 1.8 2.0 60-71 1.9 2.0
"Academic Warning II" means that a student's cumulative grade point average at NCSU is below the minimum required for continuation under the next step in the graduated-retention schedule. It is assigned to students who have:
Credit hours attempted at NCSU Cumulative grade point average Cumulative grade point average plus credit hours transferred greater than or equal to less than1-35 1.5 1.6 36-47 1.6 1.7 48-59 1.7 1.8 60-71 1.8 1.9 72-83 1.9 2.0
"Suspension" means that a student has failed to meet the minimum eligibility standard for continued enrollment as an undergraduate student. A suspended student has failed to maintain the required grade point average for the number of credit hours attempted at NCSU plus transferred credit hours according to the following graduated-retention schedule:
"Probation" means that a student has failed to achieve the minimum cumulative grade point average required under the graduated-retention schedule and is not in good academic standing. Students on probation are allowed to enroll for one additional regular semester for the purpose of achieving the minimum cumulative grade point average as required under the graduated-retention schedule.
Credit hours attempted at NCSU Minimum required cumulative plus credit hours transferred grade point average on allcourses taken at NCSU
1-35 1.5 36-47 1.6 48-59 1.7 60-71 1.8 72-83 1.9 84 or more 2.0
Table 11.8 shows that the cumulative minimum GPA required to maintain good academic standing at NCSU is consistent with the recent rules promulgated by the NCAA (effective August 1, 1992) with regard to academic progress required to maintain athletics eligibility.
When the probationary portion of the current graduated-retention schedule was instituted by the Faculty Senate, it was clearly the intent of the Senate that all students at NCSU who were on probation were to curtail extracurricular activities. The Faculty Senate passed a participation-policy resolution to this effect, but this resolution was not subsequently supported by the Student Senate. Further debate in the Faculty Senate included discussion that it would be administratively impossible to enforce such a restriction at the level of intramural sports.
On December 7, 1990, the chancellor issued a statement that "all student extracurricular organizations are urged to adopt as a part of their policies and procedures of operation the following guidelines: `While any student member of this organization or activity is on probation as described in the current suspension policy,
Credit hours attempted Minimum required Minimum required
cumulative GPA, cumulative GPA,
NCSU standard NCAA standard*
1-35 1.5 No requirement
36-47 1.6 No requirement
48-59 1.7 1.8**
60-71 1.8 1.8**
72-83 1.9 1.9***
84 or more 2.0 1.9****
* NCAA standard assumes 128 hours required for graduation in a specific degree program.
** NCAA standard is for beginning of third year, and is based on 48 total hours completed; 32 hours of which must be toward requirements for a specific degree.
*** NCAA standard is for beginning of fourth year, and is based on 72 hours of satisfactory progress, 64 of which must be toward requirements for a specific degree.
**** NCAA standard is for beginning of fifth year, and is based on 96 hours of satisfactory progress, all of which must be toward requirements for a specific degree.
that student member will be expected to not serve in any leadership, performance, or representation capacity that involves a significant responsibility and time commitment away from academic work.'" A survey of 107 student organizations in 1992 found that sixty-nine of them were unaware of the chancellor's statement. Of the student organizations that said they enforced the chancellor's policy, most were in compliance because of organizational bylaws enacted independently of and prior to the University policy (e.g., honorary societies).
The Department of Athletics is currently in full compliance with the SACS requirement that "academic policies governing maintenance of academic good standing must be the same for athletes as for other students" [5.6.4.4]. But while the official NCSU participation policy for all students is consistent with the Department of Athletics requirement, the NCSU participation policy is not uniformly enforced for all full-time students attending the University.
Recommendation 11.9: NCSU should reaffirm and strengthen its participation policy and enforce it uniformly for all students.
The ASPSA is a component of the NCSU Division of Undergraduate Students. It provides its services regardless of gender, race, national origin, ethnicity, grant-in-aid status, or sport. Its services include:
Orientation courses: Designed for the first-year student-athlete, MDS 101 and 102 focus on personal adjustment and development of skills and strategies for college success.
Academic advising: Sensitive to scheduling restrictions and NCSU and NCAA academic policies and requirements, ASPSA advising complements the student's own departmental advising.
Academic monitoring: ASPSA shares classroom-performance information obtained through departmental and faculty contacts with targeted student-athletes (i.e., first-year students and those on any type of academic warning) and their coaches.
