Division I Athletes Requirement

As a freshman or first-year transfer student athlete, you are required to earn 6 Engaged Learning points in at least two different Engaged Learning categories.

Transfer student athletes who have 31 or more accepted transfer credits need to earn 3 Engaged Learning points in any one category or combination of categories.

We know that student athletes have a lot of demands on their time.  This makes it especially important that you plan during your first year how you will earn the Engaged Learning points you need to graduate. 

How Can an Athlete Earn Engaged Learning Points?

There are many ways that you can complete your Engaged Learning requirement.  Here are some suggestions for ways that you can successfully earn points.

Points you automatically earn each semester

• As an athlete, you will automatically receive 3 points in the category Leadership and Mentoring each semester that you are on the official NCAA roster that the Director of Athletics submits to the Registrar’s Office.  You do not need to complete an experience form in BroncNation to earn these points.

Points you are required to earn before graduation

• You are required to complete a capstone experience form in BroncNation during your Junior or Senior year.  The form is called LM: NCAA Athlete Junior-Senior Capstone and it will earn 3 points in the Leadership and Mentoring category. 

The form requires that you write a short reflection of at least 250 words.  You will need to respond to the following questions in the reflection to demonstrate what you have learned from being a Division 1 student athlete:

1. Provide examples to illustrate what you have learned about yourself, others, and/or the organization.
2. Describe specific challenges and/or successes that you encountered.
3. What did you learn in a course you completed that you found helped you in your role as a student athlete.
4. How will you apply what you learned as a student athlete to your personal, academic, and/or professional life?

After you submit the experience form in BroncNation, it will be reviewed by the staff administrator for the team.  Once approved, the Engaged Learning Coordinator will report the points you earned to the Registrar’s Office to be applied in DegreeWorks.

Additional Options to Earn Points

If you began your Rider career as a freshman, all of your student athlete points have been earned in the Leadership and Mentoring category.  You still need to earn one or more points in a different category to meet your graduation requirement.  You should discuss with your academic advisor which of the following options would benefit you most:

1. Enriched Career Experience – all students are strongly encouraged to complete an ECE during the sophomore, junior or senior year.  The ECE will provide a high-impact experience related to your field of study that will enhance your employability and success after Rider. The ECE will earn 3 points in one of the following categories:
   • Internship, co-op or fieldwork (including student teaching)
   • Guided research and scholarship
   • Arts, media and creativity
   
   Each college/school has a designated Career Coach who will meet with you and help you secure an ECE. 
2. Earn points by completing a course that has been approved to earn EL points.  Select a course that earns points in a category other than Leadership and Mentoring.  See the list of courses that earn points.
3. Complete the New Student Engagement Experience during your freshman or first year.  See the NSEE page for information on earning one point in Civic and Community Engagement.
4. Volunteer Community Service – as a student athlete you participate in activities that fit the guidelines of volunteer service at Rider.  Follow the instructions on the Community Service page to understand what service is and learn how to submit the hours you volunteered so you can earn EL points in Civic and Community Engagement.
5. Other experiences that you participate in can earn EL points.  Review the list of experiences to see if you have or would like to participate in an experience that can earn points.  If you have 20+ hours in one of these experiences, you will need to complete a form in BroncNation in order to earn the points.  See the BroncNation Experience Forms page for instructions on how to submit an experience form.