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Becoming a
NAIA Student
Athlete
A step-by-step guide for Transfers
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Contact Information
Taylor Jennings
Athletics Coordinator
(P) 706-385-1417
Contact Taylor if you have any questions about the registration process or
eligibility process as a whole. She is the Eligibility Compliance contact at our
University and works with student-athletes on a daily basis regarding their
eligibility.
NAIA Eligibility Center
(P) 816-595-8300
Contact the Eligibility Center directly
if you are having technical difficulties
if you accidentally answered questions incorrectly during registration and
need them to manually override it, or
if you sent in one of your documents to them and still have not seen it
show up on your profile.
**Please note that your eligibility does not determine your admission to Point
University, nor does your admission to Point determine your eligibility.
For admission questions, please contact:
Point University Admissions
(P) 706-385-1202
Useful Video on PlayNAIA Registration Process:
https://youtu.be/jnD2xYJcbMo
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Step One: Submit your online profile
Create an account at PlayNAIA.org. Pro-Tip: Do this as soon as the recruiting
process begins.
Start the process by visiting www.PlayNAIA.org and clicking the “Register Now”
button. Registration Fee of:
o $135 for U.S. and Canadian transfer students and students with a break in
competition after high school
o $150 for international students.
Validate your email address and pay the registration fee.
A confirmation code is sent to your email. If it does not appear in your inbox a couple
minutes, be sure to check your spam/junk.
Complete, review and submit your online profile. Pro-Tip: Opt-in to texting to receive
the timeliest status updates and include your first date of competition in your
registration profile.
1. List all the schools you attended and all competitive experiences you have had since
high school graduation.
2. Review your information on the Profile Summary page to make sure it is
accurate before clicking “submit.” You are required to submit your online profile
to be placed in line for a decision.
Step Two: Send us your records and get on a recruiting Short
List
Send official college transcripts.
Don’t get sidelined while waiting on your transcripts to arrive! Request transcripts now
for any school that you are no longer attending. If you are currently enrolled at an
institution, have the official transcript sent immediately after the conclusion of the
current academic term.
The NAIA Eligibility Center needs an official transcript from each university or college
you’ve attended (including schools where you earned dual enrollment or summer classes),
regardless of whether or not you withdrew, failed or completed a full semester. Ask each
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of your colleges to send transcripts with a cover page to help speed things up. We accept
electronic transcripts through Parchment, National Student Clearinghouse, E-scrip Safe,
Credentials’ Transcripts Network and Xap in addition to hard copy transcripts sent via the
mail.
Send high school documents. Only do this if you have attended less than 2 full-time
semester of college
Request to have your official test scores sent directly from the testing service by using the
NAIA Eligibility Center code, 9876. Only test scores sent directly from the testing agency
are accepted.
Ask your high school guidance counselor to submit an official transcript through the NAIA
High School Portal.
Provide your ECID # to your NAIA coach to be added to a Short List.
Students with a break between high school graduation and competing in the NAIA must
appear on an NAIA school’s “Short List” to receive a decision. A “Short List” includes each
NAIA school’s recruits and is built by the school’s staff. Provide your Eligibility Center ID
number (ECID #) to your coach and ask to be added to the list as soon as possible.
Step Three: Check your To Do List Regularly
Check your To Do List and monitor your decision progress.
Once you submit your online registration, are added to a Short List, and all your
transcripts are received, you will be placed in line for an NAIA Eligibility Center manager
to review the material and determine your initial eligibility. You can view your decision
progress and To Do List at any time by logging into PlayNAIA.org.
Eligibility Center representatives conduct internet searches, check enrollment history
through the National Student Clearinghouse, contact previous institutions, review
transcripts, and/or contact sports leagues as your review is underway. This research
could require additional outreach to your NAIA school, you, or other third parties before
moving your decision forward.
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Most students can expect to receive a decision 7-10 business days after being placed
in line. Remember, you must complete these three steps to be placed in line: submit
your online profile, turn in all required records, and be added to a school’s Short List.
