Nontraditional courses are taught online or through distance learning, hybrid/blended, independent study, individualized instruction, correspondence or similar means.

Generally, for a nontraditional course to count as an NCAA-approved core course, it must meet all of the following requirements:

• The course must meet all requirements for an NCAA-approved core course.
• All students in the course must have regular instructor-led interaction for the purpose of instruction, evaluation and assistance for the duration of the course. This may include, for example, exchanging emails between the student and teacher, online chats, phone calls, feedback on assignments and the opportunity for the teacher to engage the student in individual or group instruction.
• The course must have a defined time period for completion. For example, it should be clear how long students are required to be enrolled and working in the course and how long a school would permit a student to work on a single nontraditional course.
• Student work (e.g., exams, papers, assignments) must be available for evaluation and validation.
• The course should be clearly identified as nontraditional on the student’s official high school transcript.

Note: See Nontraditional Courses (NCAA Bylaw 14.3.1.2.2) for a complete list of requirements.

If a nontraditional course or program at your school/district has not yet been reviewed by the NCAA, please contact Eligibility Center Customer Service staff at 877-622-2321, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern time Monday-Friday to begin the review process. For information on how COVID-19 has impacted nontraditional and online classes, visit on.ncaa.com/COVID19_Spring2023.

Credit recovery programs

Many high schools offer credit recovery or credit retrieval programs for students to receive credit for a course they previously failed.

These courses are also reviewed by the High School Review staff. For a credit recovery program to be approved, the courses must meet the following requirements:

1. The courses must meet NCAA core-course requirements and, in some instances, nontraditional course requirements.
2. The high school must follow its credit recovery policies, regardless if the student is an athlete.  The Eligibility Center may request the high school’s policy, if necessary.
3. Repeated courses must be substantially comparable, qualitatively and quantitatively, to the previously attempted course.