how many official college visits are allowed

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NCAA Announces Significant Change to Official Visit Rules for Recruits

• Author: Mike McDaniel

The NCAA’s Division I Council met this week and tackled a host of topics, including one wide-sweeping change that affects recruiting across college athletics.

Effective July 1, there will be new recruiting rules for official and unofficial visits. Prospects will no longer have a limit on the number of schools they can visit on official visits. However, prospects will be limited to one official visit per school. The only time that prospects will be allowed a second official visit is if there is a coaching change that takes place after the first official visit has been taken.

In men’s basketball, prospects will still be able to take a second official visit as they usually have, but the visits can not occur within the same academic year.

In addition, official visits may last “no longer than a two-night stay” per the updated rules. Schools are permitted to cover travel costs, transportation and meals, as well as “reasonable entertainment” for up to two family members who accompany the prospect on a visit.

“For young people considering where to go to college, visits to campus - both official and unofficial - are an integral part of the decision-making process,” said Lynda Tealer, the chair of the Division I Council. “This was an opportunity to modernize NCAA rules in a way that provides greater and more meaningful opportunities for prospects going through the recruitment process.”

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Council introduces proposals related to official visits, coaching limits

If approved in january, prospects will not have limit to official visits.

The Division I Council Thursday introduced several proposals into its legislative cycle at the recommendation of the Modernization of Rules Subcommittee, including recommended changes to coaching limits and recruiting visits. 

The Council is expected to vote on these proposals in January. If approved, most of the changes will take effect July 2023. Additionally, members approved a recommendation from the Student Athlete Experience Committee to introduce legislation into the Council's legislative cycle that would bring mid-year softball transfer rules in line with those in baseball. The Council introduced the proposal for an April vote and, if approved, an effective date of August 2023. 

The Council also approved a request from the  Football Oversight Committee to make adjustments to the football recruiting calendar , effective immediately.

Official and unofficial visits

If the recruiting proposal is adopted in January, prospects will no longer have a limit to the number of official visits they can make to NCAA member schools. Prospects would be limited to one official visit per school, unless there is a head coaching change after an official visit, in which case prospects would be able to complete a second official visit to the same school.

Schools would be permitted to cover travel costs, transportation, meals and reasonable entertainment for up to four individuals accompanying a prospect on their official visit. Those guests could include family members, their high school or club coach, or any other individual who helps the prospect with the college decision-making process.

During unofficial visits, schools would be permitted to provide complimentary admissions to a home athletics event to prospects and up to four guests.

Coaching limits

The proposals for coaching limits would remove the voluntary coach designation and proportionately increase countable coach limitations so that schools can maintain the comparable number of coaching staffs. In FBS football, graduate student coaches would be redefined.

Another proposal would increase the number of permissible countable coaches in baseball, softball and ice hockey to five.

The Council also will consider allowing schools to employ two individuals in basketball who could provide tactical or technical instruction to student-athletes but would not recruit off-campus.

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NCAA approves rule allowing prospects to take an unlimited number of official recruiting visits

Prospects were previously limited to official visits at five schools.

High school athletes will be able to take an unlimited number of official visits as part of their recruiting process starting July 1, according to new rules passed by the NCAA Division I Council on Thursday . Recruits will be limited to one official visit per school, unless there is a coaching change. 

Official visits allow schools to pay for transportation, a two-night stay, meals and "reasonable entertainment" for an athlete and up to two family members. Previously, prospective athletes were limited to five total official visits as part of their recruitment process. 

"For young people considering where to go to college, visits to campus -- both official and unofficial -- are an integral part of the decision-making process," said Lynda Tealer, chair of the Division I Council. "This was an opportunity to modernize NCAA rules in a way that provides greater and more meaningful opportunities for prospects going through the recruitment process."

The decision could provide a significant victory for schools outside of the recruiting hotbeds who often struggle to get athletes on campus. For example, 15 of Oregon's 29 high school recruits came from outside the Pacific Time Zone. With the new rules, it will be easier for Dan Lanning and his staff to bring more players to campus. 

Additionally, non-power programs could more easily treat local prospects to official visits without costing blue-chip recruits one of their visits. However, it also gives an advantage to well-monied programs that can afford to hand out numerous official visits. Georgia, for example, spent 30% more on recruiting than any other program in college football over the past three years. 

The new rule is part of a sweeping transformation to college recruiting instituted by the NCAA in April. The NCAA has shifted the recruiting calendar to allow coaches to contact recruits starting June 15 after a recruit's sophomore year of high school, moved up from Sept. 1 of their junior year. Additionally, coaches will be able to have in-person contact with recruits after Jan. 1 of their junior year, vastly increasing the number of days available, but cutting the amount of total allowable total recruiting days by 37 between the spring and fall contact periods. 

Updating the recruiting calendar has become a major priority for coaches as recruiting becomes essentially a non-stop activity . Staffs in December often deal with bowl prep, high school recruiting and navigating the transfer portal at the same time. Many of these new rules are focused at trying to ease the demands on staffs later in the year by opening the process up earlier in the year. 

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NCAA lifts restrictions on athletes’ official visits

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Prospects no longer will have limits on the number of schools they can officially visit during their college selection process.

The NCAA announced Thursday that its Division I Council approved the policy change that will take effect on July 1. Prospects previously could make official visits to five schools. Official visits are defined as visits that are paid for by the college.

Prospects can make one official visit to each school, unless that program has a head coaching change. In that case, a prospect could make a second official visit to the same school.

In men’s basketball, prospects will be permitted to make two official visits to the same school, as long as the visits don’t occur in the same academic year.

“For young people considering where to go to college, visits to campus — both official and unofficial — are an integral part of the decision-making process,” Lynda Tealer, executive associate athletics director at Florida and chair of the Division I Council, said in a statement. “This was an opportunity to modernize NCAA rules in a way that provides greater and more meaningful opportunities for prospects going through the recruitment process.”

Official visits can’t last longer than a two-night stay. Schools are allowed to pay for transportation, meals and what the NCAA defines as “reasonable entertainment” for up to two family members accompanying the prospect on that visit. ___

AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/ap_top25

NCAA lifts restrictions on athletes' official visits

Prospects no longer will have limits on the number of schools they can officially visit during their college selection process.

that its Division I Council approved the policy change that will take effect on July 1. Prospects previously could make official visits to five schools. Official visits are defined as visits that are paid for by the college.

Prospects can make one official visit to each school, unless that program has a head coaching change. In that case, a prospect could make a second official visit to the same school.

In men’s basketball, prospects will be permitted to make two official visits to the same school, as long as the visits don’t occur in the same academic year.

“For young people considering where to go to college, visits to campus — both official and unofficial — are an integral part of the decision-making process,” Lynda Tealer, executive associate athletics director at Florida and chair of the Division I Council, said in a statement. “This was an opportunity to modernize NCAA rules in a way that provides greater and more meaningful opportunities for prospects going through the recruitment process.”

Official visits can’t last longer than a two-night stay. Schools are allowed to pay for transportation, meals and what the NCAA defines as “reasonable entertainment” for up to two family members accompanying the prospect on that visit. ___

AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/ap_top25

Understanding the difference between official and unofficial visits and what they signify with regards to college recruiting interest.

College coaches will likely ask if you'd like to visit the campus if they are seriously interested in recruiting you. You can make two types of visits to colleges: Unofficial and Official Visits. There are some important differences between the two and both signify different levels of interest, so be sure to communicate about visits with your coaches to develop a game-plan.

Unofficial Visits

An unofficial visit is one that's paid for by you and your parents, not the school. You can take as many unofficial visits to college campuses as you'd like and the only thing the school can provide you and your family are three free tickets to a home sports event.

Unofficial visits are a great way for you to see the campus on your own terms and get a feel for what it's like to be a student at that particular school. Be sure to let college coaches know when you're planning to be on campus during your unofficial visits.

Official Visits

Making an official visit is a major milestone in the recruiting journey. If college coaches invite you for an official visit, it's a great sign they want you on their team. Here are a couple of things to keep in mind with regards to official visits:

An official visit is defined as any visit made by a student-athlete and his/her parents that's paid for by the college.

During official visits, colleges can pay for transportation to and from campus, lodging, three meals a day for you and your parents, and entertainment expenses including three tickets to a home sporting event.

For NCAA DI and DII schools, you're allowed up to 5 official visits and can only take one visit per school.

For NCAA DIII and NAIA schools, there is no limit on the number of official visits you can take, but you can only take one visit per school.

Again, talk to your coaches about where you'd like to visit and develop a game-plan for before, during, and after your visits.

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Prospects no longer restricted to 5 official visits, limited to 1 official visit per school

The NCAA announced Thursday afternoon that its Division I council has created new rules for official and unofficial visits. Here’s what you need to know:

• The main change is that prospects will no longer be restricted to five official visits but will be limited to one official visit per school.
• If there is a coaching change, a second official visit can be taken.
• The rules will take place this August.
• College programs still have a limit of 56 total official visits per year.

The Athletic ’s instant analysis:

What this change means for prospects

Prospects with extensive offer lists previously had to weigh closely which programs they would officially visit. Oftentimes, prospects would choose to pay their own way on unofficial visits to schools located closer to their homes in order to preserve official visits for more expensive trips.

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With unlimited official visits, prospects now have an opportunity to see more places with no expense for their families. This will likely encourage more visits to be taken, and thus, more drama on the recruiting trail.

Because the schools take on the travel, lodging and meal expenses for official visits, they often tend to be in-depth, multi-day visits with prospects they want badly. Now prospects will likely be more liberal with their visits, meaning big-time programs will likely still have the opportunity to host prospects who aren’t fully sold on the likelihood of them going there. The result could be more surprising recruiting results and a higher conversion rate on national recruitments.

The power shift has already been slowly moving toward the student athletes in college athletics, and this is just another rule change that will allow more opportunities for prospects to make a more thorough and informed college decision.

What they’re saying

“For young people considering where to go to college, visits to campus — both official and unofficial — are an integral part of the decision-making process,” said Lynda Tealer, executive associate athletics director at Florida and chair of the Division I Council. “This was an opportunity to modernize NCAA rules in a way that provides greater and more meaningful opportunities for prospects going through the recruitment process.”

(Photo: Kirby Lee / USA Today)

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Ari Wasserman is a senior writer for The Athletic covering college football and recruiting nationally. He previously spent 10 years covering Ohio State for The Athletic and Cleveland.com, starting on the Buckeyes beat in 2009. Follow Ari on Twitter @ AriWasserman

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Recruiting tip: everything you need to know about official and unofficial visits, share this article.

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Visiting the campus of the colleges you are most interested in is a critical step in the recruiting process. There is no better way to decide which college environment is best for you. When it comes to the college athletic recruiting process, there are two types of college visits: official visits and unofficial visits. If you want to play your sport in college, you need to know the difference between the two and you need to know how to maximize each. Here’s the definition of an official and unofficial visit and some advice on how to make the most of both.

The difference between official and unofficial visits

An official visit is any visit to a college that is offered and paid for by the university. You and your parents will have your transportation to and from the college paid for. Also paid for by the college will be your hotel, meals and entertainment expenses. Generally, you will receive three free tickets to that college’s home game the weekend you are in town. Each official visit can last up to 48 hours. You are only allowed 5 official visits at the Division I and II levels.

The simple definition of an unofficial visit is anytime you (or you and your parents) visit a college and your parents foot the bill. You can take as many unofficial visits as you like. Unofficial visits to colleges in which you have an interest are a great idea and can start as early as you like.

How to make the most of your college visits

You need to be strategic with your all college visits. If you’re lucky enough to be asked on a few official visits, then you’re most likely a top prospect for those schools. Enjoy the experience and be proud of your accomplishment. That said, you should only take official visits to the schools you are truly interested in. Don’t waste a coach’s time or the school’s money unless you are truly interested. An official visit should not be viewed as a free three-day vacation.

If you’re scheduling some unofficial visits, make sure the programs are a match for your abilities and you have a genuine interest in the college. Then, alert the college coach that you will be on campus and if the weekend is not during a dead period then perhaps a short meeting might be possible.

