I know ND has a higher standard but what exactly does a player have to get on his ACT or SAT to be allowed to attend ND. Sorry, if this has already been talked about on here but I was wondering since I have heard that ND has not offered some recruits (Golden Tate) because they are waiting on these scores. Just curious of what they need to get. Thanks in advance.
There is no set test score. It's a combination of factors, principally GPA, Test, and Core Courses, and character. Most schools require only the NCAA minimum number of courses. It was 13 but I think it went to 14 this year. ND and a couple of schools require 16. ND wants a solid math foundation. They will make exceptions for a course here or there but if your toughest math class was, "Introduction to the Hand Held Calculator" Charlie Weis and staff aren't going to waste Admissions time sending your resume for approval.
ND Admissions and/or faculty meet with borderline kids to determine if there's more potential than shown on the transcript. Can the kid handle math, science, and other courses at the next level? Does he have the dedication and focus to succeed even if he didn't take all the required courses yet. ND make ask a prospect to retest or improve a grade or add a class or two to their senior year so they get the fundamentals they'll need at ND. Some, like Paddy Mullen, show the dedication and change their coursework and/or improve grades to meet the requirements. Others, like David Terrell and Carson Palmer, take the easy way and don't. They go to school elsewhere.
Keep in mind the average ND freshman has an SAT score around 1350 (on the old scale). Further all ND freshman take the same courses, First Year Studies. There are no cake courses to funnel athletes into to hide them and perserve their eligibility. ND student athletes compete on the field among the best in the nation. They do the same in the classroom at ND. There's no point in admitting unqualified student athletes if they can't compete in the classroom. Their flunking out is a waste of their time and the University's.
As for Golden Tate, he doesn't have a deficient test score, I believe he doesn't have any score. If he wants to get in, he has to sit for the exam first. If there's no exam available locally on a timely basis, he better drive or get on a plane to a city where the test is being given. The dates and locations are posted on the testing services websites. His guidance counselors know when and where. It's the recruit's choice.
Also keep in mind when you read on Scout or Rivals that a kid has a 3.0 GPA, does that mean overall GPA or Core Course GPA (which is the one that counts)? Is it in the required Core Courses (16 for ND)? Or did he just have a 3.0 last semester while his overall GPA is 2.2 for the first 3 years of high school?
Likewise when a service reports him "fully qualified" that means only that he's met the NCAA minimum requirements in the recruits opinion. The services do not check transcripts nor test scores to confirm accuracy. The recruits self report academic info to the recruiting services. Kids might overinflate their GPAs and test scores but if a kid reports a 2.2 and 700 SAT chances are he's not lying cause he's JUCO bound.
