Resources for Current Student-Athletes

Congratulations on being a student-athlete at Northern Virginia Community College. We are proud you are a Nighthawk!

NJCAA Eligibility Requirements

NOVA adheres to the academic guidelines established by the NJCAA. Each student-athlete must enroll and complete a minimum of 12 credit hours per semester during the season (see note below).  Student-athletes must also meet progress toward degree requirements to maintain NJCAA eligibility. There are additional eligibility requirements for second season participants and transfer students.  For more information please consult the NJCAA Prospective Student Athlete Information link below and ask your head coach or the Athletic Director.  IMPORTANT NOTE: Each course in the student-athlete's full-time class schedule (12 credits) must start prior to the end of the regular season.
 
Helpful information about the NJCAA
NJCAA Amateurism

 Finally, each student-athlete should be aware that they have a total of four years of eligibility to compete in intercollegiate athletics and playing for NOVA counts as part of your eligibility. Students can only participate in intercollegiate athletics at NOVA/NJCAA level for two years and participation in NJCAA sports is limited to the first two years of participation.
 
Please carefully review the NJCAA requirements outlined HERE to help determine your eligiblity.  International students and students on an I-20 Visa or foreign high school transcript must meet additional requirements outlined in the link above.
 
It is the objective of the College that each student-athlete graduate from NOVA with an Associate’s Degree or complete the academic program of choice. If your goal is to transfer and participate in intercollegiate athletics at a four-year college or university, please consult the head coach or athletic director who will be guiding you with that goal in mind. It is NOT our intent to keep students eligible just to play sports.
 

Forms:
 Athletics Physical Form
 NOVA Student-Athlete Forms

Sports Medicine

NOVA has partnered with Select Physical Therapy to provide athletic care and injury prevention for our student-athletes. Please visit our Sports Medicine page for more information.

Transferring to a four-year program

Many students come to NOVA with the intent to transfer and compete in intercollegiate athletics at a four-year institution.  The NCAA and NAIA are the primary governing bodies for four-year college athletics.  Student seeking to transfer must adhere to the rules and guidelines of institution they are seeking to transfer.  Students should meet early with their head coach and athletic director to better understand the process.  The links below can help you learn more about transfer requirements for each governing body.

Helpful Information on transferring
NCAA Gude for Two-Year Transfers (2018-19)
NAIA Transfer Website
 The United States Collegiate Athletic Association
 National Christian College Athletic Association