<p>ivy leagues don't "sign" letters of intent because no money is involved. a junior might be able to say he has committed. i do believe that the ivies have a bottom line for their AI and it is a certain standard deviation from the average AI of the school. you can file for a waiver from this bottom line, but i don't believe there has been one granted in the ivies for a long, long time. if ever? </p>
<p>i'm copying a link to a news release on this topic. </p>
<p>"i am posting this link to provide you with some background on the academic index. i didn't look for the specifics for crew, but recruited athletes must fall into one of the ai bands. even if the coach really wants you, your ai must meet their requirements.</p>
<p>The athletic admissions process in the Ivy League is governed by a wide range of policies and regulations. The central feature in this regulation is the academic index (AI). This is a measure consisting of three parts using the high school rank or GPA, combined with the highest SAT I scores, combined with the three highest SAT II scores. All Ivy schools are obligated to use the exact same methodology in calculating AIs. In admitting students who are recruited as athletes in one of the 33 "Ivy championship" sports, each school has numerical limits (depending on the number of sports it offers), and an AI goal that is a function of the mean AI for its entire student body (i.e., four classes). The AI goal is one standard deviation from this mean. Most Ivy schools have very similar AI targets. Because the eight Ivy student bodies have slightly different profiles, their AI targets are very similar but not identical. In addition, there is a minimum AI, or floor, below which schools cannot admit an athlete without special dispensation from the League.
Football is the most closely monitored sport in the Ivy League. Given the range of competitive pressures surrounding football, it is monitored through a more detailed system of AI bands, or ranges, with very specific numerical limits on the number of football recruits that may be enrolled in each AI band. There are four bands corresponding to: class mean AI -1 S.D., 1 S.D.-2 S.D., 2 S.D. -2.5 S.D., and 2.5 S.D. - the Ivy AI floor. An average 30 football recruits may be enrolled each year distributed 8, 13, 7, 2 across the four bands top to bottom. No more than 120 recruited players may be enrolled over four years. Every Ivy school is obligated by the same system. This is an attempt to create a "level playing field"in terms of admissions standards."</p>