Student-Athlete Eligibility & Compliance
Rebecka Vessey, Director of Athletic Compliance
Welcome to Columbia International University's Athletic Compliance Webpage. CIU Athletics is committed to our core values of 1) Spiritual Growth, 2) Servant Leadership, 3) Academic Achievement and 4) Competitive Excellence. In order to produce great student athletes one must abide by CIU and NAIA rules and regulations. Compliance is a shared responsibility and this website is designed as an informational resource to make sure that everyone is on the same page.
STEP 1: Registering with NAIA Eligibility Center: https://play.mynaia.org
- Initial eligibility determination -This process can take months, so start early!
-
-
-
Must meet one of the following:
- Minimum Score of 18 on ACT
- Minimum Score of 970 on SAT
- Nine (9) credit hours of college work completed with a grade of "C" or higher. (Must be completed prior to the term in which the student wishes to compete).
- Apply for a homeschool waiver if the above are not met.
- International Students : INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS · Custom Portal
- International students must also set up an account with InCred to have their international school records translated or evaluated.
- Make sure to include ALL post secondary school work, even if not at a four-year university.
- Make sure to include all competitive experience
* If you request a fee waiver on your PlayNAIA profile, your profile cannot advance without a response from your High School
* Please select ALL sports in which you plan to compete! (Example: add Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field, and Cross Country)
* If you have completed one or more semesters at CIU, be sure to include CIU in your college experience.
STEP 2: Sending official documents to NAIA
- All Transcripts must be sent directly to the NAIA
- ALL high school transcripts MUST be sent through the High School NAIA Portal High_School_Portal_Guide.pdf
- College or University transcripts can be sent to the NAIA through these options:
- Test Scores: ACT / SAT scores must be sent directly to NAIA using code 9876
- Please note!! CIU can not send any third party transcripts to the NAIA.
Dual Enrollment / IB scores / AP scores / CLEP scores -- are NOT sent to the NAIA only to CIU --Dual Enrollment credit must come on an official transcript from the college/university where the credit was earned
Step 3. CIU Required Paperwork
-
Physical Examination/Sports Physical Form
- All CIU student-athletes must have a current physical exam each year (Dated May 1st or later).
- All physical examinations MUST be completed on CIU forms and signed by a Physician (MD or DO).
- Completed physical exam paperwork must be uploaded to the athlete's Front Rush account (once activated)
-
Health Insurance
- International student-athletes - will be assigned a comprehensive health insurance policy.
- This policy amount will be added to your CIU student bill each semester.
- Domestic student-athletes
- You must have primary health insurance that will cover athletically-related injuries in South Carolina. It must include a minimum coverage of up to $35,000 per incident. It must cover Prisma Health.
- While CIU does not provide secondary insurance coverage for athletic injuries, we do have a limited GAP fund. If needed student athletes may apply for financial assistance.
- CIU provides access to NAIA Catastrophic insurance coverage. This benefit becomes active when paid medical costs exceed $35,000 per incident..
- Insurance will be verified and must be valid in South Carolina
- The front and back of your insurance card must be uploaded to your Front Rush account (once activated)
- Columbia International will not be responsible for ANY medically-related bills due to lack of primary insurance coverage
- It is your responsibility to determine if you can be seen by providers in Columbia, SC - specifically Prisma Health.
- If you have Tri-Care, out-of-state managed care plans, or Medicaid, you may need to obtain additional coverage
- If your plan has a deductible or co-payment, you will be responsible for that payment at the time of service
- Medical sharing plans are acceptable, however you are responsible for all medical costs associated with those plans.
-
Health Services Form/Immunization Records
-
All students must complete the New Student Health Form: Student Life Forms | Home | MyCIU. These are required in addition to the Sports Physical form required by athletics.
-
Front Rush
- All student-athletes will receive a log-in to their personal Front Rush Portal starting June 1.
- Once the email is sent, it expires 24-hours after send time. If you attempt to log in and your "email isn't found," please email your CIU head coach for a new Front Rush Activation
- All athletic department policies must be electronically signed in Front Rush -- be sure to read everything carefully!!
- Your completed physical examination will be uploaded into Front Rush
- The front and back of your valid health insurance card will be uploaded into Front Rush
STEP 4. Ongoing Eligibility
There are two parts to athletic-academic eligibility
-
Initial eligibility determination - this is completed through PlayNAIA (See Step 1 Above)
- Ongoing eligibility
- Must remain in good standing and maintain a 2.0 g.p.a. (This is CIU policy as well as NAIA). Graduate Students must maintain a 2.5 g.p.a.
- Meet the 24/36 Hour rule
- Meet the Progress Rule
T
STEP 5. Academics, Spiritual Life and Athletics
It is the desire of CIU that athletes are successful in the classroom as well as in their sport and therefore requires the following:
- Maintain a g.p.a of 2.0 or higher in order to participate
- Mandatory study hall for all new incoming students
- Mandatory study hall for all returners with a 3.0 g.p.a. or lower
- Attendance: Students must attend 75% of all classes in order to pass the class. Students who miss more than 25% will fail regardless of letter grade.
- All students are required to attend church and chapel services each week. This is a degree requirement.
- All students are required to complete Christian Service Learning (CSL). This is volunteer work, and it is recommended that athletes do this during their off-season.
FAQs
- What if my high school doesn't have an NAIA portal?
- How do I get an NAIA fee waiver?
- You will request this as part of your NAIA registration process.
- The request will be sent directly to your former high school for approval
- Eligibility is based on receiving free/reduced lunch or SAT/ACT fee waivers
- You will need to check your NAIA portal for approval continually.
- What if I am an international student and need help with NAIA?
- Call the dedicated NAIA help desk for international students: 1-816-595-8390
- All international students must go through InCred
- You will be required to obtain high school information via InCred even if you have already attended college
- What if I already had a sports physical before May 1st?
- You will need to have a physical completed on the CIU paperwork dated after May 1st of the current calendar year.
- What if I already have international insurance (for international students only)
- CIU will supply all international student-athletes with a comprehensive health insurance policy for the school year.
- This policy will be added to your CIU student bill
- What if I have out-of-state insurance (Managed care, Medicaid, etc. ) or insurance that doesn't cover athletic-related injuries with a minimum coverage of $35,000?
- You are required to have primary health insurance that covers athletic-related injuries.
- You are responsible for all out-of-pocket costs (deductibles, co-insurance, co-payments, balances)..
- NAIA has a catastrophic policy that begins at $35,000 and does have a deductible which is the responsibility of the student-athlete (see NAIA.org)
- All plans will be verified.
- What if I have a cost sharing plan?
- Cost-sharing plans will be considered acceptable coverage as long as the following conditions are met and understood;
- There must be minimum coverage of $35,000 per event and athletic-related injuries can not be an exclusion
- You are responsible for payment at the time of services rendered. It will be your responsibility to set up payment arrangements with the provider.
- You are responsible for any deductible related to your specific plan.
- You will be required to show proof of payment of $35,000 per event, prior to NAIA's Catastrophic plan taking effect
