To register with the NAIA Eligibility Center, athletes must take the following three actions:
NAIA registration starts with recruits building their NAIA profile, which serves as their home base in the academic eligibility process. Any time there is an update to their status, it will be reflected in their profile. Athletes can build their profile as early as their freshmen year of high school and no later than senior year. To do so, they must go to PlayNAIA.org and click the “Register Student” button. We advise that recruits build their profile with their parents, as there will be a fee that they need to pay to complete the set-up process. Overall, it only takes about 10-15 minutes to complete this first step in the NAIA registration process.
Insider tip: Recruits should familiarize themselves with their account, paying special attention to their “Current Tasks list. When the NAIA has any status updates for the recruit, they will be reflected in the Current Tasks list portion of their profile. Recruits should check their accounts frequently for changes and take action on any outstanding “Current Tasks.”
In the NAIA registration process, athletes have to submit documentation to prove that they meet the academic requirements. There are two primary records athletes must provide: their high school transcript and their ACT or SAT scores.
How to send the NAIA an athlete’s transcript: Unless the athlete qualifies for an early decision, they need to send their transcripts to the NAIA once they’ve completed all their coursework through graduation. However, families should make sure that they send the transcript as soon as it’s available. Ideally, students should have all documents submitted to their profile before the start of their sport season. If they do not, they are at-risk of missing competitions because their eligibility decision MUST be posted before they are able to compete.
Sending transcripts through the High School Portal is the only way to get it to the NAIA, as all high school records are required to be uploaded by the official high school personnel through that portal. The athlete should talk to their guidance counselor, who can upload the student’s records electronically via the High School Portal. International records must be submitted to InCred at www.InCredEvals.org. Hard copy transcripts are still accepted for U.S. college records and can be sent to:
Mailing Address (may take 7-10 business days)
NAIA Eligibility Center – Mailroom
120 W. 12th Street, Level S1
Kansas City, MO 64105
How to send the NAIA test scores: Students must request that their test scores be sent directly to the NAIA from the testing center. To do so, athletes should use the code 9876 when taking their test. There will be a box on the front of the test, which indicates to the testing center the student wants copies their scores sent.
How to send a class rank letter: If an athlete plans to use class rank as one of their eligibility criteria, the NAIA will accept class rank if it’s included on their official transcript. However, if that information is not available on the transcript, the high school counselor will need to submit their official ranking when uploading their transcript information through the High School Portal. International students do not have a portal option, and their high schools can use a class rank letter. The NAIA is fairly strict about the criteria for sending a class rank letter. The letter must be on school letterhead paper and sent in a sealed, school-stamped envelope. It must be signed by one of the following: the school’s principal, headmaster, vice principal or guidance counselor. The letter should be sent to: NAIA Eligibility Center –Mailroom, 120 W. 12th Street, Level S1, Kansas City, MO 64105. For information on submitting international records, visit the Documents Required By Country guide.
To make sure an athlete’s information gets reviewed by the NAIA on time, the athlete needs to be on the “short list”. This is a list of athletes who are actively getting recruited and need their eligibility decision completed quickly. To get on the short list, the recruit needs to get added by the NAIA coach recruiting them. Typically, athletes need to provide the coach with their Eligibility Center ID Number (ECID#), which they can find in their NAIA profile.
Insider tip: First-time college students who go straight to an NAIA school after high school graduation are not required to be on a school’s short list to receive an eligibility decision, but it can help provide priority in their review.
The NAIA registration process for current college students is very similar to the process for high school graduates. The differences are
The NAIA registration process for international athletes requires recruits to take a few extra steps, including:
This is a nonrefundable registration fee and covers all services the NAIA Eligibility Center provides. U.S. students with a demonstrated need can get their NAIA registration fee waived. Athletes who received a fee waiver for the ACT or SAT test or the federal free or reduced-cost lunch program, should contact their high school counselor, who can provide confirmation of their eligibility for a fee waiver to the NAIA Eligibility Center. High school fee waiver confirmations must be completed by high school counselors through the online NAIA High School Portal. Transfer students can qualify for a fee waiver if they did not meet the qualifications in high school (and their high school counselor denies their fee waiver), their financial circumstances have changed and they receive a minimum in Federal Pell Grant funds.
In most cases, the NAIA registration fee is nonrefundable. But a refund will be awarded under very specific circumstances:
To request a refund, athletes or an immediate family member will need to call the NAIA Eligibility Center.
Families can contact the customer relations team Monday through Friday, from 8:30 am to 5 pm CT by:
