The full limit of NCAA Scholarships are awarded based on the following major criteria: 1) academic admissibility to EIU-combination of high school grades and standardized American test scores (ACT/SAT) where scores must be higher than NCAA Clearing House limits (2.5 gpa/820 SAT or 18 ACT), 2) your athletic ability compared to others in your sport on both a state and national level-you have to be among the top athletes to be considered, 3) ability to make an immediate contribution to the Panther program in your first year. Athletes are also considered for EIU teams without a scholarship, based on the same criteria. You can earn a scholarship after the first year, based on your contributions to the success of the Eastern Illinois team.

Prospective Student-Athlete Questionnaire

We can respond to e-mails from seniors and juniors (after Sept. 1) in high school and we will mail responses to freshmen and sophomores within NCAA rules only. You can call Eastern Illinois, but we can't return any phone calls unless you are a senior in high school.

Eastern Illinois KEY NUMBERS AND E-MAIL:

Tom Akers, Director of Track & Field
Eastern Illinois University, Dept. of Athletics
1206 O'Brien Stadium
Charleston, IL 61920
Phone: (217) 581-2625
E-Mail: cstla@eiu.edu

Geoff Masanet, Head Cross Country and Assistant Track Coach
Eastern Illinois University, Dept. of Athletics
1204 O'Brien Stadium
Charleston, IL 61920
Phone: (217) 581-6647
E-Mail: cfgtm@eiu.edu

IF YOU ARE AMERICAN READ THIS: In order for EIU to consider you for an athletic scholarship, you need to be a high caliber athlete in your area, section, region, zone or state. It is unlikely that EIU will have scholarships available if you have already started your senior year of high school unless you have strong academics and are being recruited by other Division I colleges for your sport. If you are in Junior College, EIU can't consider you for admission or scholarship unless you have a solid pattern of academic classes in JC and most of your classes would transfer to EIU for credit. Eastern Illinois University teams yearly are at the top in their conference and are striving to be among the best in the nation and we need student-athletes that can come in and contribute immediately to the continued success of the program. When applying to EIU, please consider one main sport, unless you have the same national qualifications or background for more than one sports.

IF YOU ARE FROM A FOREIGN COUNTRY READ THIS: In order for Eastern Illinois to consider you for an athletic scholarship, you must be 21 years of age or younger when you begin college, based on the NCAA rules that EIU follows. In order for EIU to consider you, a foreign student should be a member of his/her country's national team, junior national team or be representing the country by competing in international or major events. Eastern Illinois can't consider you for scholarship unless your times, marks, distances, performances are of world standards for your age group when compared with other athletes of similar background. EIU academics require you to have fundamental academic skills in mathematics, science, have the ability to both speak and write the English language and meet NCAA requirements.

IF YOU ARE A COLLEGE TRANSFER READ THIS: Eastern Illinois cannot respond via e-mail or phone to any four-year college transfer student without the student-athlete obtaining a release from the first college and faxing that release to the Eastern Illinois University Athletic Department at (217) 581-7100. Once the release is obtained from the first college, then the Eastern coaches will be able to contact you, based on the NCAA rules.

Four-year college transfer students should make sure their first college will release them to be immediately eligible to compete before considering EIU.