Grad school - eligibility?

[jaketheranger]

I was thinking about going to grad school and was wondering if I would be eligible to compete at the NCAA level. I didn't compete as an athlete at all as an undergrad (at a university that didn't offer fencing).

I checked out the eligibility requirements on the NCAA website, but they seemed a bit vague...focusing on high school eligibility requirements. The only relevant information seemed to be that you need to have your undergrad school waive any restrictions that you may have if you do transfer as a grad student...though I've been told by others that grad students aren't eligible.

Can anyone help me?

Any advice if I am able to?

[Peach]

The answer I have been repeatedly given, in many situations, is no.

And no, it wasn't for me that I was asking. I fenced in grad school but was smart enough to know I really didn't want to be involved with an NCAA team.

[noodle]

you can still participate in the usacfc, if its something that interests you. there are lots of pretty good clubs, which would give you more time for actual school, as opposted to participating in a varsity program.

[seak]

It depends on the division but basically the answer is no. From the time you start your undergraduate life you have x number of years to compete. For Div 1 it's 5 years for Div 3 it's a tad more complicated basically involving number of semesters. No matter what though you won't have more then a year or two.

Club fencing is prob a better bet as Noodle suggested

[HDG]

For NCAA, I think I remember it being the rule that if you have eligibility left you can use it IFF you are doing your graduate work at the same place you did your undergrad.

[Agent_V]

This being the NCAA, the answer to your question is ridiculously complicated. Read this:
http://www.ncaa.org/wps/portal/!ut/p...y_seasons.html
I'm not sure if this link is permanent, so here's a copy:

A student-athlete who is enrolled in a graduate or professional school of the college or university which he/she previously attended as an undergraduate student may participate in intercollegiate athletics, provided he/she has eligibility remaining and is within five calendar years of initial full-time collegiate enrollment for Division I and within the first ten full-time semesters of collegiate enrollment for Divisions II and III.

A student-athlete who has eligibility remaining and is within the specified five-year or ten-semester period also may participate while enrolled in a graduate or professional school at a Division I or II college or university other than the institution at which he/she completed an undergraduate degree, provided he/she meets the criteria of the one-time transfer exception to the general transfer residence requirement. That exception is as follows:

o The student-athlete must be seeking to participate in a sport other than Division I football, basketball and men's ice hockey, except that a student-athlete who seeks to participate in Division I-AA football may use this exception only if transferring from a Division I-A program.
o The student-athlete may not have transferred previously from another four-year institution unless he/she transferred previously and received an exception to the transfer residence requirement because his/her institution either discontinued the sport or did not sponsor the sport in which the student-athlete is a participant.
o The student must have been in good academic standing and eligible to compete had he/she decided to remain at the previous institution.
o The student-athlete's previous institution must certify in writing that it has no objection to the student-athlete being granted an exception to the transfer residence requirement.

NOTE: This exception does not apply to a student-athlete who attends a Division III institution for graduate school, unless the student-athlete is attending the same institution at which he/she was an undergraduate.

NOTE: If the student-athlete transfers to the certifying institution from a Division III member institution and meets the above-mentioned conditions, he or she may be eligible to compete but may not receive athletically related financial aid during that year.

Please contact the certifying institution or conference for additional information. You also may contact the NCAA membership services staff at 317/917-6222 if you have further questions.

If you're thinking about going to an Ivy league institution, note that league rules prohibit grad students from even training with the varsity teams there - let alone competing.

Alexander

[eac]

Why would you want to compete in the NCAA anyway? It's not connected to any of the usual ways of measuring fencers-- i.e. FIE, USFA, stuff like that. If you get really good in the USFA, you can compare yourself indirectly to the really good people in the world-- if you get really good in the NCAA, your college's coach is happy.

[DJ Apostrophe]

Why would you want to compete in the NCAA anyway? It's not connected to any of the usual ways of measuring fencers-- i.e. FIE, USFA, stuff like that. If you get really good in the USFA, you can compare yourself indirectly to the really good people in the world-- if you get really good in the NCAA, your college's coach is happy.

Possibly because fencing on a college team is fun?

Just one reason out of many.

-w

[mrbiggs]

Why would you want to compete in the NCAA anyway?

Good coaching and people to train with.

[bigdawg2121]

Some people like representing their schools, being on teams and having the comraderie it provides. Not to mention decent coaching or at the very least decent training in your weapon etc. Some of us also have this whole school pride thing going on...I guess if I were an Engineer I might reconsider the whole school pride thing too though.

[HDG]

Why would you want to compete in the NCAA anyway?

More tournaments to fence in.

[nahouw]

I was thinking about going to grad school and was wondering if I would be eligible to compete at the NCAA level. I didn't compete as an athlete at all as an undergrad (at a university that didn't offer fencing).

Based upon the excerpt cited from the NCAA cited by someone else, the answer is no -- it only allows those students who competed as an undergraduate who attend the same school as a graduate student so long that they still have eligibilty available (i.e. they red-shirted a season). This provision allows them to make up one year for the year that they red-shirted.

[oiuyt]

Based upon the excerpt cited from the NCAA cited by someone else, the answer is no -- it only allows those students who competed as an undergraduate who attend the same school as a graduate student so long that they still have eligibilty available (i.e. they red-shirted a season). This provision allows them to make up one year for the year that they red-shirted.

That's not what the cited text says. One may also do it at a school other than the undergraduate institution if one qualifies for the one-time transfer exception.

-B