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Compliance - PSAs

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Prospective Student-Athletes

Recruiting
A prospective student-athlete (PSA) is a student who has started classes for the ninth grade. In addition, a student who has not started classes for the ninth grade becomes a PSA if the institution provides any financial assistance or other benefits to the individual or their family members that the institution does not provide to prospective students generally. 

As per the NCAA recruiting is any solicitation of a PSA or a PSA's family members by an institutional staff member or by a representative of the institution's athletics interests for the purpose of securing the PSA's enrollment and participation in the institution's athletics program. 

Depending on the type of solicitation that occurs, the PSA can then become a recruited PSA.
Below are actions that cause a PSA to become a recruited PSA:
    •Providing the PSA with an official visit;
    •Having an arranged, in-person, off-campus encounter with the PSA or the PSA's family members; or
    •Issuing a National Letter of Intent or the institution's written offer of athletically related financial aid to the PSA.

Official Visits
An official visit is a visit made by a PSA to a member institution in which the member institution finances all or part of the PSA's visit expenses. PSA's are permitted one official visit to a single Division I institutions, even if the PSA is a multi-sport athlete. Any additional visits may be provided if a new head coach is hired. You may not be provided an expense-paid visit earlier than August 1st of your junior year in high school (subject to the exceptions below). 

  • Baseball and Softball- You may not be provided an expense-paid visit earlier than September 1st of your junior year
  • Women's Basketball- You may not be provided an expense-paid visit earlier than January 1st of your junior year
Transportation
An institution may pay for the PSA's transportation costs for an official visit to its campus from any location, provided the PSA returns to the original point of departure or travels to the PSA's home, educational institution or site of competition. If a PSA travels by automobile on an official paid visit, the institution may pay round-trip expenses to the individual incurring those expenses (except for the PSA's coach) at the same mileage rate it allows its own personnel.

Lodging
An institution shall not provide more than two consecutive nights of lodging to a PSA in conjunction with an official visit. The institution may pay for the PSA and four of the PSA's family members lodging expenses. 

Meals
An institution may pay for the costs for meals for a PSA and up to four family members accompanying the PSA while traveling to and from campus on the official visit.
For a PSA and up to four family members accompanying the PSA there can be no more than three meals and reasonable snacks provided each day for every person.

Entertainment
An institution may provide up to $60 per person to entertain a PSA, student host and up to four family members accompanying the PSA during an official visit.
An institution may provide a maximum of three complimentary admissions tickets to a home athletics event.

Per Athletic Training policy, PSAs on official visits are not permitted to participate in physical activities in institutional facilities (unless they are committed to NIU  and have completed a medical examination with Athletic Training). The only exception exists in the sport of basketball where they are allowed an on-campus evaluation if approved by HACO.

Unofficial Visits
An unofficial visit is a visit by a PSA to a member institution in which the PSA pays all of his or her own costs.

A PSA may visit a member institution's campus at the PSA's own expense an unlimited number of times.
In sports other than baseball, basketball, football, and softball, an unofficial visit with athletics department involvement (e.g., contact with athletics department staff, athletics-specific tour, complimentary admission) shall not occur with an individual (or the individual's family members) before August 1 at the beginning of the individual's junior year in high school.

  • Baseball and Softball-In baseball and softball, an unofficial visit with athletics department involvement (e.g., contact with athletics department staff, athletics-specific tour, complimentary admission) shall not occur with you (or your family members) before September 1st at the beginning of your junior year in high school.
  • Men's Basketball- In men's basketball, an unofficial visit with athletics department involvement (e.g., contact with athletics department staff, athletics-specific tour, complimentary admission) shall not occur with you (or your family members) before August 1st at the beginning of the individual's sophomore year in high school.
  • Women's BAsketball and Football- In women's basketball and football, an unofficial visit with athletics department involvement (e.g., contact with athletics department staff, athletics-specific tour, complimentary admission) may occur with you (or your family members) at any time, subject to recruiting calendar restrictions.
    • Note: Further, coaches in the sport of womens basketball and football should take note of the prohibition on unofficial visits during specific times of the year as noted in the NCAA manual. 

