Who Can Participate in College Sports Under NCAA Rule Change?
In a study of 1992 college-bound high school seniors, less than two-thirds (64.7 percent) would have been eligible to participate in Division I college varsity sports as freshmen under new, stricter National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) requirements. The new rules, known as “Proposition 16,” require high school students who want to participate in college sports to earn more credits in core subjects and meet stricter SAT/ACT and grade point average (GPA) requirements. Under the current “Proposition 48” rules, more than five in six seniors (83.2 percent) are eligible to participate. If future classes are similar to the Class of 1992 in course taking and achievement, a quarter of college-bound seniors will be excluded from freshman varsity athletics solely on the basis of course work. Another 10 percent would lose eligibility because of low SAT/ACT scores or low GPA in core courses. The new provisions were adopted by delegates to the 1992 NCAA annual convention and govern studen