Here are some things you should consider doing on your visit (official or unofficial) that you might otherwise overlook:

• Meet with the academic advisor
• Sit in on a class to be sure you are comfortable with the classroom atmosphere
• Meet and talk with team members
• Watch the team play or practice

When you go to a college campus whether the visit is official or unofficial, soak it all in. Visit the student union. Talk with students about college life. Get a real feel for the atmosphere. Your college decision isn’t a four-year decision, it’s a forty-year decision.

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College and University Life Made Simple

How Many Official College Visits Are Allowed?

Welcome to our comprehensive guide on official college visits! In this article, we will delve into the intricacies surrounding the number of visits you can take to prospective colleges, providing you with valuable insights and strategies to make the most of this crucial stage in the college admissions process. So, let’s begin by understanding the importance of college visits.

Understanding the Importance of College Visits

College visits play a pivotal role in helping you make informed decisions about your future educational endeavors. By physically exploring campuses, attending information sessions, and interacting with current students and faculty, you gain invaluable firsthand experiences that can greatly influence your college selection process.

During these visits, you can immerse yourself in the college atmosphere, get a sense of campus life, and evaluate whether the college aligns with your academic, extracurricular, and social interests. Additionally, these visits offer an opportunity to assess the compatibility between you and the institution, ensuring it meets your personal preferences and aspirations.

Navigating the College Admissions Process: The Role of Official Visits

Official college visits serve as an integral part of the college admissions process. These visits typically involve pre-scheduled tours, information sessions, and interviews organized by the admissions office. The primary purpose is to allow prospective students to explore the campus in a structured manner and gain insights into academics, campus resources, and student life.

Moreover, official visits often provide you with the chance to meet with an admissions representative who can address your specific questions and guide you through the application process. These interactions can help make a strong impression on the admissions committee, demonstrating your genuine interest in the institution.

Exploring the Limitations: Official College Visit Policies

While official college visits are essential, it is crucial to understand that there are limitations in place to ensure fairness and manage the resources of the institutions. Colleges typically have policies regarding the maximum number of official visits permitted per student.

It is important to be aware of these limitations, as exceeding the allowed number can reflect negatively on your application and may portray you as not respecting the institution’s guidelines. Admissions officers expect prospective students to be mindful of these restrictions and seek other avenues to explore the college.

How Many Official College Visits Can You Take?

The precise number of official college visits allowed varies among institutions. While some colleges may not impose any specific limits, others may have strict quotas in place. It is crucial to thoroughly research and familiarize yourself with the policies of each college on your list.

A common guideline is to aim for no more than two to three official visits per college. This number allows you to gain comprehensive insights into the institution, campus, and academic offerings, without overburdening the admissions office or creating an impression of overeagerness.

Demystifying the Official College Visit Quota

Understanding the rationale behind the official college visit quota can help you navigate the process more effectively. The quota aims to strike a balance between providing prospective students with ample opportunities to experience campus life and ensuring that the admissions office can accommodate all interested applicants fairly.

By implementing a visit quota, colleges can distribute their resources equitably and focus their attention and support on students who genuinely have a keen interest in the institution. It also prevents overcrowding during peak periods and guarantees that all visitors receive the attention and assistance they deserve.

Factors That Determine the Number of Official College Visits Allowed

Colleges consider various factors when determining the number of official visits allowed. These factors may include the size of the institution, available resources, time constraints, and the level of interest expressed by prospective students. It is important to note that each institution’s policy may differ, so it is advisable to consult the official college website or contact the admissions office directly for the most accurate information.

Moreover, some colleges may grant exceptions or additional opportunities for students who demonstrate highly exceptional circumstances or genuine commitment to the institution. Thus, it is crucial to communicate with the admissions office if you find yourself in such a situation.

Planning Your College Visit Strategy: Tips and Tricks

As you embark on your college visit journey, it is essential to plan your visits strategically for maximum effectiveness. Consider the following tips and tricks:

1. Prioritize: Research extensively and select the top colleges that align with your academic and personal goals. Focus your official visits on these institutions to make the most of your time and resources.

2. Timing: Schedule your visits during periods when the campus is active and bustling with students, such as during the fall or spring semester. This will give you a more accurate feel for the college environment.

3. Plan Ahead: Make reservations for tours and information sessions in advance to secure your spot. Some colleges have limited availability, especially during peak visit times.

4. Diversify Your Visits: In addition to official visits, explore alternative options like self-guided tours or open houses organized by the colleges. These can provide unique insights and supplement your understanding of the institution.

Making the Most of Your Official College Visits: Dos and Don’ts

While on your official college visits, keep in mind these insightful dos and don’ts to maximize your experience:

• Prepare thoughtful questions beforehand to ask admissions officers, students, and faculty.
• Engage in meaningful conversations with current students to gain genuine perspectives about campus life.
• Take ample notes during the visit to help you recall important details and impressions afterward.

Don’t:

• Resort to cliché questions that can easily be found on the college’s website.
• Rush through the visit. Take your time to absorb the atmosphere and observe campus dynamics.
• Overemphasize superficial aspects like the physical appearance of the campus. Focus on evaluating the institution holistically.

Pros and Cons of Official College Visits: Is There a Limit?

Official college visits offer numerous advantages, such as in-depth exposure to the college environment, personalized interactions, and a better understanding of campus culture. However, it is important to strike a balance and avoid going overboard with the number of visits.

While admissions officers appreciate students who demonstrate a genuine interest in their institution, excessive visits may suggest a lack of focus or overcommitment. It is crucial to find the sweet spot that allows you to explore colleges thoroughly without sacrificing the quality of your applications.

Insider Secrets from Admissions Officers: How Many Visits Do They Recommend?

When it comes to the recommended number of official college visits, insights from admissions officers can be extremely valuable. While there is no one-size-fits-all answer, many admissions officers suggest that two to three well-planned official visits per college are ideal.

By limiting the number of visits, admissions officers can see that you have made thoughtful choices and are genuinely invested in their institution. Additionally, allocating your time and effort wisely across your college list demonstrates strategic decision-making skills, which can positively impact your overall application.

Common Misconceptions About Official College Visits Dispelled

There are several misconceptions surrounding official college visits that need debunking. One common misconception is that more visits automatically lead to higher chances of admission. While official visits do play a role, admission decisions are based on a holistic evaluation of various factors, including academic performance, extracurricular involvement, essays, and recommendation letters.

It is essential to approach official visits with the right mindset, recognizing their significance in helping you determine your fit with a college rather than solely focusing on their impact on the admissions decision.

Alternative Options for Exploring Colleges Without Exceeding Visit Limits

For students who wish to explore multiple colleges without exceeding visit limits, alternative options are available. These options allow you to gather information about colleges and gain insights into their environment without physically visiting each institution.

Virtual tours have gained prominence, especially in the digital age. Many colleges provide virtual tours on their websites, offering 360-degree views of the campus, interactive maps, and even virtual information sessions. These tours provide a convenient way to explore colleges remotely and can be a valuable supplement to your research process.

Adapting to Virtual Tours: Exploring Colleges Remotely in the Digital Age

Virtual tours have become an integral part of the college exploration process, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. As colleges adapted to the challenges posed by the pandemic, they expanded their virtual offerings, providing interactive experiences that closely mimic in-person visits.

When embarking on a virtual tour, make sure to approach it with the same level of attentiveness as you would an in-person visit. Engage with the virtual content, take notes, and seek opportunities to connect with admissions representatives or current students through virtual information sessions or online chat platforms.

Exploring Colleges Outside of Official Visits: Self-Guided Tours and Open Houses

Beyond official visits and virtual tours, self-guided tours and open houses can provide you with a different perspective on a college. Self-guided tours allow you to set your own pace and explore specific areas of interest. Open houses, on the other hand, provide structured programs featuring information sessions, campus tours, and opportunities to interact with faculty and students.

While these options may not replace official visits, they offer additional insights and allow you to have a more independent and detailed exploration of the college. Consider incorporating these alternatives into your college visit strategy to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the institutions on your list.

The Impact of COVID-19 on Official College Visits: What You Need to Know

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the traditional format of official college visits. Many colleges have temporarily suspended in-person visits or replaced them with virtual alternatives. It is crucial to stay updated on the latest guidelines and protocols set by each college, as they may vary depending on the evolving situation.

Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, colleges have shown resilience and creativity in adapting their visit programs. Thus, embracing and making the most of these alternative options will ensure that you continue to explore colleges effectively.

Making an Impression: How Multiple Official Visits Can Affect Your Admissions Profile

While official visits can enhance your understanding of a college, it is important to consider their impact on your admissions profile. Applying to numerous colleges within a small geographical area and exceeding the recommended number of visits may give the impression that you are casting a wide net without deliberate intent.

Admissions officers are more interested in students who demonstrate a genuine and well-informed interest in their institution. Therefore, it is essential to strike a balance between thorough exploration and maintaining focus on a select number of colleges.

Getting Creative with Campus Explorations: Unconventional Ways to Experience a College

In addition to official visits, virtual tours, and alternative options, there are numerous unconventional ways to experience a college. These approaches allow you to gain unique insights and perspectives beyond traditional visit programs.

Consider participating in college-sponsored events, such as academic or sports competitions, cultural festivals, or summer programs. Attending these events not only provides an immersive experience but also showcases your commitment and enthusiasm to admissions officers.

Furthermore, connecting with current students or alumni through social media platforms, online forums, or networking events can provide you with firsthand information and personal anecdotes about the college. These interactions can contribute to a deeper understanding of the institution and help you make more informed decisions.

When to Schedule Your Official College Visits for Maximum Effectiveness

Timing is crucial when scheduling your official college visits. In general, it is advisable to plan visits during your junior or senior year of high school. By this point, you will have a clearer understanding of your academic interests, allowing you to evaluate colleges in a more targeted manner.

However, keep in mind that colleges differ in terms of the availability of tours and information sessions. It is essential to check each college’s website or contact the admissions office to determine the most suitable time to visit. Additionally, consider planning your visits well in advance to secure your preferred dates and avoid conflicts with school or personal commitments.

We hope this comprehensive guide has provided you with a thorough understanding of how many official college visits are allowed and the factors you should consider when planning your visits. By approaching the college exploration process strategically and thoughtfully, you can make the most of your visits and enhance your chances of finding the perfect fit for your higher education journey.

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What Is The Difference Between An Official And Unofficial College Visit?

Going on visits to colleges is an important part of the recruiting process that allows for prospective student-athletes to a get a better idea of what different schools have to offer. It’s important to know what the varying rules are and what to expect based on the type of visit it is you’re dealing with.

There are actually quite a few differences between unofficial and official visits, but the primary distinction is based on who pays for the visit itself. On an unofficial visit, the recruit and his family are responsible for paying for all of the expenses related to their trip and time on campus. An official visit on the other hand is funded by the school who is hosting the prospective student-athlete and his family.

When Are You Allowed To Go On An Official Visit?

The dates that a recruit is allowed to go on official visits varies across the different sports. For men’s basketball, recruits are allowed to begin going on official visits on January 1st of their junior year of high school.

For women’s basketball, recruits are allowed to begin going on official visits the first Thursday after the conclusion of the Women’s Basketball Championship of their junior year of high school. For football recruits, the earliest they are allowed to begin going on official visits is April 1st of their junior year in high school.

For all other sports not mentioned above, the earliest a recruit can go on an official visit is September 1st of their junior year of high school.

When You Are Allowed To Go On An Unofficial Visit?

For all sports other than men’s basketball, women’s basketball and football, an unofficial visit can be taken at any time after September 1st of the prospective student-athlete’s junior year of high school.

For women’s and men’s basketball, prospective student-athletes are not permitted to make their visits during July or during the dead period unless they have already signed their National Letter of Intent.

For football, prospective student-athletes are not permitted to take an unofficial visit during the dead period unless they have signed a National Letter of Intent.

How Long Do Visits Last?

Official Visits: According to the NCAA rules, an official visit is allowed to last for no more than 48 hours. Many times, they will end up being much shorter than this, as two full days is simply the absolute maximum amount of time the visit is allowed to last.

Unofficial Visits: An unofficial visit does not have a strict time limit the same way that an official visit does, but they will generally be shorter since the burden of paying for meals and lodging falls on the prospective student-athlete and his family.

How Many Visits Are You Allowed To Take?

