by Pat Grecco

I'm currently working with a student-athlete, who in spite of being an excellent student and a great soccer player, simply can not get a good enough score on the SAT exam to be qualified with the NCAA Eligibility Center. Want to know how we made his dream of attending college and playing soccer a reality? Read on.

Bein N. was born in Africa, now lives in the USA, and speaks three languages. He’s a bright kid, but the format of the standardized test was truly foreign to him. Most NCAA schools require a minimum score on the test in order to qualify for participation in intercollegiate athletics. Unable to attain that grade, we switched gears and began looking at NAIA colleges and universities that have a completely different set of standards compared to the NCAA.

NAIA stands for National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. Though it is a smaller association, the NAIA contains numerous highly regarded colleges and universities throughout the USA.

In order to academically qualify for an NAIA school as an entering freshman you must meet two out of the three criteria listed below:

* Achieve a minimum of 18 on the Enhanced ACT or 860 on the SAT.
* Achieve a minimum overall high school grade point average of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale.
* Graduate in the top half of your high school graduating class.

Although Bien did not score high enough on the SAT/ACT he was in the top half of his graduating class and had well over a 2.0 GPA. Therefore, he qualified to attend an NAIA school and receive an athletic scholarship/grant. Go to the NAIA website to learn more.

Other avenues for those who have difficulty qualifying include attending a two-year college. You can go to school and play your sport, then transfer to a four-year school, again bypassing the SAT/ACT regulations. Alfonso P. attended a local community college, played and graduated. He was named to the National Junior College Athletic Association All-America Team and then transferred, receiving a generous scholarship to Fordham University in New York.

Lastly, there is no SAT/ACT criteria necessary for NCAA D-III schools, and although they cannot offer you athletic scholarships/grants, you can receive academic scholarships and financial aid if you qualify.

Again, its all about having options and knowing where to look. If you have questions, contact me and I'll walk you through the process.

For questions or more information on the college search you can always reach Pat at soccervol@aol.com.