Proposition 48 is an NCAA regulation that stipulates minimum high school grades and standardized test scores that student-athletes must meet in order to participate in college athletic competition.
The NCAA enacted Proposition 48 in 1986.[1]
As of 2010, the regulation is as follows:
Before a high school student can be eligible to play Division I sports, he or she must meet academic requirements in high school.[2] Those standards include:
- The successful completion of 16 core courses.[3]
- A sliding-scale combination of grades in high school core courses and standardized-test scores. For example, if a student-athlete earns a 3.0 grade-point average in core courses, that individual must score at least 620 on the SAT or a sumscore of 52 on the ACT. As the GPA increases, the required test score decreases, and vice versa.
Beginning August 1, 2016, NCAA Division I will require 10 core courses to be completed prior to the seventh semester (seven of the 10 must be a combination of English, math or natural or physical science that meet the distribution requirements).[4] These 10 courses become "locked in" at the start of the seventh semester and cannot be retaken for grade improvement.
Beginning August 1, 2016, Division I college-bound student-athlete may still receive athletics aid and the ability to practice with the team for failing to meet the 10 course requirement, but would not be able to compete.