Keep Your Amateur Status

If you want to play sports in college, it’s important that you keep your amateur status. If you play professional sports, you’ll lose you eligibility to play on a college team. All prospective student-athletes entering a NCAA Division I or Division II school must register with the NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse to have their academic and amateur status certified.

When you register with the Clearinghouse, you’ll be asked to complete a questionnaire about your sports participation and any agreements you may have with an agent or professional team. You could lose your amateur status if you:

• Agree to a written or verbal contract with an agent or professional team
• Participate on an amateur team in exchange for payment
• Put your name on a draft list
• Tryout, practice or compete with a professional team
• Use your athletic skills for pay in any way
• Receive education expenses from an agent, sports team or college representative
• Receive prize money that exceeds actual and necessary expenses to compete in an event

You should receive your final certification of amateur status about two to three months before you enroll in an NCAA Division I or II school. You can find more information on the NCAA web site.