Josh Calver
Associate Athletic Director for Business and Compliance
Current Student-Athletes
Here at Hillsdale College, we have high expectations of our student-athletes as it relates to academic and amateur eligibility. Review information below on the credentials to be maintained to be eligible for athletic competition.
Summer Employment and Competition
Gambling
NCAA Bylaw 10.3 prohibits student-athletes from engaging in any form of gambling related to any intercollegiate, amateur or professional athletics competition. Student-athletes must sign the NCAA Student-Athlete Statement agreeing to meet this regulation.
To be eligible for practice, competition, and financial aid, student-athlete must not jeopardize their amateur status by engaging in the following activities:
1) Making contractual agreement, written or verbal, with any agent or receiving benefits from an agent
2) Receiving pay, promise to pay or cash based on competition or athletics ability
Final Amateurism Certification
Who is an agent?
An agent is anyone who markets your athletics ability or reputation. Whether or not someone calls themselves an agent, if they perform the functions of an agent under NCAA rules, they are considered an agent. Activities such as these would make someone an agent:
- Negotiating with a professional team
- Contacting a professional team on your behalf
- Arranging tryouts with professional teams
- Sitting in on your negotiations with a professional team
Continuing Eligibility – Progress Toward Degree (PTD) Requirements
As a continuing student-athlete, eligibility requirements are:
- Full-time enrollment – enrolled in 12 hours
- Cumulative GPA 2.0 – prior to each fall semester
- Good academic standing
- Earn 9 hours in previous semester
- Earn 18 hours in last 2 semesters (not including summer)
- Earn 24 hours in last full year (including summer session)
- Declare a major no later than the beginning of your fifth semester or third year of enrollment
Countable Athletically Related Activities (CARA) - Required activities restricted in hours for each day and each week. Regulation is modified based on in-season schedules and off-season schedules
In-Season Regulation (Championship)
- 4 hours per day; 20 hours per week
- 1 day off required per week
- Competitions are 3 hours of CARA
- Hourly and weekly limitations are not in effect during break periods when class is not in session
In-season Regulation (Nonchampionship)
- 4 hours per day; 15 hours per week
- 2 days off required per week
- 45-day/60-day window of participation
Out-of-season Regulation
- 8 hours per week; 2 of 8 hours per week may be individual skill instruction
- Skill instruction is limited to small groups; maximum 4 student-athletes with a coach at a time
- No required activities during break periods
Extra benefits – An extra benefit is any special arrangement from the institution, its staff or its boosters to provide a benefit to student-athletes or their friends or family. In general, an extra benefit would be defined as something that is not made available to all students on campus regardless of athletic participation:
- The use of an automobile
- Giving a loan or helping to secure a loan
- Discounts on services, like dry cleaning or car repair
- Discounts on purchases, such as clothing or airline tickets
- The use of a cell phone or phone card
- Receipt of services from businesses, like movie tickets or dinner
These items without circumstance do not automatically trigger an extra benefit violation. However, the area of extra benefits is very complex and we do not want our student-athletes to inadvertently accept items that may jeopardize their eligibility. Student-athletes are highly encouraged to talk to the compliance office before accepting a benefit, especially if they have any question about whether or not it is permissible.
Prospective Student-Athletes
Prospective Student-Athletes must register with the NCAA Eligibility Center in order to receive academic and amateur eligibility certification by the NCAA. Once registered, prospects are identified by their NCAA ID#. Provide this ID# to your Hillsdale College coach as well. Follow the links below to identify the academic criteria and process for initial eligibility through the NCAA.
Hillsdale College is a member of the National Letter of Intent (NLI) program. Prospective Student-athletes that are offered athletically related financial aid are able to sign a National Letter of Intent. The NLI will bind the prospective student-athlete to attending Hillsdale College for two semesters. An NLI binds Hillsdale College to one academic year of athletically related financial aid. After a signed NLI, a prospect may incur a penalty if an NLI is unfulfilled. Follow the link below to learn more about the National Letter of Intent and its process.
Frequently asked questions
Q: How do I know if I am considered a prospective student-athlete?
A: In general, if you are between 9th and 12th grades of high school, you are considered a prospective student-athlete. This is generally true even if you don't plan to play college sports. In addition, if you have not yet started 8th grade, but an institution has provided you with benefits that it does not provide to all prospective students, that institution must treat you as a prospective student-athlete.
Q: I want to contact a coach to let them know that I would like to be a Charger. Can I do that?
A: Yes, you may contact a coach at your own expense and on your own initiative at any time, but please be aware that they may be prohibited from recruiting you. After June 15 prior to your junior year of high school coaches may beginning contacting you.
Q: What are recruiting periods?
A: Under NCAA rules, each calendar year is divided into different recruiting periods. These periods are contact periods, evaluation periods, quiet periods and dead periods. Each of these periods have different limitations on the recruiting activities a coach can participate in.
Q: What is the contact period?
A: During a contact period, authorized athletics department staff members may make in-person, off-campus recruiting contacts and evaluations.
Q: What is the evaluation period?
A: During an evaluation period, authorized athletics department staff members may be involved in off-campus activities designed to assess the academic qualifications and playing ability of prospective student-athletes. No in-person, off-campus recruiting contacts shall be made with the prospective student-athlete during an evaluation period.
Q: What is the quiet period?
A: During a quiet period, coaches are able to make in-person recruiting contacts only on the member institution's campus. No in-person, off-campus recruiting contacts or evaluations may be made during the quiet period.
Q: What is the dead period?
A: During a dead period, coaches are unable to make in-person recruiting contacts or evaluations on or off the member institution's campus or to permit official or unofficial visits by prospective student-athletes to the institution's campus. It remains permissible, however, for an institutional staff member to write or telephone prospective student-athletes during a dead period.
Q: How many visits can I make to Hillsdale?
A: Prospective student-athletes may make official and unofficial visits to campus. A prospect may make an unlimited number of unofficial visits to a college. However, a prospect may make only 1 official visit that is paid for, in whole or in part, by the institution. The timeline will reset at high school graduation, there a prospect can take 1 official visit prior to high school graduation, and 1 official visit after September 1 after high school graduation.
Representative of Athletics Interests
Are you a representative of athletics interest or ‘booster’? The NCAA defines a representative of athletics interest as:
- You are a member of any organization that promotes the athletics program.
- You have made a financial contribution to the Department of Athletics or its RAI organizations.
- You have ever assisted in the recruitment of prospects for the Department of Athletics.
- You have provided benefits (e.g., summer jobs or occasional meals) to enrolled student-athletes.
- You have ever, in any way, promoted the athletics program.
If you are a Representative of Athletics Interest, please continue to read and remember, once you are identified as a booster, you retain that identity forever. Boosters are bound by NCAA and Hillsdale College rules. As a result, boosters are responsible for notifying the Athletic Compliance Office of any potential rules violations. Even if a violation is unintentional, the eligibility of a prospective student-athlete (recruit) or enrolled student-athlete could be placed in jeopardy.
- Forward information about prospects to the coaching staff
- Attend prospect’s competition on own initiative
- Receive a call from a prospect that is initiated by the prospect; not related to recruitment
- A pre-established relationship with a family friend or neighbor who is a prospect
Impermissible Activities Related to Prospective Student-Athletes:
- Phone, Email, Contact prospect, parents, coaches
- Providing benefits of any kind – gifts, cash, entertainment, reduced or free services or housing
Permissible Activities:
- Employ student-athlete
- Provide a meal on an occasional basis – please communicate this with the compliance office
- Communicate with current student-athletes
Impermissible Activities:
- Provide extra benefits
- Free or reduced services or housing
- Cash
Employment:
- Current student-athletes may work any time; Prospective student-athletes may begin employment after high school graduation
- Compensation must not be based on athletics ability in any way
- Compensation is paid for work performed and at a rate commensurate in the locale of the job