Pro-Tip: To get in the game, make sure everything we need is received at least two full
weeks before your first practice or the start of classes at your NAIA school, whichever
comes first.
Questions?
Our staff members are available to answer questions you may have.
Contact us at ECinfo@naia.org or (816) 595-8300
Remember – The Big Three!
1.) Online profile is fully submitted
2.) All required, official records are received
3.) Placed on an NAIA school’s Short List
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Information Specific to Transfers
Transfers MUST meet the following eligibility rules in order to compete:
12 hour rule
24 hour rule
GPA rule (depending on year)
12 hour rule: Must enroll in AT LEAST 12 credit hours for your first semester at our University
24 hour rule: Transfer athletes must have earned 24 total hours in his or her two most
previous full-time semesters (full-time means that you were enrolled in and attempted at
least 12 hours in a semester). None of these hours earned can be remedial or repeat courses.
*Note that this rule only applies to full-time semesters. If one of your two most recent
semesters was part-time (meaning enrolled in 11 credit hours or less), then that term does
not apply. Only look at your two most recent full-time semesters.
**Also note that if you have not earned at least 24 hours in your entire college career,
then you are still considered a freshman and will be processed through the NAIA as such. If
this applies to you, you should stop reading this now and ask for an incoming freshman
packet. You will have to request that your high school transcripts, Sat or ACT scores, and
college transcript be sent in to the NAIA.
GPA rule: This rule only applies to student-athletes in junior or senior standing. Anyone that is
considered a junior or above MUST have a 2.0 GPA or higher on a 4.0 scale.
**For eligibility purposes, we take your credit hours and GPA earned at previous
Universities at face value for your 1
st
term here**
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FAQs
Q: If I send my transcripts and test scores to Point University, does that mean that they
will be sent to the NAIA automatically?
A: NO. All transcripts and test scores MUST be sent separately; one to Point and one to the
NAIA. This is because a transcript becomes unofficial as soon as it is opened. Both Point
AND the NAIA require an official transcript. Therefore, each student-athlete should request
2 separate transcripts—one for Point University and one for the NAIA.
Q: How long will it be until I know that I am eligible?
A: That all depends on how quickly you submit all of your documents and what time of the
year it is. Once documents reach the Eligibility Center, they show up on your profile within
24 hours. Peak times for the Eligibility Center are July-August and December-January.
During non-peak times, athletes who have all steps completed have been processed within
24-48 hours. During peak times athletes should expect about a 7-day wait time to be
processed. This is why we encourage you to register as soon as possible!
Q: If I am eligible does that mean that I am admitted to Point?
A: NO. The Admission process and the Eligibility process are completely separate.
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What's the NAIA Code to Send Test Scores?
9876
Students must request that their test scores be sent directly from the testing service to the NAIA
Eligibility Center using our code: 9876.
We cannot accept test scores that appear on high school transcripts.
Only one qualifying test score is needed.
NAIA Document Processing
The NAIA Eligibility Center is still accepting documents required for eligibility reviews.
We highly recommend using the NAIA portals/approved third-party vendors (US documents only)
or InCred (international documents only) to electronically submit for fastest processing times. New
NAIA portal users will need to be verified by eligibility center staff before granted access to upload.
Please note: we cannot accept emailed documents or transcripts sent to [email protected].
1. NAIA Registrar Portal - the fastest and preferred method.
2. Approved third-party vendors - Parchment, National Student Clearinghouse,
eScrip-Safe/Credentials Solutions; if an email address is required for these services,
you must use [email protected].
3. All US high school documents must be submitted through the NAIA High School
Portal.
Physical document processing will not take place daily and will be delayed extensively; this
is subject to change. If you sent your documents through FedEx, UPS, or any other third-
party shipping carrier, please email EcInfo@naia.org with your tracking number and
name of shipping carrier used.
