Deciding to pursue collegiate level sports is one of the biggest decisions a student-athlete will make during their high school career. Therefore, it is vital that you discuss your NCAA options with your advisor during your initial conversation. Even if you are not sure if you will be pursuing NCAA, you should still alert your advisor to the possibility. It is best to err on the side of caution than to try to play catch up in your junior year and fall short. To make sure you are prepared to pursue NCAA Eligibility, there are some things you will need to keep in mind while enrolled with Bridgeway Academy.

 

Course Options

We have five types of courses in which the NCAA student-athlete can enroll. 

 

  • Enroll in our Live Online Classes. Your student will be enrolled in NCAA-approved Live Online Classes. These classes fall under our Bridgeway Academy Program (390031). When registering with the NCAA Eligibility center, students in these classes are NOT considered homeschool students to NCAA.

 

  • Enroll in our Self-Paced Online Courses. Your student will be enrolled in NCAA-approved online courses. These courses fall under our Bridgeway Academy Program (390031). When registering with the NCAA Eligibility center, students in these courses are NOT considered homeschool students to NCAA.


  • Enroll in our Elite Courses. Your student will be enrolled in NCAA-approved courses through Edgenuity Instructional Services. These courses fall under our Bridgeway Academy Program (390031). When registering with the NCAA Eligibility center, students in these courses are NOT considered homeschool students to NCAA.

 

  • Enroll in our Textbook Courses. Your student will fulfill all core courses using the textbook courses that Bridgeway has found to be previously accepted by the NCAA. Because NCAA does NOT list specific courses as approved for homeschool umbrella programs, it is important that you inform your advisor of your status as an athlete to ensure that your core courses are those that have historically received approval. When registering with the NCAA Eligibility center, students in textbook courses are considered homeschool students to NCAA.

 

  • Enroll in our Homeschool Accreditation Program. Students may also enroll in our Homeschool Accreditation Program and make their own decisions on courses. Our advisors will support you throughout your homeschool program and provide fully accredited records and transcripts. However, it is your responsibility to ensure that the courses you select meet NCAA requirements. When registering with the NCAA Eligibility center, students in this program are considered homeschool students to NCAA.

 

Both the Textbook Courses and the Homeschool Accreditation Program options fall under the NCAA Homeschool Review Process and the Bridgeway Academy Homeschool Umbrella Program.  Bridgeway Academy can provide completed transcripts for each enrolled student to the NCAA. In addition, we assist students with the homeschool review process, which includes submitting Core Course Worksheets, Core Course Addendums, a Homeschool Statement, and various other documents at the request of NCAA. 


We strongly advise that students in all programs retain copies of all schoolwork completed each year in the event NCAA requests to view the student's work.  

Students may also use Dual Enrollment courses to satisfy NCAA academic requirements.

 

Requirements for All Course Types:

There are multiple requirements that students will need to keep in mind while working on their schoolwork. These requirements are dictated by NCAA and leave very little room for adjustment, so it is vital that you and your student understand the expectations before beginning any of our programs. Your Bridgeway Advisor will work with you throughout the year to ensure you are following these guidelines. If any courses do not meet the NCAA requirements, the courses cannot be credited on the Bridgeway transcript. 

  1. Students must complete all core courses within a four-year high school period. Students may take a couple high school level courses in middle school, however, once they enter ninth grade, they have eight semesters in which to complete their high school career.
  2. Students must complete 16 core courses before the end of the senior year. Ten of those core courses need to be completed by the end of their junior year, seven of which should be English, math, and natural/physical science courses. Required core courses are as follows:
    • 4 English 
    • 3 Math (Algebra I or higher) 
    • 2 years natural/physical science (lab if possible) 
    • 2 years social science (social studies) 
    • 1 additional year English, Math, or Science 
    • 4 additional years English, Math, Science, Social Studies, Foreign Language, Comparative Religion or Philosophy 
  3. Students cannot use credit recovery courses for NCAA eligibility. Additionally, students cannot double up on their English, Math, Science, or Foreign Language courses. For example, a student cannot take both English I and English II at the same time. They must complete one before starting the other.
  4. All coursework must be completed in a timely manner. The allotted time varies per course type. Extensions can be provided in extenuating circumstances but should not be expected.
  5. Students are expected to work on a consistent basis, not taking too short or too long to complete courses. 
  6. Students must complete 100% of all coursework. This means that students are unable to skip even one assignment in the online or textbook courses. Please plan accordingly to ensure your student has the time to complete all assignments.
  7. NCAA cares about the quality of the work being completed and therefore requires a minimum GPA in all core courses of 2.3 or higher. However, students should be mindful that they couple this with the student’s SAT/ACT score. Basically, the lower your GPA, the higher they expect your test scores to be. You can read more about test scores here. Starting with the 2023 enrollment year, NCAA Divisions I and II removed the standardized test score requirement. 
  8. NCAA students are limited to no more than three test and quiz attempts. This means that students need to thoroughly prepare for all tests and quizzes prior to taking them as they will have few chances to retake them. If a student fails a test or quiz, they should revisit the lessons leading up to that assessment prior to retaking the test or quiz. We reserve the right to further limit retakes if we notice a student is not properly preparing for these assessments.

 

Specific Requirements for Elite Courses

  • Edgenuity Instructional Services courses run on a semester basis and are broken into sections A and B. Much like different levels of English courses cannot be taken at the same time, different sections of these courses cannot be taken at the same time. Therefore, if a student needs to continue English IA in the second semester, they cannot also take English IB. This could affect the student as they strive to complete all coursework by the end of the semester. It is very important to remain on track with assignments to avoid this situation.

 

Specific Requirements for Textbook Courses

 

Students will need to complete Core Course Addendums in addition to their coursework. These are additional projects or writing assignments that help add to the student's program and help demonstrate learning. We recommend completing one per quarter. Do not wait until the end of the school year to complete all four assignments. Documents are provided by your advisor upon enrollment in your courses.

 

All coursework should be retained in the event NCAA requests to see examples. It is the family's responsibility to retain this information.

 

Core Course Worksheets will need to be prepared and presented for all core courses completed. If courses are completed through Bridgeway Academy using curriculum we provided, we will prepare these documents for you. If you elect to use your own curriculum, you will be responsible to prepare these forms.

 

Home school textbook courses are not "approved," and never will be, for Bridgeway or any other Umbrella Program. When it comes to home school textbook courses, NCAA approves them on an as submitted basis. Your advisor will select courses NCAA has previously accepted for our students and we are confident will pass through NCAA’s approval process. Some examples of curriculum we have used with success in the past are found below: 

  • ACE (Accelerated Christian Education)
  • AOP (Alpha Omega Publications- not SOS or Monarch)
  • BJUP (textbook, not DVD or Online) 
  • Paradigm (English and Social Studies only)
  • Apologia 
  • Saxon
  • Write Source 
  • Mr. D Math (with live Component only)

 

Compliance

As a homeschool academy, we understand the importance of providing flexibility for you and your student-athlete. However, in order to maintain a cleared status, we do need to adhere to the requirements of NCAA. It is important that our student-athletes and their parents/guardians understand their part in ensuring the student is meeting the requirements outlined above as it directly affects their eligibility. If we find that a student is not adhering to the outlined requirements, we may need to take action leading to the student being withdrawn.