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Loyola New Orleans Eligibility Process

Initial Eligibility 

During the recruitment and commitment process, coaches request that the prospective student athlete (PSA) begin the eligibility determination process by registering with PlayNAIA (www.playnaia.org). Through this process, the PSA will complete the following steps: complete profile of personal information, pay fee/request fee waiver, request documentation to be uploaded or sent to the Eligibility Center (EC). Documentation includes transcripts from HS and any other higher ed institutions attended (including dual enrollment), official SAT/ACT scores, and athletic tracers for PSAs that are transferring from another 4-year institution. Once all these steps have been completed, the EC will begin their review process which will ultimately result in an Eligibility Determination of “Early Decision Eligible”, “Eligible”, or “Not Eligible”. Once a PSA receives an eligibility determination for their initial term of attendance, they do not need to receive additional determinations from the EC regarding their initial eligibility status, with exception to the scenarios found in the NAIA Situational Analysis.
 

Entering freshman may meet eligibility requirements and receive an “Eligible” decision by achieving a minimum 2.30 cumulative GPA, on a 4.00 scale. Additional criteria are not necessary to meet eligibility requirements of the NAIA.
 

If a prospective student does not meet the minimum 2.3 grade point average, they can still meet eligibility requirements by meeting at least two of the three following minimums: a minimum 2.0 GPA, a qualifying ACT (18) or SAT (970) test score or class rank (top 50%).
 

Entering freshman may meet initial eligibility requirements prior to HS graduation and receive an “Early Decision Eligible" determination by achieving a minimum 3.30 grade point average AND a qualifying ACT (18) or SAT (970) test score after their sixth semester of high school or a minimum 2.50 AND a qualifying ACT (18) or SAT (970) test score grade point average after their seventh semester of high school. 

Eligibility Certification

Once identified with our institution (enrolled in a full-time course load), the SA will be added to the current year Eligibility Roster by their respective coach. Each coach should provide the following information for each SA: CWID, first & last name, NAIA ECID, and whether or not they are a transfer student. The Associate AD will review and confirm all pertinent data for eligibility, included, but not limited to, seasons of competition, terms of attendance, credits earned, and gpa. The Associate AD will create calendar events and reminders for the timely certification of each team based on the dates noted by each coach. Calendar events & reminders will be sent to the Athletic Director (AD), Registrar, Faculty Athletics Representative (FAR), and respective coach.
 

For each term, as Eligibility Rosters are completed, coaches are responsible for notifying the Registrar and Associate AD that their team is ready to be certified. The Registrar will continue the certification process using the Eligibility Certificate Processing Software, ECP. When a certificate is created by the Registrar, ECP will send notifications to the Registrar, the FAR, AD, and respective coach to obtain electronic signatures. It is the responsibility of all parties to check the certificate for accuracy and “Approve”. If any errors are found, the certificate should be “Rejected”, errors corrected by the Registrar, and a new certificate issued for signatures. Head coaches should receive an Official Eligibility Certificate, which includes all signatures, prior to competing. 

Continuing Eligibility

Any changes in eligibility status after the first term of an SAs attendance will be determined by the following criteria:

  • Freshmen who met initial eligibility requirements with the EC may maintain eligibility in their second term by passing at least 9 credit hours in their first term

  • Freshmen who met only one of the initial eligibility requirements with the EC may maintain eligibility in their second term by passing at least 12 credit hours in their first term

  • After the second term of attendance and from then on, a student athlete (SA) must have earned at least 24 credit hours in the immediately previous two terms (24-Hour Rule) 

  • Once a student has reached their 2nd season of competition (SOC) or sophomore academic standing and from then on, a 2.0 cumulative GPA is required to maintain eligibility

  • To compete in future SOCs, an SA must meet Progress Rule requirements:

    • 2nd SOC/Sophomore standing = earned at least 24 credit hours

    • 3rd SOC/Junior standing = earned at least 48 credit hours

    • 4th SOC/Senior standing = earned at least 72 credit hours

  • If an SA does not meet any of the aforementioned requirements, or a freshman does not meet the 2.0 GPA threshold after their first term, athletic aid will be cancelled for the next immediate term

    • SAs may appeal this decision through a process with the Financial Aid in conjunction with the Assistant VP for Athletics & the Associate AD

  • Transfer students:

    • If the SA is transferring from a non-NAIA institution or has never received an eligibility determination from an NAIA institution, they must complete the Initial Eligibility process through PlayNAIA

