Important Note: These FAQs are meant as helpful eligibility guidelines based on actual eligibility questions received and case rulings by NCFCA. If you have questions about your particular situation, please contact the NCFCA at office@ncfca.org. Since individual situations vary, caution should be exercised when applying the information contained in these FAQs to your personal situation. Please consult the official NCFCA Qualifying Tournament Participation Rules for the most up-to-date rules. The Eligibility FAQ PDF file can be found here. 

Age Requirement

My son won't be 12 until after January 1, 2011. He is an outstanding student and very excited to participate in the NCFCA. Can exceptions be made to the age rule for younger students who are eager to compete?

No, the NCFCA is a league intended for high school students. Once exceptions begin to be made for younger students, it effectively pushes the age rule back to a younger age than written. Once the age rule begins to be pushed back, it is difficult to find a stopping point. The stopping point has been written into our rules as 12 years of age, and no exceptions will be made.

My daughter is 19 but she is still a high school student who is fully schooled at home by her parents. Is she eligible to compete?

Students who will be older than 18 on January 1, 2011 may be deemed eligible if proof of high school status is verified by NCFCA and if due to extenuating circumstances, a unique and compelling reason exists. Requests must be made in writing by October 1st and must include a description of the situation and curriculum.

High School Status

My child participated in a high school graduation with our local home school group last spring. However, she still meets the NCFCA age requirements and will be staying home this year and completing some of her high school work under my supervision. Is she eligible to compete in the NCFCA?

No. Once a student has graduated in an official ceremony, she is automatically ineligible to compete in the NCFCA. Because of the difficulty of measuring when a home school student's high school education is complete, the NCFCA has chosen to use a high school graduation ceremony as a firm standard of measure. No exceptions will be made for students who have participated in a high school graduation ceremony.

Can a student who meets the NCFCA age requirements but is enrolled in the Oak Brook College of Law still be eligible for NCFCA competition?

No. The NCFCA considers a student enrolled in the Oak Brook College of Law to no longer be a high school student for the purposes of NCFCA competition. A student must be considered a high school student in order to compete in the NCFCA.

Can a student take classes at a local community college and still be eligible for NCFCA competition?

Yes, under certain conditions. An eligible student must still receive the majority of his education at home. If a student is enrolled in a full-time college level degree program, he is automatically ineligible for NCFCA competition. Or, if a student is taking enough college credits to be considered full-time by the institution he attends, he is no longer eligible. Or, if a student takes classes part-time at the local community college and does not receive the majority of his education at home, he is not considered an eligible home school, high school student by NCFCA.

Can a student participate in CollegePlus! and still be eligible for NCFCA competition?

Yes, under certain conditions. Taking and passing CLEP tests does not disqualify a student from participation in NCFCA activities. If a student is enrolled in a full-time college level degree program, he is automatically ineligible for NCFCA competition.

Can a student compete in college forensics leagues and still compete in the NCFCA?

No. The NCFCA is a high school league, and those who compete at the college level are immediately disqualified from NCFCA competition.

My child has accumulated college credit through CLEP tests and AP courses. Do these credits disqualify him from NCFCA competition?

No, the accumulation of college credit alone does not disqualify a student from participating in the NCFCA. However, the student must still be considered a home school, high school student according to NCFCA rules in order to compete.

Privately Funded Home Education

Can a student who is enrolled in a public charter school compete in the NCFCA?

No. The public school system fully funds the education of a public charter school student which violates the NCFCA publicly funded education rule.

What if the public charter school allows all of the teaching to be done by the parents in the home but only provides funds for curriculum?

Even if the parents are doing all of the education at home, if the public school system is fully funding the charter school, the student would be ineligible for NCFCA competition.

Dual Enrollment

Is a student who takes college classes through a dual enrollment program eligible for NCFCA competition?

It depends upon the level of enrollment and public funding. If the local public high school receives more than 50% of the state funding it would receive for a student enrolled full-time in the same program, the student would be ineligible. Or if state funding is not involved, if the student is taking more than 50% of his education (as measured by credit hours) through the dual enrollment program, he would be ineligible.

Home School Status

I attend a private Christian school where the parents are very involved and even teach some of the classes. Am I eligible to compete in NCFCA?

At this time, NCFCA is unfortunately unable to accommodate private Christian school students. The league was originally created to serve the private home schooling community and is currently run by home schooling parents. As an organization primarily made up of volunteers, we have chosen to focus our limited resources on the private home schooling community at this time.

Can a student enrolled in a University Model School compete in the NCFCA?

It depends upon the level of enrollment. The NCFCA considers most University Model Schools to be private schools. If a student is enrolled in the full core curriculum of the school, he would most likely be ineligible for NCFCA competition. If a student only takes a couple of classes from a University Model School and the parents directly manage the rest of his education at home, then he would most likely be eligible for NCFCA competition.

How many classes can a student take outside the home and still be eligible for NCFCA competition?

A good rule of thumb is that 50% of the education must be done at home. If you have a specific question about your situation, you may contact NCFCA at office@ncfca.org.

Regional Affiliation

I live in Region 7 and my debate partner lives in Region 6. Can we affiliate with both regions? Can I compete in different events on my own in Region 7 where I actually live?

Any student wishing to compete outside their Region must Re-Affiliate to that Region. A student may not compete in more than one region in the same competitive season.