Community College Baseball Part 2: Academics

Last week, we provided you with some general information about community (junior) college baseball. We shared why players decide to play at that level. This week, we focus on dispelling some of the misinformation about community college baseball and academics. Let’s not waste any time!

Community College Academic Entry Requirements

One of the reasons why community college baseball is popular is because it has the most flexible academic entry requirements of any level of collegiate baseball. Student-athletes who don’t qualify academically to play at a 4-year school can still play community college baseball. Many NCAA qualifiers choose to play at this level because of the great opportunities it provides, regardless of academic record. To play JUCO, players must meet the following qualifications: a student athlete must have graduated from high school with an academic diploma, a GED, or a state department of education approved high school equivalency test.

Community College Academic Continuation Requirements

In order to continue competing at the NJCAA level after enrollment, there are a number of requirements student-athletes must meet. These requirements are similar to the NCAA requirements for 4-year schools. Continuing student-athlete community college academic eligibility requirements include:

The player must make satisfactory progress within an approved college program or course in the college catalogue.
Student-athletes must be enrolled as full-time status using any combination of sessions within a term.  They must be enrolled in classes that begin before the end of the regular sport season in which the student-athlete participates, within 15 calendar days from the beginning of the term.
Student-athlete must be enrolled in 12 or more credit hours during each term of participation.
There are also GPA requirements to remain eligible. They largely stick to the rule of passing 12 credit hours per term while maintaining a 2.0 GPA, although there are some exceptions to this rule.

More about Requirements

For a complete list of entry and continuation requirements (including transferring from one community college to another), and exact GPA requirements, visit the NJCAA website.  There are no GPA or SAT/ACT entry requirements. But, the student-athlete must have graduated from high school or received an equivalent high school degree. The academic entry requirements are minimal. However, that does not mean that students who have decided to attend a community college out of high school should let their high school grades slip or not worry about being an NCAA Qualifier.

Having the grades and test scores to be NCAA Qualifiers allows players to keep their options open right up until they start college. Remember, you can commit to a community college and decide later to go to a 4-year school.  Graduated players are recruited by D1, D2, D3, and NAIA schools all the way through the end of summer!  As long as you meet the NCAA academic requirements, you can keep your options open!

We are just getting started with our community college mini-series. In Part 3 of KPB’s ‘What You Need to Know About Community College Baseball’ series, we look at exactly what it means to be a Qualifier and the HUGE difference this makes when it comes time to transfer to a 4-year school. In Part 4, we wrap up the series by looking at the different levels of play throughout JUCO baseball. Read them now to get a more complete picture of what community college baseball is all about!