Welcome to the Eligibility Corner for College of DuPage Athletics. On this page, you will find some general information related to athletic participation in the NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association).

Please visit www.njcaa.org for more information. To discuss your potential for eligibility or participation in Athletics at COD, please complete the Prospective Athlete Questionnaire on our website.

Student-Athletes: What You Need To Know
 
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) – sets forth requirements designed to protect the privacy of student educational records. Please review the FERPA Information Page for information and contact the Office of Student Records with questions related to FERPA or granting FERPA access.

If you have questions related to official transcripts, please review the Transcript Submission Guidelines to COD Office of Student Records.
 
NJCAA Policies

• There are strict rules regarding NJCAA eligibility. Each student-athlete who meets the sport deadline (see below for Athletic Eligibility Deadlines by sport) will be reviewed for certification prior to competition and will be required to sign the NJCAA team roster document before competing if deemed eligible.
• If you are deemed eligible, information related to your academic record will be submitted to the NJCAA, and portions of this information could be searchable by other institutions.
• If you participate for any length of time in an official contest, you will use a year of eligibility.
• If you have questions related to NJCAA Bylaws, please review the following NJCAA resource:
  • NJCAA – Academic Grid 

Forms – you will be asked by your coach to complete these forms during the certification process:

• Code of Conduct (required)
  • By initialing and signing the Code of Conduct, you understand and agree that you are required to know, understand, and follow the outlined standards.
• Affidavit (required)
  • By signing the Affidavit, you are authorizing COD to release your academic and personal information to previous and future collegiate institutions and to the NJCAA to facilitate your participation in intercollegiate athletics.
• Medical Forms (required)
  • By signing the various Medical Forms, you are verifying the information you have provided is accurate and complete.
• Student Athlete Name and Likeness Release (required)
  • By signing the Name and Likeness Release, you are granting COD, the NJCAA, and media outlets the right to use your image and likeness for promotional and marketing materials without compensation.
• FERPA for Student-Athletes (recommended)
  • By signing the FERPA for Student-Athletes Form, you are granting COD permission to share your unofficial transcript with recruiters and for your academic achievements to be published/posted publicly and/or shared with donors.

 
Honors and Awards

• As a student-athlete, information related to your student record may be shared for consideration for athletic/academic honors and awards (COD, NJCAA, etc.)  

 
Important Dates

• Registration Periods – visit www.cod.edu/registration to view the COD Registration Calendar. Student-athletes are expected to register for courses with payment secured when the registration window opens (3-4 months before the start of the next term) to allow adequate time for course planning and to maximize course availability to work around practice schedules. Student-athletes should be meeting with Counselors or Academic Advisors prior to the opening of the registration window to get educational plans.  
• Document Deadlines By Sport - only those who meet the sport deadline will be reviewed for eligibility by the sport's first contest. Those that miss the sport deadline will be a part of the 2^nd wave review. Others who meet all requirements after the 2^nd wave deadline will take no less than 3 business days to be reviewed as long as the NJCAA Last Day to Add has not passed for that sport. Coaches will be monitoring and communicating your document status to you.
• 15th Calendar Day — eligibility hinges on your enrollment status as of the 15th calendar day of the full term. You must be enrolled full-time with payment secured by the 15th calendar day.

Fall 2025 1st Wave deadlines
For all sports — Thursday, July 31, 2025
 

2025-26 Term	Start Date	15th Calendar Day
Fall 2025	8/25/2025	9/8/2025
Spring 2026	1/26/2026	2/9/2026