Official Visits: A recruit is allowed to take up to 5 official visits to different Division 1 or Division 2 schools. Prospective student-athletes are also limited to one official visit per D1 or D2 school. There is no limit to the number of official visits a recruit can take to Division 3 or NAIA school. They are still restricted to only taking one per school, however.

Unofficial Visits: There is no limit to the number of unofficial visits a prospective student athlete can take.

Things That Can Be Provided On An Official Visit:

During an official visit, the host school will typically be doing their best to convince a recruit to commit to joining their program, as these types of visits are almost always reserved for the prospective student-athletes that the school considers to be a high priority for them. Because of this, the host school is allowed to pay for different aspects of the recruit’s visit.

Transportation: For recruits that live further away this can be done by paying for a roundtrip airline ticket. For recruits who are within a reasonable driving distance of the campus where the visit is being held, the school can reimburse the recruit for the gas money spent to get there and the cost of a rental car if needed.

Housing: Once the recruit arrives on campus for the visit, the host school can provide housing for the recruit to stay in during the duration of their visit if it is going to last more than one day. If the recruit chooses to bring family along with them on the visit, they will have to make arrangements for their own place to stay.

Food And Entertainment: The school can also provide 3 meals for the recruit, and up to four family members, on each of day of their visit. They also are allowed to provide snacks for the prospective student-athlete in between meals. For entertainment, schools are allowed to provide three tickets to a home sporting event during the visit.

Each Visit Is Different: Even though all of these things are allowed to be provided to potential student-athletes during an official visit, what is actually paid for can vary on a school by school basis. Not every athletic department will have money in their budget to provide all of the things that the NCAA permits. Especially at smaller schools and among lower division participants, it may be asked of the visiting recruit to pay for parts of their visit even if it is technically allowed to be paid for by the college.

Things That Can Be Provided On An Unofficial Visit:

As we mentioned before, the main difference in the two types of visits is that the school is not allowed to provide nearly as much for the recruit on visits considered to be unofficial. Because of this, the only thing that a recruit will receive for free on their unofficial visit is up to three complimentary tickets to a home sporting event at the school. The responsibility of paying for transportation, food and lodging all falls on the recruit and his family. The host school can help to set up some of this for the recruit and his family though, as things such as staying in the dorm and eating on campus are permissible as long as they are paid for.

How Should You Decide Where To Take An Unofficial Visit?

Explore Your Options: Because there is no limit to the number of unofficial visits that a recruit can go on, they are a great option for potential student-athletes who are not sure about what they are looking for in a college yet. Since taking one of these types of visits does not prevent you from going to see other schools, going to as many as possible in your local area could be a good idea to help narrow down the schools you’re choosing between. It’s also a good idea to try and set up some unofficial visits at schools that are further away if you have separate plans to be in that area anyway such as playing in an out of town AAU tournament for example.

Be Realistic: One important thing to remember when setting up unofficial visits is to be realistic. Even though it is generally a great idea to go on a lot of them to get a better idea of what different schools have to offer, you still don’t want to waste your own time and money visiting at places that won’t have any interest in you as a recruit. For example, it may not be a good use of your resources to try and set up a visit with an Ivy league school if you’re just barely above the NCAA minimum grade requirements, or to visit a dominant Power 5 program if you are only getting interest from division 3 schools.

How Should You Decide Where To Take An Official Visit?

With official visits, the considerations behind making the decision on where to go are different than they are for unofficial visits. Since often times these visits are fully paid for, factors like how much it costs to get there and whether or not you will already be in the area near the school are far less relevant than they are for unofficial visits. Unlike unofficial visits, there is a strict limit to how many official visits you are allowed to go on, so it is important to use them only on schools and programs who you have a legitimate interest in becoming a part of. The strategy of using visits as an exploratory way to find out about programs of which you are unfamiliar is certainly not recommended for official visits the way it is for unofficial ones. Instead, official visits should be taken as a way to make final determinations about schools that you already have a decent understanding of.

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Official vs. Unofficial Visits: What’s the Difference?

Whether you’re an aspiring college athlete or not, one of the most effective parts of the college application process is visiting a campus. It’s the best way to find out if you like or don’t like a campus and why.

Every college admissions office puts together a laundry list of visit opportunities for prospective students on a yearly basis, but there is an extra wrinkle for prospective student-athletes. That comes in the form of official and unofficial visits. While everyone understands that one is official and the other isn’t, what are the differences and how do they apply to those impacted?

Official Visit vs. Unofficial Visit

Official visits are any trips to college campuses by a prospective student-athlete that’s paid for by the college they’re visiting.

Unofficial visits are completely paid for by the prospective student-athlete or their family.

The benefit of official visits is that they allow a college to really “wine and dine” a recruit. When hosting someone for an official visit, college programs can pay for the transportation needed by the recruit to get to and from campus, their housing and three meals per day for both the athlete and a parent. Colleges can also include tickets to a home sports event.

There is no flexibility for college athletic programs to pay for anything when it comes to an unofficial visit, but they’re still able to reserve tickets for the recruit and their family to a home sports event.

As one can imagine, the NCAA enforces some regulations on official visits. At the Division I and II level, student-athletes are allowed just one official visit per school, and five total. So if you find yourself being asked to go on several official visits, you need to be thoughtful of how you spend them.

There is no limit at Division III or NAIA schools with regard to total official visits made by a recruit, but they can only make one visit per school. If you’re taking unofficial visits, though, recruits and/or their families can visit as many colleges as many times as they want.

What Doesn’t Change

The big, overarching concept that’s the same between both official and unofficial visits is how one evaluates the school itself. Don’t forget, it’s important to like more things about a school than solely the athletics program. Asking yourself the same questions regardless of what type of visit you’re on is crucial to making an informed decision when the time comes.

• How are the dorms?
• Is the food any good? Hey, this is important! You have to eat least three times a day for four years, ya know.
• What are the academic buildings like? Are you a fan of the campus layout? What about the surrounding area? Would you be excited to attend this school even if sports weren’t a factor?
• Don’t forget about academics. What majors, advising programs, and internship opportunities are available? What resources are available to help you succeed?

This is just the start. Head over to the bookstore, ask current students (both athletes and non-athletes) as many questions as you can, and try to research any unanswered questions after you get home.

A Secret Tip: Act Natural

Here’s the thing—you’ll probably feel like a high school student during these visits. That’s OK because, well, you are a high school student. But I have a secret to tell you: as long as you’re not walking around with your parents or a bunch of other recruits and aren’t on an official tour of the campus, you’ll look just like just all the other college students there. It’s true. Nobody will know the difference.

This is an awesome opportunity to wander around campus by yourself and get a sense of what your experience as a student could be like.

You might be thinking, “But that’s weird! I don’t want to do that!” I get it—I would’ve thought the same thing as a high school junior or senior. However, you’re going to have to do this for real (like meet other students and speak to campus administration) sooner than you think, so there’s no better time than now to give it a try.

When you go on official visits or do admissions-sponsored tours/programs, you’re going to see the best and most wonderful things about that school. That’s literally their job. There are plenty of awesome colleges out there, but no place is all sunshine and rainbows. Exploring the campus by yourself is an opportunity to get a sense of what potential downfalls there are, and it’ll give you a chance to decide whether any of them are deal-breakers or not.

See if people hold doors open for you. Are students walking around campus with a smile on their face? If you get something to eat in the cafeteria, can you sit down with a random person to eat without feeling like an outcast? Is it easy to set up a meeting with the dean of students? Whether your experiences are positive or negative, it’s a decent indicator of what your experience at that college/university could be like.

Visits are an integral part of the college admissions process, regardless of whether you’re a recruited athlete or not. When you get the opportunity to visit a campus you’re potentially interested in, take full advantage of the time you have there.

Photo Credit: Andrei Stanescu/iStock

• 4 Things College Coaches Will Never Tell You About Recruiting
• Tennis Recruiting: Official vs. Unofficial Visits
• The Role of Parents in College Recruiting

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College Visits as a Student Athlete: What You Need to Know about Official and Unofficial Visits

It can be hard to understand the rules around official and unofficial visits when it comes to choosing a college as a student-athlete. Throw in the NCAA recruiting calendar into the mix, and you’ve got a recipe for confusion! Let’s break it down by the basics.

Student athletes interested in playing sports in college at Division 1, 2, or 3 schools have two options when it comes to campus tours. Official visits are offers explicitly extended by coaches to tour the program and determine if the student and the school are a good fit for each other. Coaches may still play a role in organizing unofficial visits, but students and their parents largely set these up for the same reasons.

University visits, both official and unofficial, should place emphasis on the relationship between the athletics program and the prospective student-athlete to determine if it would truly be a strong fit.

The NCAA has rules and bylaws for official visits and unofficial visits. They also have concrete recruiting calendars that vary by sport. The recruiting calendars are made up of contact periods, evaluation periods, quiet periods, and dead periods.

The recruiting calendar also has an impact on when college visits are and aren’t allowed. For example, during the dead periods in Division 1 and Division 2, unofficial campus tours for athletics purposes and official visits are not permitted.

Student athletes looking to set themselves up for success in a university athletics program should prepare by learning the ins and outs of the NCAA recruitment standards as soon as possible.

Official Visits According to the NCAA for Division 1, 2, and 3 Schools

Official visits can be made beginning in August of an athlete’s junior year of high school. The rules and limitations for official visits are as follows:

Division 1 – The NCAA allows student athlete recruits to make five official visits to Division I schools, with only one visit per school.

Division 2 – Official recruiting visits for Division 2 schools are also limited to five visits with only one visit per school. It used to be that student athletes could visit as many Division 2 schools as they wanted. However, a rule change in 2018 limited the number of official visits to 5.

Division 3 – Student athletes can take as many official visits to Division 3 schools as they like. However, like D1 and D2, they can only visit the same school once. Recruiting for Division 3 schools does not have to follow the NCAA recruiting calendar, so more communication between an athletics coach and a student athlete recruit is common.

Invitations for official visits are extended by a university coach specifically for the purpose of recruiting. The biggest difference between official and unofficial visits is the way they are financed.

In an official visit, the college or university may pay for the transportation and lodging for a student athlete and their parents, three meals per day, and three tickets to a home sports event. Official visits can last for up to 48 hours or throughout one weekend, but no longer.

Each program may handle the financial aspect of an official visit differently, for example, paying for lodging but not transportation, providing an on-campus lunch rather than a stipend, etc. However, D1 universities in particular typically pay for all the expenses in an official visit.

Unofficial Visits According to the NCAA for Division 1,2, and 3 Schools

The student athlete and/or their family schedule unofficial visits themselves. There are two ways to go about an unofficial visit:

1. Schedule a campus tour as if the athlete were any other student

2. Reach out to the coach directly and try to schedule a campus tour or meeting with them. The regulations for unofficial visits are as follows:

Division 1 – University athletic departments, including coaches, are not permitted to be involved in a recruit’s unofficial visit before August first of their junior year of high school. Otherwise, there are no regulations involved in unofficial visits to D1 schools.

However, keeping the recruiting calendar in mind when organizing unofficial visits to Division 1 schools is essential. During dead periods, a coach can have absolutely no in-person contact with a prospective student athlete. It would be unwise to schedule an unofficial visit during that time.

Division 2 – Unofficial visits to Division 2 schools are unregulated by the NCAA. Prospective athletes can schedule unofficial visits with D2 athletics departments regardless of age and can speak with the coach on campus.

Division 3 – Unofficial visits to Division 3 schools are also unregulated by the NCAA. Additionally, coaches from Division 3 schools can give verbal scholarship offers at any age, regardless of the NCAA recruiting calendar.

Before reaching out to an athletics coach to arrange an unofficial visit, there are a few things to consider. The current relationship between the student-athlete and the coach is the first to consider. Unofficial visits, especially to D1 schools, are easier to arrange if the coach is already aware of who you are. The student-athlete should also have their academic and sports information readily available to be viewed by the coach.

What to Expect on a Campus Tour for College Athletics

While unofficial visits and official visits can mean very different things, the activities that take place during them are basically the same.