Stroud Study Center: ASPSA staffs and provides study and computer assistance at this convenient study facility.
Tutorials: ASPSA offers a tutorial service for individuals and small groups. Student-athletes may submit a request for tutorial assistance in most courses. The ASPSA service complements departmental learning and tutorial resources;
Counseling: The ASPSA counseling service deals with student-athletes having specific concerns such as study skills, test anxiety, decision-making, etc. Referrals are made to other campus resources when appropriate.
In spring 1993 the dean of undergraduate studies appointed a seven-member committee (four faculty, one student, the assistant director of athletics for academics, and a representative from the Wolfpack Club) to "conduct a rigorous, systematic, and objective evaluation of the ASPSA."
In its report, the committee noted the genuine need for an academic-support program for student-athletes, but identified a number of concerns that compromise the effectiveness of ASPSA. Of major concern was the finding that the ASPSA staff are more oriented to counseling than to educational assessment and academic intervention. To strengthen the ASPSA, the committee recommended that the allocation of resources within the program be prioritized to identify and serve student-athletes having the greatest risk of academic failure during the first two years of their undergraduate education. The committee further recommended the establishment of an oversight committee to develop, review, and evaluate the mission, policies, procedures, and decisions within the ASPSA, as a means of "allowing faculty governance to be the dominant force in a program involving academics and athletics."
At its October 1, 1993, meeting, the Council on Athletics unanimously endorsed the report and recommendations, and requested the dean of undergraduate studies to implement them as soon as possible. Initial responses from the dean of undergraduate studies and the provost suggest that the committee's recommendations will be accepted and acted upon quickly.
Recommendation 11.10: NCSU should implement the recommendations of the committee that evaluated the Academic Support Program for Student-Athletes as quickly as possible.
Sport TGPA TGPA1 TGPA TGPA TGPA TGPA TGPA TGPA
8/90 1/9 5/91 1/92 5/92 8/92 1/93 5/93Baseball 2.39 2.33 2.37 2.49 2.40 2.49 2.49 2.48 Basketball-W 2.39 2.35 2.37 2.42 2.46 2.76 2.77 2.60 Basketball-M 2.09 2.17 2.11 2.17 2.20 2.28 2.27 2.31 Cheerleading 2.61 2.48 2.50 2.54 2.60 2.59 2.57 2.63 X-country-W 3.20 3.22 3.25 2.95 3.08 2.64 2.65 2.94 X-country-M 2.98 2.91 2.97 2.83 2.82 2.57 2.56 2.55 Football 2.19 2.17 2.23 2.30 2.31 2.36 2.35 2.39 Golf 2.56 2.51 2.55 2.56 2.71 2.69 2.67 2.58 Gymnastics 2.49 2.45 2.49 2.78 2.75 2.61 2.71 2.68 Riflery 2.55 2.44 2.58 2.82 2.99 3.19 3.22 3.22 Soccer-W 2.73 2.66 2.69 2.66 2.63 2.61 2.64 2.82 Soccer-M 2.59 2.60 2.64 2.70 2.61 2.70 2.72 2.66 Swimming-W 2.92 2.85 2.84 2.88 2.92 2.88 2.92 3.01 Swimming-M 2.81 2.90 2.87 2.88 2.86 2.83 2.82 2.84 Tennis-W 2.56 2.34 2.32 2.61 2.60 2.62 2.70 2.81 Tennis-M 2.39 2.46 2.58 2.64 2.55 2.67 2.62 2.63 Track 2.29 2.32 2.25 2.49 2.44 2.43 2.47 2.48 Volleyball 2.91 2.63 2.75 2.83 2.80 2.70 2.76 2.96 Wrestling 2.57 2.29 2.41 2.41 2.44 2.43 2.42 2.42
Totals 2.53 2.45 2.49 2.56 2.56 2.55 2.56 2.58
Source: NCSU Department of Athletics
The most notable improvements have been in the revenue sports. At present 124 student-athletes have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better. Additionally, evaluation of the student-athletes' records by the Faculty Academic Committee of the Council on Athletics shows that the student-athletes are now making better progress toward graduation than in the past.
Recommendation 11.11: The NCSU Department of Athletics should develop a plan to address Title IX issues for review and approval by appropriate University officials, and should implement that plan as quickly as possible.
Compliance with policies for recruiting, admission, financial aid, and academic eligibility are monitored at least annually by the associate director of athletics for administration and compliance, in conjunction with the faculty, when appropriate.
