Scholar-Athlete Program

A school administrator must submit the form to ensure accurate GPA verification. Typically, the athletic director will fill out a form for all their respective school’s team and individual certificate needs.

The NCHSAA Scholar-Athlete Program, courtesy of the NC GHSP Click It or Ticket initiative, is one of the Association’s most popular voluntary programs. It recognizes excellence in the classroom and playing court/field. The program includes identifying individual student-athletes and varsity teams that attain specific grades.

Fall & Winter – Deadline March 15

Fall: Cross Country (M/W), Cheerleading, Football, Golf (W), Soccer (M), Tennis (W), Volleyball

Winter: Basketball (M/W), Indoor Track & Field (M/W), Swimming & Diving (M/W), Wrestling (M/W)

Spring – Deadline July 15

Spring: Baseball, Golf (M), Lacrosse (M/W), Soccer (W), Softball, Tennis (M), Track & Field (M/W)
NOTE: Spring certificates ordered by July 15 will be transported to the Regional Meetings hosted each September for pick-up by a school representative.

Individual scholar-athletes must attain at least a 3.5 weighted GPA for the participating semester. A varsity team earns Scholar-Athlete recognition by attaining a 3.1 unweighted aggregate GPA for the participating semester. The school receives a certificate honoring the accomplishment, and each team member also gets a recognition certificate. Each member school submits the nomination form verifying the GPAs on behalf of the student-athletes and/or teams.

Who is eligible to receive certificates?

Individual student-athletes are given certificates if they attain at least a (Weighted) 3.5 GPA for the participating semester.

A varsity team earns scholar-athlete recognition by attaining an (Unweighted) 3.1 aggregate GPA for the participating semester. The school receives a team certificate honoring the accomplishment, and each team member also gets a team recognition certificate.

Each team with the top GPA in the state in its respective sport across ALL classifications is recognized at the annual NCHSAA Awards Banquet and receives an award honoring this achievement.

Who needs to fill out/submit the form?

A school administrator. Typically, the athletic director will fill out a form for all their respective school’s team and individual certificate needs. However, this is sometimes completed by a coach or principal.

How is the form submitted?

The form is submitted through DragonFly. For more detailed steps, please refer to the Submission Form tab on the left side.

What is the timing/deadline for submission?

The deadline for Fall and Winter* sports is March 15, while Spring sports is July 15. Certificates are usually shipped out to schools within 2-3 weeks of the submission deadline but may vary contingent upon the numbers and season.

*For Winter sports, the GPA used for verification can be that of the first semester of the current school year.

Is there a separate submission for individuals and teams?

No, everything can submitted together in the same form. There is a space to enter the number of individual certificates needed and another to list each team and the number of players on each.

How are certificates dispersed?

Blank certificates are shipped to schools to be filled out with the correct information. Due to the sheer number of certificates, we rely on each member school to submit their certificate needs, fill them out, and distribute them to student-athletes accordingly.

Who do I contact for further information?

Please email Karen DeHart at karen@nchsaa.org for further questions or concerns regarding the scholar-athlete recognition program.

The scholar-athlete submission form can be accessed via DragonFly.

Submission Process
1. Open DragonFly.
2. Click the Vault tab on the left-hand side.
3. Click Fill Out a Form.
4. Click Scholar-Athlete Program Submission Form.
5. Complete and Submit Form.
For questions or help with the form, please email Karen DeHart at karen@nchsaa.org.