Both aim to determine whether the athlete and the program are a good fit for each other. However, it is more common for students to receive verbal offers and scholarship offers on official visits. Here are common activities that occur in both official and unofficial visits:

• A guided tour of the campus grounds and buildings, including department buildings, the mess hall, and the library
• An appointment with an academic advisor to discuss your major, academic goals, potential scholarship opportunities, and campus culture
• A tour of the housing options available to you as a student
• A meal on-campus at the dining hall
• Sitting in on a class and meeting some professors from your intended major(s)

The following activities are more likely on official visits but can also occur on unofficial visits with coaches:

• Meeting the training staff
• Attending a practice and meeting the team
• A behind-the-scenes tour of athletics facilities
• Attending a home sports game

These activities give prospective recruits an idea about what life is like on campus. Although the goal of every recruit is to play sports at their dream college or university, it’s important that it feels like home to them. Imagine yourself on the campus within the next year or two, and see how you feel!

Ana-Marcela joined the Colleges of Distinction team as an intern in 2018. Over the years, she has transitioned from intern to outreach associate, and now leads the team’s marketing and digital strategy efforts. Ana-Marcela coordinates social media and written content that helps students find the answers they need at every step of their college journey. She also led the research and development of the newest recognition, Military Support, which highlights institutions that dedicate resources to the service of service members and veterans of the military.  Ana -Marcela is a native Austinite and she earned her Bachelor’s in English Literature from St. Edward’s University. She spends her free time hiking the greenbelt, salsa dancing, cruising the aisles of half price books, and cuddling her cats.

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How to Ace Your College Visit – Mastering the Official and Unofficial Visit

Updated on Aug 8, 2023

For prospective college athletes, choosing a college can be similar to buying a car… you first begin with a list of options, do research to narrow down the list, and visit in person to find the best fit. 

For student-athletes looking to play college sports at an NCAA school, completing virtual campus tours and visiting campuses close to home can help narrow down the list of colleges before deciding on which campuses to put on your visit list.

The NCAA allows high school student-athletes to meet with the coaches and teams on campus, but there are limitations. In some cases, college coaches will pay for your transportation to the campus, as well as accommodations for an overnight stay (known as an official recruiting visit), while other times your family pays (unofficial visit). 

The timing of allowable unofficial and official visits varies based on the sport played, your year in high school, whether the school is NCAA Division I (DI) or Division II (DII), and the specific time period for your sport’s recruiting calendar. The recruiting calendar generally allows unofficial visits to occur earlier than official visits. 

Failure to follow the rules could result in a violation of the coach (and you!) receiving penalties, and it is important for recruits to familiarize themselves with the NCAA’s sport and division-specific recruiting calendars .

Whether you are a high school female basketball player (who is eligible to take an unofficial visit the moment you enter the 9th grade) or a high school male baseball player (who must wait until September of your junior year to visit a college campus) — you want to be ready. 

Let’s plan ahead and get you ready for your visit long before you pack your bags and jump in the car. Buckle up!

The first thing we need to do is set expectations. Most college programs have small recruiting budgets and may not be able to pay for official visits, cutting-edge athletic facilities, or expensive recruit photo shoots. You must look past the superficial expectations and consider the most important factors when choosing a college: academic fit, campus fit, and athletic fit . 

What is the Difference Between Official and Unofficial Visits?

What is an official visit.

Any visit to a college campus by a college-bound student-athlete or their parents that is paid for by the school. Before taking an official visit, a recruit must provide the college with their high school transcript and complete registration for a Certification Account with the NCAA Eligibility Center .

Beginning July 1st, 2023, student-athletes looking to compete at an NCAA Division I school are now allowed to take an unlimited number of official visits to NCAA institutions. It’s important to note that each school allows only one official visit per student-athlete, unless there’s a change in head coach after their first visit, allowing them to go on a second official visit. However, in the case of men’s basketball, a second visit is only permissible if it falls in a different academic year.

Additionally, all prospective DI and DII recruits must be placed on each school’s Institutional Request List (IRL) in order to take their official campus visit, receive an athletic scholarship, or sign a National Letter of Intent (NLI) .

What is an Unofficial Visit?

College campus visit paid for by student-athletes or their parents is considered an unofficial visit and an unlimited number of unofficial visits are allowed regardless of division level or sport.

Let’s dive deeper into the visit details…

Unofficial visits can be initiated by a prospective student-athlete, as well as the college coaching staff who can suggest dates and times to visit the campus – taking into account the NCAA rules regarding quiet and dead periods . Taking an unofficial visit is best when a college coach is able to meet with you on campus and high school student-athletes are allowed to take as many unofficial visits as they wish.

Official visits are typically more structured and coaches may have a list of dates reserved for official recruit visits. Scheduling and expenses (including travel, meals, and lodging) for official visits are always arranged by the college coaches. During your visit, you will either stay with your family at a hotel or in a dorm with a student-athlete host while your family stays in a hotel.

Official visits may not last longer than a two-night stay.

Honest Insight : If allowed, choose visit dates that overlap weekdays with weekends. Weekday visits typically allow you to attend a class and give you the chance to see how student-athletes balance their weekday routine of class, practice, study hall, and strength workouts – while also allowing you to experience the campus on a weekend.

Regardless of the visit type you choose to take, it is important to plan ahead and give yourself (and the college coach) ample time to create the best college visit. Take into consideration that the team may be traveling during your (unofficial) visit, or the coach may only have a small window of time to meet with you. Having an organized plan for visits and communicating clearly will help in the recruiting process. 

Now that you understand the difference between official and unofficial visits, let’s start planning your trip!

What to Know Before Your College Visit

As you narrow down the list of potential schools, you should research each school using free online resources, such as virtual campus tours and online tuition calculators. You don’t want to waste invaluable time during your visit seeking answers that you can find online. Make sure to research the following questions in advance of your visit:

• Research the athletic department – what conference do they compete in? Are their other sports programs successful?
• Research the team – do they compete nationally or regionally? Where are the players from? What are the team members majoring in? How long has the coach been there and do they have a contract with an expiration date?
• Research the school – have they cut sports recently? Are they adding sports? 

Your campus visit should serve to strengthen your interest in the school and provide you with a sense of campus life. It will also give an insight into the team atmosphere and what it is like to be a student-athlete at that school.

Before your visit, you should think through the conversations you might have at the school to how to prepare for your visits and show your best self when talking with a school’s coaching staff.

You should also prioritize and plan out your visits by listening to each response from a coach during your pre-visit conversations. Do they have a recruiting timeline in mind? Are they hoping you will commit during your visit or shortly after? How many scholarships are available? Do they only have one scholarship, but are having multiple recruits visit the campus? All of these are things that you should pay attention to. Waiting too long to schedule a visit or delaying your final decision after you’ve visited the campus can result in missed opportunities.

Whether you’re traveling to campus during an unofficial or official visit, you should request an itinerary and ask if you’d like something to be added. If you want to do undergraduate research while in college, ask to see a lab. If you are curious about the surrounding community, ask for meal options off-campus. If you have specific physical, learning, or social/emotional needs, ask to meet with professionals on campus while you are there. These are all items that are difficult to schedule once you’re on campus, but if you request them ahead of time, a school should be able to accommodate your needs.

Some sports have recruiting cultures where students will verbally commit after an unofficial visit, long before they are able to schedule an official visit or sign a National Letter of Intent .

Honest Insight : Make sure you are 100% confident in your school choice! The more research you’ve done before your visit, the more prepared you’ll be to decide.

What to Pack for Your College Visit

With an itinerary in hand, you’ll be able to plan what you will need to pack for your recruiting visit. Comfortable walking shoes are key as you will likely be walking the campus for hours and you want to be comfortable. Are you joining the coaches at a nice restaurant? Pack restaurant-appropriate clothes. Are you meeting with the Athletic Director or Dean of Admissions? Make sure to pack business casual clothes for a professional impression. Will you be invited to train with the team? Add athletic training clothes and shoes to your bag.

What to Expect During Your College Visit

You’re on campus! Now is the time to open your eyes and ears to take it all in! Remember, you are recruiting the coaches and college just as much as they are recruiting you. Can you see yourself on campus? Are you ready for the climate? Is it close enough to home or a nearby airport or train station? While you are checking all of these things out, the Athletic Department and coaching staff will also be evaluating if you will provide value to their campus/program. Conduct yourself in a way that would make your family and high school coaches proud.

Your official visit should ALWAYS include one-on-one time with the coaching staff where the coaches should be honest about their commitment to you. Are you expected to make a decision by a certain date? Is an athletic scholarship offer on the table? Would a scholarship be a dollar amount or will it be a percentage of your total bill?

During your visit, make sure to speak about your academic needs and make sure you meet with an Academic Advisor to further understand the expectations for the student-athletes at the school.

Academic preparedness carries a lot of weight in the recruiting process – the academic advisor’s professional opinion of your academic ability could weigh heavily in a coach’s recruiting decision. Even if you only have a short time with the academic advisor, make it count! It’s important for the academic advisor to see how you answer questions and speak about your own academic needs and goals. 

Honest Insight : The best recruiting visit, from an academic advisor’s perspective, is one in which the parent or coach allows the student and advisor to get to know each other. This time is crucial in two ways – first, the academic advisor must learn how to best support the student-athlete, and second, this is a crucial time for the student-athlete to learn about the academic expectations of that school. Is study hall mandatory? Do they check attendance at class and what are the repercussions for missing class? Will tutoring be required or is it optional, or even offered at all?

Be sure to have your Honest Game CARE® (College Athletic Report on Eligibility) or a high school transcript on hand during your visit. Having a plan will show that you are aware of what you will need to complete in your final semesters of high school and that you take your academic eligibility seriously .

While you’re busy picturing yourself as a student-athlete on the team, remember you will also be a member of the campus community one day. What would it be like if you couldn’t play sports? Eat in the cafeteria, stay in the dorms (or at least visit the dorms if the official visit has you staying in a hotel near campus), and look for events happening on campus to get a good understanding of campus life. 

You also want to observe coach/player interactions. 

If you are lucky enough to stay longer than a morning or afternoon, you’ll get a good sense of how the team interacts with each other, and how they feel about their coaching staff. These moments with the “host” athletes will help solidify your awareness of the culture and can often be one of the most important factors when deciding on schools. It is important to consider how the team interacts with each other, their coaches and with professors.

Wondering what you should ask current players during your visit? To get you started, here are a few sample questions to ask your host or players on the team:

• What does a typical day look like?
• How do you manage balancing classes with practice?
• How do professors react when you have to miss class due to traveling or games?
• Do the athletes do workouts together during the offseason?
• Are you close with other athletic teams? Are there opportunities to meet other athletes?
• Do you live with teammates, with athletes in other sports, or is it randomly selected?
• What is your favorite thing about the school?
• If you could do it all over again, would you choose this university?
• Any advice for me?

Coaches try to incorporate social activities into a recruiting visit, away from the athletic department and sports facilities, to give you a chance to get to know the team, and for them to get to know you. Remember, you only have one chance to make a first impression, and making good choices while on your recruiting visit is a wise decision. Follow the rules set forth by the NCAA   and hold yourself accountable to team and campus rules. One bad choice on a recruiting visit could cost you your collegiate athletic opportunities – not only at the school but at other schools. Coaches and players talk, and news can travel quickly. 

What to Do After Your College Visit

Once you leave campus and are able to sit back and reflect, make a pros and cons list while it’s fresh in your mind. Did you like the team? What if you couldn’t play sports anymore – would you want to stay at the school? Did the coaching staff talk about you using a redshirt year and how did that make you feel? 

What you need to remember is a visit is just that, a visit. It’s a moment in time when you get to experience all that the team and school want to show you. However, that may not be the case every day for the next four years. Think about life on campus outside of the recruiting dinner with coaches – that won’t be an everyday occurrence once you’re a member of the team. Maybe you visited on a warm summer day but winter in the region is typically snowy and very cold. Think about life on campus the other 363 days of the year.

Choosing a college may be a family decision for you. Have open and honest conversations with those in your support circle to help you make your college decision. If you are used to your family being at every game, will you be upset if you are going to a college far from home? Do you have the financial ability to fly home or take the train during breaks if your sport allows, or will you remain on campus? Are others on the team in the same situation? Do they go to teammates’ homes for holidays?

Honest Insight: One of the most important steps you can take after your visit is to thank the coaching staff with an email or a handwritten note, as they took time out of their schedule and possibly money out of their budget to host your visit. 

If you have decided to cross the school off your list of possibilities, make sure to tell the coaching staff as soon as possible. They most certainly have other recruits waiting on your decision and telling them your plans early is the right thing to do. 

Once you have committed to a school, you should email and/or call the programs that have scheduled future visits letting them know you’ve made your decision.

Do not have your family or high school coach do this for you. These are hard conversations but it’s always best to be upfront and open about your plan. You never want to burn bridges on the recruiting trail… one day you may decide to transfer to one of the schools you previously visited.

Have more questions about the recruiting visit process? Honest Game Counselors are available to provide one-on-one assistance to support student-athletes in navigating post-secondary opportunities athletically and academically. Schedule a time to meet virtually with our experts .

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Athletic Campus Visits: Understanding OFFICIAL Visits (Part 2/2)

by Renee Lopez | Campus Visits , Recruiting tips

Many high school student-athletes want an opportunity to play at the next level and be offered a college athletic scholarship. While the percentages are in the range of 3-10% (depending on the sport) of high school student-athletes that get an opportunity to play at the next level, not all of them are offered a scholarship based off of their sports talent as many are only offered a walk-on position. Even fewer are offered an opportunity to visit a campus on the school’s ‘dime’ with an official visit to campus.

In part one of our Campus Visits series, we discussed the prevalence of unofficial visits to see a college campus . Most college coaches, admissions staff, and faculty concur that a visit to a college campus can be extremely valuable. Having been a college coach for 14 years, I would highly encourage you to visit numerous campuses early on in your high school career. I would encourage you to visit campuses that are much different from each other- big and small, city vs suburbia, and various levels of sports competition so you can start to figure out what is the right fit for you.

One NCAA Division 1 Head Coach (who asked to remain anonymous so he could speak bluntly) said, “One of my biggest pet peeves in the college recruiting process is that so many high school student-athletes, and especially their parents, have the impression that colleges have an unending amount of money in their recruiting budgets to fly kids in from all across the country on a whim that they may or may not be interested in our college.”

He continued, “I appreciate the anonymity in this as I say this as kindly, yet bluntly as I can…Our recruiting budgets are not like the SEC or ACC, even though we are D1. Here’s the scenario families need to understand. If I can fly myself and my assistant to a college showcase or tournament and see 500-1000 kids play in one weekend for the same costs of flying one athlete in to see our campus and entertain them, who may or may not commit to us…What would you do to be a good steward of the limited recruiting budget for our team? Some recruits, not all, think that just because they are a talented athlete, that they ‘deserve’ an official visit.”

“Please let your readers know that they should see being offered an official visit as a privilege, not a right. Do not ask for an official visit or athletic scholarship in your initial email!  You would never believe the number of kids who do this. It’s just demonstrates your attitude of entitlement, which coaches do not want on their teams. The majority of student-athletes should focus on unofficial visits and be gracious if they are offered an official visit.”

This past week, I interviewed another Athletic Director of a major D1 program who echoed these thoughts. He was also speaking on the condition of anonymity in order to protect their school’s image and his self-proclaimed cynicism, “Student-athletes who are offered official visits should really be serious about the school being in their top 3-5 choices. Please do not use these official visits as a fun getaway for a weekend and also act inappropriately while visiting the college. It will get around to other athletic programs as the sports industry is a very tight-knit industry. Do not simply waste a college coach’s time and the school’s finances on taking official visits of schools you have zero intention of attending. Some people think that this will drive their ‘stock’ up in terms of scholarship offers. It’s simply not the way the system works.”

As a recruiting educator who consults with many families and conducts seminars on the process in various high school and sports organizations, I would reiterate these perspectives as being a major problem in the recruiting process. There are a lot of regulations regarding official visits, so this blog is an attempt to simplify some of the information.

If you are granted an opportunity to visit a college on an official visit, below you will find some answers to some frequently asked questions. I will primarily focus on NCAA rules for these visits at the DI and DII levels. (Please note that NCAA D3, NAIA, NCCAA, and NJCAA all have different rules when it comes to campus visits, so it is best to check with the governing body of the prospective college).

Who Pays for an Official Visit?

This is taken directly from the NCAA website: ‘An “official visit” is any visit to a college or university campus by you and your parents that is paid for by the college. The college or university may pay all or some of the following expenses:

• Your transportation to and from the college (for DI basketball and FBS football, this may include coach-class airfare for up to two people).
• Room and meals (three per day) while you are visiting the college/university.
• Reasonable entertainment expenses, including up to six complimentary admissions to a home athletics contest for Division I, or up to five complimentary admissions to a home athletics contest for Division II.’

What Steps Must I Take Prior To The Official Visit?

A prospective student-athlete cannot do an official visit until he or she:

• Presents the institution with a current high school or college-preparatory school transcript (official or unofficial)
• Registers with the NCAA Eligibility Center; and
• Is placed on the institution’s institutional request list (IRL) with the NCAA Eligibility Center.

How Do I Set-Up An Official Visit?

You need to be offered an official visit by the college coach. As mentioned above, this is not something you just call and ask the coaching staff to do for you. Do not have the expectation that college coaches will do this, especially with large roster programs. 

Please download the basic rules for D1 & D2/3 for FREE from www.rlopezcoaching.com/store

How many official visits can i do to a specific campus.

A member institution may finance only one visit to its campus for a prospective student-athlete (even if they are exploring playing multiple sports). Some sports allow these visits to take place during the junior year of high school while others only allow it at the senior year.

It is important to note that you cannot do an official visit during any dead periods which vary in timing by sport. I would suggest checking the NCAA website for recruiting calendars that describe the specifics for each sport here.

What Should I Bring With Me On An Official Visit?

Since the school will already have much of your paperwork already, I would recommend asking the college coach if there is anything specific they would like for you to bring with you. You should also have a list of questions with you to ask admissions, current students, faculty, and athletic staff. I have prepared a set of 13 questions for you to ask a coach in our recent blog here .

What Should I Wear On An Official Campus Visit?

I would recommend your first priority is comfortable walking shoes, as you will typically do a lot of walking. I would encourage you to wear something a bit nicer than just athletic clothes or jeans. You should be wanting to make a good first impression, but you do not have to be in a business suit.

I would think “business casual”. I would recommend a nice button-down shirt (tucked-in) and dress pants for men. For women, I would recommend a casual skirt or dress pants and nice blouse or sweater. I would also encourage you to dress in layers, as many campus buildings have the air conditioning on high when it is summer and vice versa, during the winter months.

Can I Stay Overnight in the Residence Halls On An Official Campus Visit?

The prospective student-athlete may stay in an enrolled student-athlete’s residence hall. You will typically have a student-host who will be in charge of you while on campus. Insider Tip: Remember that the college coach will ask for a report from that student host about how you behaved socially during your visit. Make sure that you represent yourself with maturity the entire time you are on the campus and not on your phone the entire time!

What Will I Be Able to Do While An Official Campus Visit?

On most colleges, you may take a campus tour, meet with the admissions and financial aid staff, tour residence halls, eat in the dining facilities, and meet with faculty in your desired academic major(s). It varies on every college campus and depending on if you are there on a weekday or weekend. The college coach will typically arrange all of the details of your official visit, including attending a home competition, and make sure you spend time with people you need to within the athletic department. Often times this includes the current team, strength and conditioning coaches, athletic training staff, NCAA Compliance Directors, and academic advisers.

The NCAA also states, “An institution may not arrange miscellaneous, personalized recruiting aids (e.g., personalized jerseys, personalized audio/video scoreboard presentations) and may not permit a prospective student-athlete to engage in any game-day simulations (e.g., running onto the field with the team during pregame introductions) during an official visit. Personalized recruiting aids include any decorative items and special additions to any location the prospective student-athlete will visit (e.g., hotel room, locker room, coach’s office, conference room, arena) regardless of whether the items include the prospective student-athlete’s name or picture.”

Can I Do A Try-Out or Play With The Team While I Am On Campus?

Try-outs are not allowed at the NCAA Division I level. However, some sports are allowed to do Identification (ID) Camps which would allow you to pay to participate for a camp held on the campus at various times during the year. However, it is not permissible for an institution to pay any leg of a prospective student athlete’s transportation costs if he or she participates in an institutional camp or clinic in conjunction with an official visit.

NCAA Division II programs may do a try-out while you are there, or may not. There are also stipulations for doing try-outs in terms of timelines (when is your official high school season, etc). To do a try-out, the NCAA also requires you to have a copy of a recent sports physical, including a sickle-cell test. I would not assume you are or are not going to do a try-out when you are visiting a D2 campus. Instead, I would ask the coaches if they are looking to do this prior to your traveling.

There are pages and pages of rules and restrictions in the NCAA Compliance handbooks regarding campus visits (literally these books have hundreds of pages of rules). There are many differences between sports and various levels. This blog is meant to be a resource and is definitely not inclusive. It is recommended if you are invited for an official campus visit, you follow the direction of the athletic staff as to what is permissible and what is not during your visit. Also, if you have not already, I would highly recommend you read our 3 Part blog series on committing to a college. ( Part 1: Prior to Committing , Part 2: During Signing , and Part 3: Steps to Take After Signing ).

Want to know about Unofficial Campus Visits? Check out part of our campus visits series! click here !

Have more questions on unofficial campus visits? Join some of our Facebook Groups Below:

Want some help with the recruiting process? Join some of our 9 Facebook Groups:

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Would you like her to do individual consulting with your family to get an insider’s perspective? Email [email protected] for more details.

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Coach Renee Lopez

As a 17 year coaching veteran, Coach Renee Lopez is a recruiting expert for high school student-athletes. She uses her NCAA Division I, II, and NAIA Head Coaching experience to help families navigate the recruiting process to be identified by college coaches and help them find the right “fit” for playing at the next level. She has produced 3 All-Americans, over 30 All-Conference athletes and Her teams have been honored with awards for team academic accomplishments, sportsmanship, and sports ministry. In addition, Coach Renee Lopez has been named Coach of the Year by her peers.

She presents recruiting seminars across the country, has recently been featured in USA Weekly, with the National Alliance for Youth Sports, on SiriusXM Radio and ESPN Radio. She is the author of the book,   Looking For A FULL RIDE?: An Insider’s Recruiting Guide where she has interviewed over 65 college recruiters across all sports and college levels. In addition, she runs 9 Facebook groups to help facilitate conversations on college recruiting education, coaching education, leadership development, and sports ministry. She is also a certified speaker, trainer and coach for the John Maxwell Team, Jon Gordon Company, 3Dimensional Coaching, and the Positive Coaching Alliance.

She also does private consulting for student-athletes and their families to help in understanding the often daunting process of recruiting. (See one family’s testimonial.) If you are looking for help in the college recruiting process, please email Coach Renee Lopez at [email protected].

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2024-25 men's NCAA basketball transfer portal tracker: updates

• Graduate of University of Delaware. Follow on X

Transfer portal season has become the busiest two months of the college basketball calendar. Entire rosters fall apart and get rebuilt in mere weeks, with some teams needing to go into the portal for 10 or 11 players. Coaching staffs spend two or three years recruiting high school players, and now, they spend two or three weeks -- sometimes less -- recruiting transfers.

There will be upward of 2,000 players in the portal by the time it closes for undergraduate students on May 1. The vast majority will find a new home in a similar timeframe.

It's a lot to digest.

Just like the coaching carousel tracker , we're going to have a constantly updated transfer portal tracker this offseason. Find all of the latest intel and buzz on the available players in the portal. School lists, visit plans, target boards -- all of the movement will be discussed here.

Keep track of ESPN's ranking of the top 100 transfers here .

Indiana reels in third big-time transfer recruit

Stanford transfer Kanaan Carlyle announced his commitment to Indiana. The top-50 recruit in the 2023 class averaged 11.5 points as a freshman, including 31 points against Washington State and 28 against Arizona. The Hoosiers emerged pretty quickly as the favorites to land Carlyle.

Outlook: Indiana has the best portal class so far this spring, with Carlyle following Washington State transfer Myles Rice and Arizona transfer Oumar Ballo to Bloomington. Mike Woodson has now reloaded his team, with the three transfers joining three returning starters -- including honorable mention All-Big Ten selection Malik Reneau and former top-10 recruit Mackenzie Mgbako . The Hoosiers badly need to add shooting to the roster, though.

Robbie Avila follows Josh Schertz to Saint Louis

Avila, one of the biggest breakout stars of the 2023-24 season, was always expected to follow his coach from Indiana State to Saint Louis, and he made that official Saturday . Avila was a first-team All-Missouri Valley pick after averaging 17.4 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists while shooting better than 39% from 3-point range.

Outlook: So far, Avila is the only Indiana State starter to join Schertz in the Atlantic 10. Ryan Conwell committed to Xavier, while Julian Larry and Jayson Kent are committed to Texas. Isaiah Swope is visiting Saint Louis, however.

Read more: Ex-Indiana St. star Robbie Avila follows coach to Saint Louis

Michigan lands Yale transfer Danny Wolf

After Dusty May landed his first two players Friday, he got his biggest commitment yet. A 7-foot center, Wolf was a first-team All-Ivy selection who averaged 14.1 points, 9.7 rebounds and 1.3 blocks while shooting nearly 35% from 3-point range.

Outlook: Michigan was the perceived favorite for Wolf for a few weeks. Now, the question is how this news impacts the recruitment of Florida Atlantic transfer Vladislav Goldin , who was also likely to follow May from Boca Raton to Ann Arbor. But how will it work with two 7-footers on the roster?.

Auburn 's Aden Holloway heads across the state

Alabama head coach Nate Oats got his next point guard. Holloway was a former five-star recruit and McDonald's All-American in the 2023 class but struggled to make shots from the floor, shooting 31.8%. He averaged 7.3 points and 2.7 assists.

Outlook: While Holloway's shooting is a bit of a question mark in a 3-point-heavy system such as Alabama's, he was a terrific floor general in high school. The Tide have now added three perimeter players in the portal, including Houston Mallette (Pepperdine) and Chris Youngblood (South Florida).

Duke begins reloading

After freshmen TJ Power and Sean Stewart entered the portal in back-to-back days, Jon Scheyer badly needed frontcourt reinforcements. Those came Saturday in the form of Syracuse transfer Maliq Brown , who averaged 9.5 points and 7.2 boards on the season -- over his final five games, however, he tallied three double-doubles and put up 11.8 points, 9.6 boards and 3.0 assists.

Outlook: Duke is far from done in the portal when it comes to the frontcourt. The Blue Devils are the perceived favorites for Purdue transfer Mason Gillis , who made nearly 47% of his 3-point attempts this past season, and they're in the mix for Stanford transfer Brandon Angel , a 6-foot-8 forward who shot nearly 45% from behind the arc.

Duke loses seventh player to the portal

Sean Stewart , a former top-20 recruit, announced he's entering the transfer portal Friday. Stewart came out of high school with a reputation as an elite rebounder but failed to carve out a consistent role in Durham. He averaged 2.6 points and 3.2 rebounds in 33 games off the bench.

Outlook: Stewart follows Jeremy Roach , Mark Mitchell , TJ Power , Jaylen Blakes , Christian Reeves and Jaden Schutt , while Kyle Filipowski and Jared McCain left for the NBA and Ryan Young is out of eligibility. Tyrese Proctor and Caleb Foster are the lone returnees for Jon Scheyer who is, however, bringing in a six-man recruiting class ranked No. 1 in the country.

Read more: Sean Stewart to become seventh Duke player to enter portal

Top-50 transfer Adou Thiero down to five schools

The 6-foot-8 Kentucky forward has cut his list to five schools, sources told ESPN: Pitt , North Carolina , Arkansas , Indiana and Kentucky. Thiero started 19 games this season for the Wildcats, bringing energy and explosiveness to the frontcourt. He averaged 7.2 points and 5.0 rebounds.

Outlook: The projected first-round pick in ESPN's 2025 mock draft entered the portal before John Calipari left Lexington for Arkansas, so it's interesting to see the Razorbacks make his final list. And Kentucky fans will be pleased to see a potential return to Lexington is still possible. Pitt has quietly had some buzz for a couple weeks due to Thiero being from the Pittsburgh suburbs.

Drexel 's Amari Williams down to three schools, visiting Kentucky

Williams has cut his list to St. John's , Kentucky and Mississippi State , his agent told ESPN. The 6-10 big man is one of the best interior defenders in the portal, winning CAA Defensive Player of the Year three times and earning first-team All-CAA honors this past season. He averaged 12.2 points and 7.8 rebounds.

Outlook: Williams will take his final visit to Kentucky this weekend, and the Wildcats could badly use an experienced post defender to anchor their frontcourt. They've made a strong push in recent days under new coach Mark Pope, but St. John's remains involved, and Williams would be a good fit at Mississippi State given Chris Jans' defensive history.

Chucky Hepburn becomes latest Wisconsin departure

Shortly after AJ Storr committed to Kansas, Wisconsin took another hit: Three-year starter Chucky Hepburn is transferring. Hepburn started 103 games for Greg Gard, averaging 9.2 points and 3.9 assists this past season. He put up 12.2 points and shot 40.5% from 3-point range in 2022-23.

Outlook: Aside from Hepburn's next destination, the story here is Wisconsin losing another key contributor to the portal. In addition to Storr and Hepburn, the Badgers have also lost Connor Essegian , who saw a diminished role this past season after a delayed start due to injury but averaged 11.7 points as a freshman in 2022-23. Gard hasn't landed a player from the portal yet -- and one of the Badgers' top targets, Frankie Fidler , was a high school teammate of Hepburn's.

Kansas lands AJ Storr

Storr, the No. 3 player in ESPN's transfer rankings, committed on Thursday . He was a second-team All-Big Ten selection after averaging 16.8 points and 3.9 rebounds in leading Wisconsin to the conference tournament title game and a 5-seed in the NCAA tournament.

Outlook: Bill Self has added some much-needed playmaking and shot-making -- a major concern for the Jayhawks during the 2023-24 campaign. Storr is the third perimeter addition, following South Dakota State's Zeke Mayo , the Summit League Player of the Year, and Florida's Riley Kugel , a mercurial but talented wing with NBA potential. The Jayhawks are also still in the mix for Alabama transfer Rylan Griffen .

Read more: AJ Storr transfers to Kansas after year at Wisconsin

UConn finds its Donovan Clingan replacement

The Huskies clearly needed a big man this cycle in the portal, and they landed Michigan Wolverines transfer Tarris Reed Jr . on Wednesday. Reed visited Storrs this past weekend and ended his recruitment shortly after leaving. He's a former ESPN 100 prospect who averaged 9.0 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.4 blocks this past season.

Outlook: Dan Hurley essentially needs to rebuild the starting lineup that won the Huskies their second consecutive national title. Tristen Newton and Cam Spencer are out of eligibility, while Stephon Castle and Clingan could be NBA draft lottery picks. UConn is targeting a big man and at least one perimeter player. With Reed now in the fold, Hurley can turn toward guards and wings.

God got me...I ain't stressin 😮‍💨 #Committed pic.twitter.com/dwrbVsOFGz — Tarris"Big Hoss" Reed Jr. (@TarrisReedJr) April 17, 2024

Jeremy Roach announces portal intentions

A big-name point guard just went on the market. Duke senior Jeremy Roach announced Tuesday he plans to enter the transfer portal and the NBA draft, which suddenly makes available one of the best and most experienced point guards in the country.

Outlook: Roach started 108 games over four seasons with the Blue Devils, earning third-team All-ACC honors this past season. He averaged career-highs across the board, putting up 14.0 points, 3.3 assists and shooting 42.9% from 3-point range. This move has been speculated for several weeks, with a long list of schools linked as potential landing spots: Syracuse , Villanova , Georgetown , Arkansas , Baylor , Ole Miss and more.

Read more: Jeremy Roach to enter draft, 5th Duke player to enter portal

The No. 1 transfer is off the board: Oumar Ballo commits to Indiana

After initially setting multiple visits, the Arizona transfer didn't even get off Indiana's campus before ending his recruitment and telling ESPN he's committing to the Hoosiers. A two-time first-team All-Pac-12 selection, the No. 1 transfer has been one of the dominant big men in the country under Tommy Lloyd. He averaged 12.9 points and 10.1 rebounds this season.

Outlook: How Mike Woodson uses Malik Reneau and Ballo together will be interesting, given both players prefer to operate around the basket. It's also worth taking a quick look at where the other programs in pursuit of Ballo will turn. North Carolina could look at Danny Wolf and Jonas Aidoo , while Louisville is battling Kentucky for Aly Khalifa . Arkansas just landed Zvonimir Ivisic .

Read more: Oumar Ballo, top player in transfer portal, picks Indiana

Horizon League POY Trey Townsend sets visits

Townsend, who helped lead Oakland to a first-round NCAA tournament win over Kentucky with 17 points and 12 rebounds, has set the rest of his visit schedule, according to his agent George Langberg of GSL Sports Group. Townsend is currently on campus at Arizona, then will visit Ohio State on Thursday and Friday and finish up with a trip to Louisville this weekend. He also recently visited Michigan.

Outlook: Townsend is one of the most productive mid-major transfers in the portal. He averaged 17.3 points and 8.1 rebounds this season and was able to perform at a high level in big games. The 6-foot-6 power forward went for 28 points against Xavier, 19 points and 10 rebounds against Illinois, 30 points and 13 rebounds against NC State and also had 38 points in the Horizon tournament title game.

The first Lexington-to-Fayetteville move

Kentucky transfer Zvonimir Ivisic announced Monday he's committing to Arkansas , following John Calipari to the Razorbacks. Ivisic is the first player to officially follow Calipari to Fayetteville, but he likely won't be the last.

Outlook: Ivisic, a 7-foot-2 center from Croatia, has an incredibly high ceiling due to his offensive skill set. He can make shots from the perimeter, run the floor and is an adept shot-blocker at the other end. He had 13 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 blocks and 2 steals in 16 minutes off the bench in his first college game against Georgia, and averaged 5.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 15 games as a freshman.

Read more: Zvonimir Ivisic to transfer from Kentucky to Arkansas

Texas starters entering portal

After a weekend that saw Rodney Terry land three players from the portal -- Indiana State exports Julian Larry and Jayson Kent , and Arkansas transfer Tramon Mark -- Monday brought the fallout. Tyrese Hunter and Dillon Mitchell , two Texas starters, are planning to enter the transfer portal.

Outlook: Hunter has started 106 games in three college seasons at Texas and Iowa State and had the best offensive season of his career in 2023-24, putting up 11.1 points and 4.1 assists. Mitchell, meanwhile, is a versatile frontcourt player who took major strides as a sophomore, averaging 9.6 points and 7.5 rebounds. The news comes on the heels of top-50 recruit Cam Scott requesting a release from his letter of intent to Texas to reopen his recruitment.

Read more: Texas loses starters Tyrese Hunter, Dillon Mitchell to transfer portal

D.J. Wagner enters portal

Wagner, a former top-five recruit, was a household name in the high school ranks who originally chose Kentucky over Louisville after an intense recruiting process between the two schools. But the 6-foot-4 New Jersey native had an uneven freshman season: putting up big numbers during the first half then finishing with single-digit scoring output in 10 of his final 13 games. Averaged 9.9 points and 3.3 assists.

Outlook: It's unclear where Wagner will look to continue his college career. He still has NBA hype, projected as a second-round pick if he opted to enter this year's draft. He could follow former Kentucky coach John Calipari to Arkansas but he's expected to have an open recruitment. Despite his up-and-down freshman campaign, he's one of the most dynamic guards in the portal.

Read more: Kentucky freshman D.J. Wagner entering transfer portal

Aaron Bradshaw commits to Ohio State

The former top-10 recruit had a delayed start to his Kentucky career due to a foot injury suffered last spring, but eventually made an impact once on the floor 00 including a double-double against Penn in his second game. Didn't have a consistent role down the stretch of the season though, barely playing in the SEC and NCAA tournaments. Averaged 4.9 points and 3.3 rebounds.

Outlook: Despite the middling numbers, Bradshaw's ceiling makes him an intriguing addition for new head coach Jake Diebler. He can run the floor, he has some skill with the ball in his hands and he can finish around the rim and block shots. What does this mean for the other teams in the mix for Bradshaw? North Carolina was hoping to get him on campus and now the Tar Heels might have to turn to Yale transfer Danny Wolf .

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Aaron Bradshaw (@aaron_bradshaw23)

Indiana landed Rice, looking for others in portal

Mike Woodson is wasting no time rebuilding his roster after a down year in Bloomington. The Hoosiers already landed Washington State 's Myles Rice , one of the best point guards in the portal.

Outlook: They're also expected to host Stanford 's Kanaan Carlyle for a visit this week. Carlyle is a former top-50 recruit capable of explosive performances. Neither Rice nor Carlyle is a knockdown shooter, but Indiana is also pursuing Connor Hickman ( Bradley ) and Ryan Conwell ( Indiana State ) to fill that role. Up front, the top target is No. 1 overall transfer Oumar Ballo . The Arizona big man is expected to visit Bloomington this week, and Indiana is thought to be in a pretty good spot. Should Ballo leave his visit without committing, the Hoosiers could turn to Drexel 's Amari Williams , who also visits later in the week. Ballo is the far superior offensive player, but Williams is a three-time CAA Defensive Player of the Year.

Take a look at the numbers behind Michigan's hire of former Florida Atlantic basketball coach Dusty May.

Dusty May has Michigan in the mix for several top targets

May didn't have a completely empty cupboard in Ann Arbor when he took over for Juwan Howard , and George Washington III added to the returnees when he opted to remove his name from the transfer portal and stay at Michigan. But the former Florida Atlantic coach is looking to build a competitive roster in year one, and he's taking some big swings in the portal.

Outlook: At the top of the target list: two of his former FAU players in Johnell Davis -- arguably the top perimeter player in the portal -- and center Vladislav Goldin . Houston was also pursuing Davis, but the Cougars landed Milos Uzan over the weekend; is Kelvin Sampson's program still in play? Michigan is also in the mix for Yale 's Danny Wolf , a first-team All-Ivy selection this past season. While the Wolverines are likely the leader for both Goldin and Wolf as things stand, the first 7-foot center to commit might send the other elsewhere -- or perhaps they battle it out once they get to campus. Oakland 's Trey Townsend , who posted dominant numbers against high-major competition this past season, was set to visit Ann Arbor on Sunday, too. On the perimeter, Michigan is perceived as the leader for Auburn 's transfer Tre Donaldson . Ohio State 's Roddy Gayle Jr . is expected to visit Ann Arbor soon, too. Keep an eye on another Auburn transfer, Aden Holloway . His sister, Mila Holloway, is signed to play basketball at Michigan next season.

North Carolina 's big man pursuit

It's clear that Hubert Davis and the Tar Heels want a true 5-man from the portal this spring. Armando Bacot has used up his eligibility, James Okonkwo barely played and already hit the portal, and Jalen Washington is the lone option remaining for that position.

Outlook: Former top-10 prospect Aaron Bradshaw was expected to visit Ohio State this past weekend, but UNC is heavily in the mix and has him near or at the top of the target list.The Tar Heels are also battling a handful of schools for Oumar Ballo . Will Ballo get through his visits to Indiana, Louisville and Kansas State , though? Rutgers ' Clifford Omoruyi , one of the best defensive players in the country, has had communication with North Carolina, as has the aforementioned Danny Wolf . Could the Tar Heels make a run at Tennessee 's Jonas Aidoo , too? Aidoo, who entered the portal late last week, is a Durham native.

Understand College Campus and Student Body Size

Find the right college for you., how the size of a college impacts your experience.

College is often the first time students like you are away from home and living on their own. You’ll meet people from countless cultures, different backgrounds, and every age group. And with just a little bit of openness, you can make lifelong friendships.

A key factor in your college experience could be the size of the student body, as well as the campus size. These factors directly impact everything from the social scene to available programs and even the people you meet.

Large universities may have a wide variety of programs and activities to participate in, but at a smaller institution you’ll benefit from the more intimate experience of a tight-knit community. You can also take advantage of more advisory support. Carefully consider which option might be best for you.

How Many Sizes Do Colleges Come In?

Colleges in the U.S. range from 5,000 to 15,000 enrolled students. Moreover, some institutions have just a few hundred students while others have more than 60,000. The average college size is 6,354 students, according to a 2020 survey by the U.S. News & World Report. Let’s take a look at how population size varies across different types of schools.

How Big Are Universities?

Though the terms “university” and “college” are used interchangeably in the U.S. (and in this article), a university technically refers to a larger institution that offers a variety of undergraduate and graduate programs. You’ll often see individual departments within a university referred to as colleges, such as the “College of Education.”

As such, a university is usually larger than a college that focuses on a few areas. For both universities and colleges, a population size is considered small when it has under 5,000 students and large when it has over 15,000 students.

Are Private Schools Smaller Than Public Schools?

Because private colleges or universities tend to have more focused curricula and higher tuition costs, they're usually smaller than public schools. Public universities and colleges receive government funding, offer more programs, and have a larger student population.

Do State Schools Have Larger Student Populations?

Although the student population varies from school to school, public state colleges have larger student populations than their private counterparts. Of the top 10 colleges that enrolled the most undergraduates in 2020, only one was a private institution.

How Does College Size Relate to Class Size?

The sizes of your classes in college will have a significant effect on your overall learning experience and social life. If you're attending a large university, you can expect to have some classes in lecture halls, sometimes with well over 100 students. Think about the type of environment you prefer to learn in. Consider how college size might impact that. If you prefer smaller classes, a small college is right for you. Learn more about campus size by reviewing each college profile on BigFuture.

Regardless of the college you attend, your classes will be larger in your first few semesters. Class sizes shrink as you move into higher-level, major-specific courses.

Class Size Can Be Misleading.

Trying to quantify the average college class size can be misleading. In truth, no matter what the size of your college is, you’ll have a wide range of classes sizes during your college career. The “average class size in college” is simply a median of all classes across different programs. The average class size you’ll personally experience probably won’t reflect this median. Even students within the same major can take the same classes and still experience a noticeable difference in size. Say, for example, that a student takes classes for their major later in the afternoon or evening because of a daytime job. They’ll have fewer students in their class because more of their peers will attend during the day.

The larger the population of your school, the larger your class sizes will be. The benefits of small class size in college are more hands-on learning, a stronger relationship with your professors, and the opportunity to stand out.

How Does the Size of College Impact the Social Climate on Campus?

A big campus often means a big social life. Large universities will be teeming with activities during the semester. From Greek life to sporting events, there won’t be a dull moment.

Want to take up indoor cycling in your spare time? Trying to find a club that celebrates your cultural heritage? A large campus has a larger selection of activities to choose from, but that doesn’t mean you won’t be able to find a community at a small institution.

Because smaller colleges have fewer students, you may find that classmates are closer to one another and have a stronger sense of community. Campus activities can often overlap, and you may see the same faces. Regardless of whether you attend a large or small institution, you’ll find ways to build community through shared interests or common majors.

How Does the Student Population Affect Your Social Life?

Social life at school is all about what you make of it regardless of population size. Think about the ways you make friends and engage with others. Consider whether a small school or large school could be a better fit for you. Maybe you like to participate in a dozen different clubs and activities to find friends. Perhaps you prefer being part of smaller campus with more opportunities to stand out among your peers. Regardless of campus size, you’ll have the opportunity to build deep friendships and explore various activities. But keep this in mind when making your choice: Campus size can inform your overall college experience.

Does the Size of a College Determine the Activities Offered?

You’ll often see a seemingly infinite number of activities offered at colleges, and some of this is because of the large size of the campus. However, smaller institutions can have more freedom of choice. Students have autonomy. They’re able to create clubs and activities that interest them.

Do Larger Schools Offer More Intramural Sports?

Most colleges will have intramural sports, but a larger school means more sports to choose from and more events. If you’re enthusiastic about playing sports recreationally and you want to make friends through sports in college, then the population size is definitely something to consider. It’s a good idea to check with the institutions you are applying to see if there’s a particular club or activity you hope to participate in.

Do Smaller Schools Offer More or Fewer Clubs Than Larger Colleges?

Smaller schools will usually offer fewer clubs than larger schools, but that doesn’t mean you can’t participate in things that interest you if you attend a small college. If you can find enough students who share your hobbies and passions, start your own club.

Finding the Right College

When choosing the college that’s right for you, population size matters. It’s important to consider what type of environment and location you’ll be happiest in. The number of students will shape the way you make friends, learn in class, and get involved in activities. Use the BigFuture college search feature to make sure the size of your chosen school lines up with your goals and aspirations, or learn more with Sizing Up Colleges: Big vs Small .

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Day 4 of Trump New York hush money trial

From CNN's Jeremy Herb, Lauren del Valle and Kara Scannell in the courthouse

We've wrapped up our live updates. Learn more about Friday's proceedings by scrolling through the posts below, and return on Monday for more live coverage of Trump's hush money criminal trial .

Man who lit himself on fire outside of the courthouse has died, law enforcement official says

From CNN's John Miller

The man who lit himself on fire outside of the Manhattan courthouse where Donald Trump’s trial was taking place died Friday night, a senior law enforcement official told CNN.

NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey B. Maddrey said earlier that the man walked into the center of Collect Pond Park, which is directly across from the courthouse.

He opened his backpack and took out pamphlets that he scattered in the park before setting himself on fire.

The man was taken to Cornell Burn Center earlier in critical condition. Police had said they thought it was not likely that he would survive.

Key takeaways from the final day of jury selection in Trump's hush money trial

From CNN's Jeremy Herb and Lauren del Valle

The historic first criminal trial of a former US president begins with opening statements on Monday.

Judge Juan Merchan swiftly  moved through consideration of roughly 200 potential jurors  to find a jury pool of 18 by midday Friday, swearing in 12 jurors and six alternates who will decide Donald Trump’s fate in the New York hush money case.

Here are takeaways from the final day of jury selection:

• The jury is set: Four women and one man were  added to the jury on Friday as five of the six alternates for the case. They will sit in the jury box and will hear the duration of the trial, but they will only be put on the jury should one or more of the 12 jurors be excused from the case. Prosecutors focused their questions in the case on preparing the jurors to accept testimony from less-than-favorable witnesses, like Michael Cohen. Trump’s attorneys, meanwhile, were almost singularly focused on a single question: What did jurors think about Donald Trump?
• Final round of juror questions highlights emotional decision for potential jurors: There were several emotional moments during Friday morning’s questioning of potential jurors, with two jurors telling the judge in the middle of voir dire that they no longer felt they could serve. One female prospective juror who works in sales for a trading company began crying when she was handed the microphone. At one point after that jury had left, another juror raised her hand and told the court she started feeling “high anxiety” as she sat and listened to a line of questioning about the credibility of witnesses.
• Trump is still trying to stop his trial: Despite seating a jury, Trump’s legal team again tried to stop the trial in its tracks with another strategic appeal. In a new motion filed Friday morning, Trump’s lawyers once again asked an appeals court to temporarily halt the trial until they ruled on Trump’s appeal to move the venue of the hush money trial out of Manhattan. The motion was denied.
• A hearing on Trump’s gag order violations is set for Tuesday: Despite Trump’s attempts to delay, opening statements in his criminal trial will begin Monday morning. On Tuesday, the morning will shift to Trump’s discussion of witnesses in the case, as Merchan plans to hold a hearing on social media posts by the former president that prosecutors say violated his gag order. They’re asking the judge to fine Trump $1,000 per post and remind him that violations of the gag order could result in imprisonment.

5 alternate jurors were selected Friday. Here's what we know about them

From CNN's Kara Scannell, Lauren del Valle, and Jeremy Herb

The full panel in Donald Trump's hush money trial has been set after five alternate jurors were selected Friday.

Remember: A full 12-person jury was seated earlier this week, along with one alternate juror.

Here's what we know about the alternate jurors selected Friday:

Alternate Juror #1

• A woman originally from Spain
• Not currently working
• Married with adult children
• Likes to travel
• Says she does not follow the news and does not have any social media accounts
• Says she doesn't "have strong opinions about former President Donald Trump that would interfere" with her ability to be a fair and impartial juror

Alternate Juror #3

• A native New Yorker
• He is a fan of martial arts

Alternate Juror #4

• A contract specialist who has previously lived in New Jersey and Oregon
• She is married with two children
• Says she likes to see live music and take her boys to basketball games
• Says she’s “not a big news person” but looks at The New York Times, Reuters and the BBC
• Does have social media profiles but doesn’t post or use them

Alternate Juror #5

• Works for a clothing company
• Says she gets her news from Google

Alternate Juror #6

• Project manager for a construction company
• She is divorced with three sons
• Her boyfriend is in law enforcement
• Says she listens to true crime podcasts
• Her father was convicted of a federal crime when she was in high school but she said she was shielded from the details

The full jury is sworn in. Catch up on what happened ahead of opening statements in the hush money trial

From CNN staff

The full jury panel has now been seated in the hush money trial against Donald Trump, clearing the way for opening statements to start on Monday.

