Division I NCAA scholarships use a sliding scale for their grade requirements. This allows for a higher GPA, SAT or ACT score to offset a lower score from one of the other categories. This is a change from the past, where there were rigid requirements that had to be met without any room for adjustment.
Now, a higher GPA or a higher SAT score will in turn lower the required SAT scores or GPA levels respectively. The SAT combined score is taken from the verbal and math sections and does not include the writing section. Despite this new format for Division I, Division II programs use a simple minimum requirement of a 2.0 GPA and 820 SAT score.
If a student has a 3.0 GPA, he or she would need only a 620 SAT score, while a 2.5 GPA would require a 820 SAT score. With a 3.5 GPA, students need only score a 420 on the SAT.
The sliding scale and these examples show the requirements have a broader way of measuring a student's capabilities. The scale is designed to prevent bias stemming from poor test-taking alone, or poor performance in school when overall intelligence and capability is high.
The GPA used in determining eligibility for soccer scholarships is based on core classes only. Students must have taken at least 16 core classes during their high school education, including four years of English, three years of mathematics, two years of natural or physical sciences, one year of additional English, math or science, two years of social science and four years of additional courses chosen from the above topics and foreign language.