Transportation
During an unofficial recruiting visit, the institution may provide the prospective student-athlete with transportation to view practice and competition sites in the prospective student-athlete's sport and other institutional facilities and to attend a home athletics contest at any local facility.

Lodging
A prospective student-athlete on an unofficial visit may stay in an enrolled student-athlete's dormitory room only if the prospective student-athlete pays the regular institutional rate for such lodging.

Meals
A prospective student-athlete on an unofficial visit to an institution must pay for their own meals but can eat with other prospective student-athletes who are on their official visits or with enrolled student-athletes. 

Entertainment
During an unofficial visit, the institution may not pay any expenses or provide any entertainment except a maximum of three complimentary admissions to a home athletics event.

Per Athletic Training policy, PSAs on unofficial visits are not permitted to participate in physical activities in institutional facilities (unless they are committed to NIU and have completed a medical examination with Athletic Training). The only exception exists in the sport of basketball where they are allowed an on-campus evaluation if approved by HACO.

Incoming Freshman Initial Eligibility
All incoming freshman PSAs must register with the Eligibility Center, an NCAA entity used to certify the academic and amateur status of PSAs. PSAs will need to create an account through the Eligibility Center, pay the registration fee, answer the amateurism questions, and submit high school transcripts to the Eligibility Center. PSAs can seek guidance through this process from their high school counselors, Eligibility Center, or the HACO.

Final Qualifier
A final qualifier shall be eligible for financial aid, practice and competition during the first academic year of residence. 
A qualifier is defined as one who is a high school graduate and who has attained the requried academic qualifications.

Non-Qualifer
A non-qualifier is a student who has not graduated from high school or who, at the time specified in the NCAA regulations, did not present the core-curriculum grade-point average required for a qualifier or an academic red-shirt. 
A final non-qualifier is not eligible for practice, competition, or athletics financial aid in their first year of residence.

Academic Red-Shirt
An academic red-shirt may receive institutional athletically related financial aid but may not compete during the first academic year of residence. 

Telephone Calls
Telephone Calls from the Institution to the PSA 
Telephone calls to you (or your family members) may not be made before June 15 at the conclusion of your sophomore year in high school (subject to the exceptions below). Thereafter, an institution may make telephone calls to you (the PSA) at its discretion.
•Exceptions:
    •Baseball- Telephone calls may not be made before August 1st at the beginning of your junior year
    •Softball- Telephone calls may not be made before September 1st at the beginning of your junior year
    •Women's Basketball- Telephone calls may not be made before June 1st at the conclusion of your sophomore year
    •Men’s Basketball- Telephone calls may not be made before June 15th at the conclusion of your sophomore year

Official Visit: Institutional staff members may make telephone calls to a PSA (or those individuals accompanying the PSA) during the five days immediately before the prospective student-athlete's official visit  and during the official visit.
Unofficial Visit: Institutional staff members may make telephone calls to a PSA (or those individuals accompanying PSA) beginning of the day immediately before the PSA's unofficial visit until the conclusion of the visit.
    
Telephone Calls from the PSA to the Institution 
In sports other than baseball, basketball, football, and softball, an institutional staff member may not receive telephone calls from you (or your family members) before June 15 at the conclusion of your sophomore year in high school.
    •Basketball and Football- In basketball and football, institutional staff members may receive telephone calls from you (or your family members) at any time. 
    •Baseball-In baseball, an institutional staff member may not receive telephone calls from you (or your family members) before August 1 at the beginning of your junior year in high school. 
    •Softball- In softball, an institutional staff member may not receive telephone calls from you (or your family members) before September 1 at the beginning of your junior year in high school.

Publicity
In general, the NCAA prohibits institutional staff members to publicly comment about a PSA or PSA's team, coach, or a facility primarily used by PSAs.This limites their ability to interact with you on social media.The only exception prior to a PSA's commitment to NIU applies to confirming or denying the recruitment of a PSA if someone asks if NIU is recruiting or not recruiting the specific PSA.

