My son/daughter is entering into their senior year of high school and is in all college prep courses...should I assume they will be eligible in college?

One of the most frustrating things for parents is to support your child by encouraging them to take harder courses such as college prep courses while also supporting them with great, but expensive, opportunities such as travel teams and clubs. As a parent, you are supporting and encouraging your child to pursue academic and athletic excellence but is that enough?

Unfortunately for some parents when it comes time to certify for NCAA eligibility, despite the rigor of tougher courses there is sometimes a snag. As high schools update their courses and provide better opportunities for students, a critical component of updating approved core courses for NCAA eligibility can be missed. One of the toughest things I have had to explain to a parent is why a college prep or advanced placement course will not count towards NCAA eligibility. It doesn't make sense, but it does happen more times than you might think. High schools, just like other businesses experience staff transition. Many times with staff transition things such as updating the core courses with the NCAA get lost in the shuffle.

The good news is this is fixable many times, but with delay and frustration. This is why planning ahead and addressing these types of issues while in high school can help you avoid these scenarios. It's also important to note, in NCAA Division I that some academic requirements must be met prior to the senior year of high school beginning. That can lead to a very frustrating and less than desirable outcome.

As a parent, make sure you are meeting with the high school counselor designated with tracking college athletics eligibility throughout your child's career. One of the benefits of using a service such as ours is to have an experienced set of eyes looking at the paperwork and providing you with a seasoned opinion on where your child stands.