Athletes

Support services for Student Athletes

Support services for Student Athletes at Jacksonville University has made a significant commitment to assisting student athletes in their academic pursuits. The Advising Center performs academic advising, conducts an evening study hall and tutoring program, provides academic support and intervention, and obtains mid-semester progress reports for all student athletes. The office is in close contact with coaches and provides faculty with detailed information on athletic-related travel.

Student Athlete Eligibility Information
Student-athletes must meet certain requirements to stay eligible with the NCAA. The four requirements that Advisors need to keep in mind most are:

• Full Time Enrollment: Student-athletes must be enrolled in 12 credits in order to be eligible to compete in athletics. Student-athletes must also not drop below 12 credits during the semester in order to continue competing in athletics. Graduate Students must have 9 credit hours.
• Satisfactory Progress: Student-athletes must successfully complete, prior to each fall term, a cumulative total of at least 24 semester hours toward their major from the previous year. This is equivalent to at least 12 semester hours during each of the previous academic terms. In the event that less than 24 hours have been passed during the academic year, summer courses may be taken and counted toward the necessary 24 credit hours. However, no more than 6 credit hours may be taken in the summer term to satisfy this requirement. In addition, these hours must be core or major classes.
• We advise student-athletes take 15 - 16 hours each semester towards their major. This way they have some flexibility built in if they need to drop or withdraw from a class and will still be able to stay on track for "satisfactory progress."
• Percentage of Degree: Student-athletes must complete a specific percentage of their major requirements as they continue in college. These major requirements only count classes required in the catalog for their core and major as well as any electives needed to reach the 120 credits to graduate. It is also important to check the catalog year that the student-athlete is following. There can be major differences that can affect their eligibility. Students can elect to take a new catalog year, they cannot go back to a past catalog year.
• Student-athletes are required to choose a major before their fifth semester of enrollment. This is the major that they will be required to progress towards.

GPA Requirements
Generally, if a student-athlete maintains a 2.0 Cumulative GPA they will remain eligible.

The NCAA has the following requirements:
Year of Collegiate Enrollment/NCAA GPA Requirement

• Start of third year
  (5th semester) GPA 1.8 or higher
• Start of fourth year
  (7th semester) GPA 1.9 or higher
• Start of fifth year
  (9th semester) GPA 1.9 or higher

Jacksonville University has the following requirements:
Probation/Suspension GPA Requirement

• Sophomore (29 - 57 Cr.)
  < 2.0 - Probation
  < 1.5 - Suspension
• Junior (58 - 89 Cr.)
  < 2.0 - Probation
  < 1.85 - Suspension
• Senior (90+ Cr.)
  2.0 GPA needed to graduate

Student-athletes also need to be mindful of their practice times when scheduling classes. Sometimes it is possible for the students to schedule traditionally afternoon classes (such as Lab courses) in their off season. However, there are times and majors that have required afternoon classes. If the student-athlete has a conflict with practice they will need to work the situation out with his/her coach.

Contact Information
If you have any questions or concerns regarding any of this material, contact JoAnne Clifford at 256-7113 or jcliffo1@ju.edu.

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