Cost of Attendance and Full Grant-in-Aid Values
Cost of Attendance
The "cost of attendance" is an amount calculated by an institutional financial aid office, using federal regulations, that includes the total cost of tuition and fees, living expenses, books and supplies, transportation, and other expenses related to attendance at the institution.

Grant-in-Aid
A full grant-in-aid is financial aid that consists of tuition and fees, room and board, books and other expenses related to attendance at the institution up to the cost of attendance.
A student-athlete may receive institutional financial aid based on athletics ability  and educational expenses awarded up to the value of a full grant-in-aid, plus any other financial aid up to the cost of attendance.

Guidance on Grant-In-Aid Values in Equivalency Sports
The average tuition is based off full-time enrollment for domestic studnet-athletes. Illinois has truth in tuition, so the tuition rate for a student-athlete is the same throughout their time at NIU. Because of this, the average tuition used in determining the average cost for a student-athlete is based on the year they first enrolled.

Adding together the average tuition for a student-athlete in the truth in tuition year in which they enrolled, the average fees, the average room and board, and books gives you the total average cost, or the full grant-in-aid (GIA). There will be five different GIA figures, representing each truth in tuition rate. This total is then multiplied by the student-athlete's equivalency to determine the amount of aid they will receive.

For student-athletes who receive academic scholarships that count towards their equivalency, the amount of that scholarship is then subtracted from the amount of aid to determine the amount of aid they will receive from athletics. 

Eligibility for Institutional Financial Aid
Each student-athlete must meet applicable NCAA, MAC, and NIU regulations to be eligible for institutional financial aid (including athletically related financial aid). If these regulations are met, the student-athlete may be awarded institutional financial aid during any term in which the individual is in regular attendance and is an undergraduate or graduate student with eligibility remaining.

Athletic Financial Aid
Athletically related financial aid is financial aid that is awarded on any basis that is related to athletics ability, participation or achievement. If an application process specifically requests athletics participation or achievements as criteria for consideration in determining whether an applicant receives financial aid, aid received pursuant to such a process is athletically related financial aid. 

Outside Financial Aid
Student-athletes are permitted to receive financial aid other than institutional financial aid provided it is from one of the following sources: anyone upon whom the student-athlete is naturally or legally dependent, awarded solely on bases having no relationship to athletics ability, awarded through an established and continuing outside program, or educational expenses awarded by the U.S. Olympic Committee. However, prior to the outside financial aid being posted to a student-athlete's bursar account, it must be approved by the HACO.

Amateur Status
All incoming PSAs must have their amateurism certified by the Eligibility Center prior to competing in intercollegiate athletics. If there are no issues with a PSA's amateurism the PSA will need to access their account and request final amateurism.
Prior to engaging in practice or competition, a student-athlete shall receive a final certification of amateur status based on activities that occur prior to the student-athlete's request for final certification or initial full-time enrollment.

After a final not-certified certification is rendered, a student-athlete may continue to engage in practice activities, provided the institution has submitted a notice of appeal. At the point in which all appeal opportunities have been exhausted and no eligibility has been granted, the student-athlete may no longer participate in practice activities. 

It is also important to note that PSAs must maintain their status as an amateur once they become student-athletes.
An individual loses amateur status and is ineligible for intercollegiate competition if the individual:

  • Uses athletics skill (directly or indirectly) for pay in any form in that sport;
  • Accepts a promise of pay even if such pay is to be received following completion of intercollegiate athletics participation;
  • Signs a contract or commitment of any kind to play professional athletics, regardless of its legal enforceability or any consideration received, except as permitted in Bylaw 12.2.5.1;
  • Receives, directly or indirectly, a salary, reimbursement of expenses or any other form of financial assistance from a professional sports organization based on athletics skill or participation, except as permitted by NCAA rules and regulations;
  • Competes on any professional athletics team, even if no pay or remuneration for expenses was received, except as permitted in Bylaw 12.2.3.2.1;
  • After initial full-time collegiate enrollment, enters into a professional draft; or
  • Enters into an agreement with an agent.

NCAA Information

NIU Resources Recruiting Calenders