There are 12 jurors and six alternates who will hear the case against the former president.

Opening statements are set to begin Monday at 9:30 a.m. ET. Court will be a half day on Monday and Tuesday due to Passover, ending at 2 p.m. ET each day.

Leaving the courthouse Friday, Trump again called the trial a "giant witch hunt." Just hours after jury selection finished, an appeals court denied Trump’s latest attempt to stop the trial from going forward.

Here’s what happened today:

Finishing jury selection:

• The remaining five alternates were sworn in on Friday. All 12 jurors and one alternate were selected Thursday.
• The day started with a group of  22 potential jurors answering a questionnaire and facing more questions from lawyers on both sides.
• Trump watched the alternates' answers very closely as they shared their opinions of him, turning toward the jury box as they responded. 
• Before the lunch break, Judge Juan Merchan gave the jurors instructions not to discuss the case with others or research it. He said the court cannot start until all 18 jurors are present each day.

Sandoval hearing:

• The judge held a Sandoval hearing in the afternoon after the full jury was sworn in. The routine procedure aimed to address Trump’s criminal history and assess how much prosecutors can ask about it if the defendant testifies.
• Prosecutors want to bring up past cases — including a $355 million civil fraud order and the E. Jean Carroll defamation case — but the former president's legal team argues those issues aren't relevant to the case at hand .
• The judge said lawyers will have his decision on that matter by Monday.
• It's not yet clear whether the former president will testify. But coming out of the courtroom, Trump said “yes” when asked whether he would take the stand.

Meantime: A New York appeals court judge denied Trump’s motion for an interim stay pending a  change of venue appeal . This was the latest attempt by the former president to stop the hush money trial before opening statements.

Outside the courtroom:

• A man lit himself on fire outside the courthouse , New York Police Chief of Department Jeffrey B. Maddrey said.
• The man walked into the park across the street from the courthouse, throwing flyers into the air , according to Maddrey. He then pulled a canister of what police believe to be an accelerant and lit himself on fire, he said.
• The man is in critical condition at Cornell Burn Unit.
• NYPD Chief of Detectives Joe Kenny said police have not determined if the incident was related to Trump’s trial. He said the man did post about the incident on social media and that his internet presence will be part of the ongoing investigation .

See courtroom sketches from Trump's first criminal trial

No cameras are allowed inside the Manhattan courtroom where Donald Trump's hush money is underway, but sketch artists are capturing the scenes.

Trump’s request for interim stay of criminal trial is denied

From CNN's Lauren del Valle

A New York appeals court judge denied Donald Trump’s motion for an interim stay pending a change of venue appeal of his criminal trial.

This was the latest attempt by the former president to stop the hush money trial right before opening statements, which are set to be heard on Monday.

Judge Marsha Michael gave five minutes for each side to argue their case at the hastily arranged hearing Friday afternoon.

Trump says judge in New York hush money case “wants this to go as fast as possible”

From CNN's Kate Sullivan and Kaanita Iyer

Former President Donald Trump spoke to reporters as he exited the courtroom Friday, and said Judge Juan Merchan, who is presiding over the hush money trial, “wants this to go as fast as possible."

“The trial starts on Monday, which is long before a lot of people thought. The judge wants this to go as fast as possible. That’s for his reasons, not for my reasons,” Trump said.

The former president also called the trial "a giant witch hunt" and railed against people involved in the separate New York civil fraud case — including Judge Arthur Engoron and New York Attorney General Letitia James — to make the case that Democrats are targeting him.

Court has adjourned

The court has adjourned for the day. Opening statements in the hush money trial are expected to begin Monday.

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2023–24 NCAA Volleyball Recruiting Rules and Calendar

Volleyball is well known for its accelerated recruiting timeline. While the NCAA is trying to crack down on early recruiting, the reality is that the volleyball recruiting process is incredibly competitive and coaches are looking to lock down top talent as soon as possible.

The NCAA volleyball recruiting rules and calendar are in place to regulate how and when coaches can start proactively contacting. The NCAA provides Division 1 coaches with the strictest rules, as they tend to start the recruiting process the earliest of all the divisions. Division 2 coaches also have a specific set of rules around when coaches can start reaching out to recruits, but they are slightly more relaxed than at the D1 level. Division 3 and NAIA coaches have the most freedom in their recruiting timelines and are able to contact athletes at most times. 

READ MORE: NCAA’s new rules will grant student-athletes the opportunity to earn money from their name, image and likeness (NIL) .

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How do the ncaa volleyball recruiting rules and calendar impact your recruiting process.

We can’t stress this enough: The NCAA volleyball recruiting rules and calendar regulate when coaches can proactively reach out to prospects. These rules are in place to prevent elite athletes from getting bombarded with recruiting interest at a young age and provide some relief from recruiting contact at certain points throughout the year.

However, athletes can—and should—reach out to college coaches at any point. Once an athlete has decided that they are committed to playing college volleyball, they should do their research, figure out which schools she’s interested in and then start proactively contacting coaches. The athlete should fill out the program’s recruiting questionnaire (usually available on the school’s volleyball website) to get on the coach’s radar and start getting alerts from that coach. She can also send initial emails with information about who she is as a student-athlete, and she can call the coach.

When can college volleyball coaches contact you?

NCAA Division 1 and Division 2 volleyball coaches can contact athletes starting June 15 after an athlete’s sophomore year of high school. This includes extending verbal offers, electronic communications (such as emails, texts, instant messages, etc.) and phone calls are acceptable at this time.

NCAA volleyball recruiting rule changed in 2019

Effective May 1, 2019, the NCAA passed new recruiting rule changed intended to slow down the trend of coaches offering scholarships to athletes as young as 7th and 8th grade. While the impact of these rules on the volleyball recruiting timeline is still unknown, the intent is to give athletes a little more time to figure out what they are looking for in a college and develop their skills before they get bombarded with scholarship offers.

Here’s a quick breakdown of the changes, which are in effect for all Division 1 college volleyball teams:

Previously, coaches were prohibited from initiating contact with a recruit, but if an athlete called a coach, they could speak on the phone. That is no longer allowed. There is zero off-campus communication allowed between a coach and a recruit before June 15 after an athlete’s sophomore year.

Despite this change, coaches still use camps and clinics as an opportunity to evaluate and start communicating with prospective recruits.

Quick refresher: Unofficial visits are any campus visits paid for entirely by the recruit’s family. Before the rule change, unofficial visits were an easy way for underclassmen to visit a college campus, meet with the coach and get an early verbal offer. However, if athletes want to take unofficial visits now, they cannot schedule them with the coach or athletic department until August 1 before junior year. Before that time, they should treat the unofficial visit just like any other student would. If the recruit happens to bump into the coach on campus, they can’t have any recruiting conversations at that time. It’s difficult to predict the impact of these changes on volleyball recruiting. While these changes limit when recruiting conversations begin, they actually allow college coaches and athletes to start communicating earlier. For D1 prospects, the recruiting floodgates will open June 15 after sophomore year, with verbal offers and contact with college coaches starting on the same day. A big shift will come on August 1 before an athlete’s junior year, when they can begin official and unofficial visits.

NCAA Division 1 volleyball recruiting rules

The NCAA Division 1 volleyball recruiting rules restrict when and how D1 volleyball coaches can actively start communicating with prospects. The most important date for D1 volleyball players is June 15 after their sophomore year. At this point, coaches can extend verbal offers and are allowed almost all forms of communication.

• Recruiting questionnaires, camp invites, NCAA materials and non-athletic publications : Any time
• Verbal Scholarship Offers: June 15 after sophomore year
• Private correspondence (phone calls, emails, texts, instant messages, DMs, faxes) : June 15 after sophomore year
• Official and unofficial visits:  August 1 before junior year
• Off-campus contact : August 1 before junior year

NCAA Division 2 volleyball recruiting rules

The most important date in the NCAA Division 2 volleyball recruiting rules is June 15 after sophomore year of high school. At this time all contact is permitted.

• Recruiting questionnaires, camp brochures and non-athletic publications : Any time
• Unofficial visits : Any time, unlimited
• Private correspondence (phone calls, emails, texts, instant messages, DMs, faxes): June 15 after sophomore year
• Official visits: June 15 before junior year
• In-person, off-campus contact: June 15 before junior year

NCAA Division 3 volleyball recruiting rules

D3 volleyball colleges have the most relaxed NCAA recruiting rules of all the division levels. Most contact is allowed at any time and recruits are only restricted in when they can start taking official visits and have off-campus contact with coaches.

• Recruiting materials : Athletes can receive recruiting materials at any time.
• Phone calls and electronic communications : There is no limit on when college coaches can call or digitally message athletes.
• Off-campus contact : After the athlete’s sophomore year, college coaches may begin to conduct off-campus contact.
• Official visits : Athletes can begin taking official visits after January 1 of their junior year.

NAIA volleyball recruiting rules

The NAIA gives a lot of freedom to its coaches in the recruiting process, and it does not restrict when or how coaches can reach out to high school athletes. Though there are fewer rules, NAIA coaches do tend to start the recruiting process a little later than NCAA Division 1 or Division 2 coaches. 

2023-24 NCAA volleyball recruiting calendar

The NCAA volleyball recruiting calendar works in coordination with the NCAA volleyball recruiting rules. The rules explain when coaches can contact recruits based on the recruit’s year in high school. The calendar explains what type of contact is permitted throughout the school year.

For example, imagine it’s November 10 of a D1 recruit’s junior year. The NCAA volleyball recruiting rules show that the recruit can be contacted by college coaches, as well as go on unofficial and official visits. However, according to the NCAA volleyball recruiting calendar, November 10 falls in a dead period, so that recruit shouldn’t plan on taking a campus visit, because D1 coaches aren’t permitted to have in-person contact with recruits during dead periods.

The D2 NCAA volleyball recruiting calendar is much less restrictive than the D1 calendar . For D2 volleyball, all dates not specified as part of the dead period should be treated like a contact period. D3 volleyball doesn’t have a recruiting calendar, with the entire school year treated like a contact period.

Contact Period : During this time, coaches can email, text, call, direct message and contact athletes and their parents through any NCAA-approved method.

• Division 1: September 1 – November 30, 2023; February 16 – July 31, 2024 (except dates listed as quiet period).

Evaluation Period : Throughout the evaluation period, coaches are allowed to watch an athlete compete in person or visit them at their school or home. However, there are some specific rules about where coaches can evaluate athletes, so pay close attention to whether coaches can evaluate athletes at school events, non-school events or both.

• Division 1: Thursday of the NCAA Division 1 Women’s Volleyball Championship through the Sunday immediately following the championship (December 14-17, 2023), a college’s coaching staff is allowed to evaluate on one day only and may attend only one event on that day, as long as it’s within a 30-mile radius of the championship site. However, coaches cannot attend events that occur at the same time as any games associated with the NCAA championship. 

Quiet Period : The quiet period is a time when coaches may not have face-to-face contact with recruits off the college campus, such as at an athlete’s school, or at an athlete’s games and tournaments. In other words, the coach can only talk to recruits on the coach’s campus or through any other approved electronic means of communication.

• Division 1: August 1-31, 2023; December 1, 2023 – February 15, 2024; May 1-30, 2024
• Exception: Coaches attending the American Volleyball Coaches Association annual awards banquet may have incidental contact with two-year college prospective student-athletes being honored at the banquet, provided no recruiting conversation occurs.

Dead Period : During the dead period, coaches may not have any in-person contact with recruits or their families. Coaches can still keep in touch with recruits via phone, email, social media and other approved electronic means of communication.

• Division 1: November 6-9, 2023
• Division 2: November 6 (7 a.m.) to 8 (7 a.m.), 2023, (during the 48 hours prior to 7 a.m. on the initial date for the signing of the National Letter of Intent)
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