    • If the SA is transferring from an in-conference institution, they are subject to a residency requirement prior to competing

    • If the SA is transferring mid-year from an NAIA institution, they are subject to being charged two seasons of competition in one academic year depending on sport and participation

  • Additional bylaws are in place for certain transfer student scenarios, seniors enrolling in fewer than 12 credit hours, and graduate student credit hours. All of which can be found in the NAIA Official Handbook

Student Athlete Eligibility

  • Initial Eligibility*: Entering freshmen can achieve initial eligibility by meeting the following criteria:

  1. Graduate from an accredited high school

  2. Achieve one of the two following scenarios:

    1. Have a minimum of a 2.3 high school grade point average OR

    2. Meet two of the following three criteria:

      1. Achieve a minimum of 18 on the Enhanced ACT or 970 on the SAT

      2. Have a minimum of a 2.0 high school grade point average

      3. Have graduated in the top half of the high school graduating class

*Initial eligibility status is achieved by registering with and being cleared by the NAIA Eligibility Center www.playnaia.org 

  • Full-time Enrollment Rule (12/6 credit hours): Each athlete must enroll in and carry a full time class load for both the fall and spring semesters. For undergraduate degrees, full time is considered 12 credit hours. For graduate degrees, full time is determined by each program. Be sure to consult with your advisor and the Associate AD that you are meeting minimum requirements. IMPORTANT: Dropping below the required hours will automatically render you ineligible for that particular semester and result in the possible forfeiture of games!

    • When enrolling in Internship courses, it is necessary to earn a grade for that course in the term in which you initially enrolled in the course OR you must carry 12 credit hours in addition to the internship course. Deferring or taking an “incomplete” in an internship may affect your eligibility.

  • 24-Hour Rule: Student athletes must have passed a minimum of 24 hours in the two immediately previous terms of attendance (semesters) in order to be eligible to compete in the subsequent semester. Up to 12 hours earned during the summer may be applied to the 24-Hour Rule; however, those credits must be earned after one or both of the two immediately previous terms of attendance.

  • Progress Rule: The student athlete must be making normal progress toward a recognized baccalaureate degree and maintain the minimum grade point average as defined by the institution and the NAIA.

    • Upon reaching sophomore academic standing at Loyola, a student athlete must have attained a cumulative 2.0 grade point average and maintain that average each subsequent term in order to be eligible to compete.

    • To play a 3rd season of competition, a student athlete must have earned at least 48 credit hours, and to play in a 4th season of competition, they must have earned at least 72 credit hours. 

  • Repeat courses require special attention:

    • Defined by the NAIA as a course previously passed with a “D” or better taken in any term, and retaken in any subsequent term

    • If said course is retaken and a “C” or better is earned, it will count towards the 24-Hour Rule.

    • If said course is retaken and a “D” is earned, it will NOT count towards the 24-Hour Rule. Only the initial attempt will count. 

    • No more than one repeat course per term passed with a grade of “D” may be used to satisfy the 12-Hour Enrollment Rule.

    • Repeat courses passed with a “C” or better cannot be applied to meet either rule, 12-Hour Enrollment or 24-Hour Rule.

    • Always check with your coach prior to retaking courses.

  • Senior Exception: Graduating seniors may not be required to carry 12 hours in the semester in which they graduate. Athletes must check with their respective coaches. As of May 2023, graduate students have also been granted an opportunity to use an exception in their final semester/season of graduate school.

  • Post-Baccalaureate Students: Post-bacc students must successfully pass the program-required full-time course load in order to be considered eligible for the subsequent term of attendance. 

  • Outside Competitive Experience (OCE): 

    • As of May 2021, all outside competitive experience will be evaluated as elite-level competition. 

    • If OCE is deemed “elite-level”, a student athlete will be charged an SOC if they compete in one elite-level competition within a 12-month period for team sports or more than two elite-level competitions within a 12-month period for individual sports. 

    • Elite-Level Competition Criteria

  • When participating in study abroad programs, students should be advised that classes taken while abroad may not count toward academic progress.  Student athletes should consult with their respective coach and eligibility staff to plan accordingly.  Athletic aid may not be applied to study abroad programs. It is strongly encouraged that study abroad programs take place in the summer.

  • Any questions regarding eligibility should be referred to your head coach.

  • Esports Eligibility