The Association has added 16 schools to the list of institutions from which core courses and graduation will not be accepted for determining prospects’ initial academic eligibility to compete in intercollegiate athletics this fall.

The announcement brings the total number of high schools that will not be used for evaluating initial eligibility to 25, including some schools identified in June. That original list included 15 schools that failed to respond to inquiries or provided insufficient information, but five of those institutions have since been removed from the list after further review. One other school remains under review as well, leaving nine from the first list as invalid.

Students from the 25 schools who seek to play college sports can still have their academic records reviewed before enrolling in college.

The ongoing review also identified another 22 high schools that have been cleared for use in the NCAA’s initial-eligibility process, but only for prospects from those institutions entering college this fall. The future status of the 22 institutions is still under review, and prospects may still have to undergo a review of their individual academic records.

All of the approximately 100 high schools reviewed so far were identified based on previous irregularities in academic records or their recent request for approval from the NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse. Those schools fall into three broad categories: (1) those that did not respond at all to requests for information; (2) those that submitted information that verified they did not meet NCAA standards for initial eligibility; and (3) those that responded and for which the NCAA still has questions.

For the schools that remain under review, additional information and further examination is needed to determine if students attending those high schools in 2006-07 and beyond may use academic credentials for NCAA initial-eligibility purposes.

In addition, five new nontraditional high schools have applied to the NCAA Clearinghouse, but a determination has not yet been made regarding their status for initial-eligibility purposes.

Kevin Lennon, NCAA vice president for membership services, said the NCAA’s review is ongoing. Lennon chaired a working group appointed by NCAA President Myles Brand to examine the prep school issue after several NCAA members and media outlets raised concerns about academic fraud.

"We will continue to be vigilant to ferret out those schools that are providing miraculous academic recoveries for students in a short amount of time and with little-to-no classroom instruction," Lennon said. "Hardly anyone would claim that legitimate education takes place under those kinds of conditions."

Lennon warned prospects against trying to bolster their eligibility by attending multiple high schools since such behavior results in increased scrutiny. Over the next year, the Division I governance structure will consider legislation to require prospects to successfully complete all of their core courses in their first eight semesters of high school. If a student graduates within eight semesters, they would be allowed to take one additional core course to meet Division I initial-eligibility requirements. Lennon said such a legislative change would strongly encourage high school graduation and greatly reduce academic fraud.

The entire review process stems from actions the Division I Board of Directors and the Division II Presidents Council took in April to strengthen initial eligibility for incoming student-athletes, including the expanded review of high schools.

NCAA President Brand noted that the review process has been expedient and fair, with a number of positive outcomes in a short time. He also praised the resulting "shared responsibility" among the NCAA, college admissions offices and law enforcement agencies to address academic integrity not only for initial eligibility but also for all of higher education.

Brand said the Association has discussed the prep school issue with the National Association of Attorneys General and is in the process of developing a letter with other concerned entities to be sent to the U.S. Department of Justice.

"Several ‘storefront’ schools have closed their doors, we have discouraged other similar schools from beginning operation, and college and university admissions offices are paying closer attention to transcripts from students who attend nontraditional high schools," Brand said. "Overall, this process has reinforced the fact that academic readiness is critical and needs to play a prominent role in secondary-school operation and the high schools that students choose to attend."

The following 16 schools are not cleared for NCAA initial-eligibility determination, primarily because they did not adequately respond to requests for information or submitted information that verified they did not meet NCAA standards for initial academic eligibility:

The following nine schools are from an initial list the NCAA released in June that have not been cleared for use in determining NCAA initial eligibility:

The following five schools* are from the initial list but have since been reinstated upon further review:

The following 22 schools are cleared for use in the NCAA initial-eligibility process only for prospects entering college in fall 2006, and they are subject to future review:

The following five new nontraditional high schools have applied to the NCAA Clearinghouse, but a determination has not yet been made regarding their status for initial-eligibility purposes: