Choosing a college that’s right for you can be a difficult process. But if you take the proper approach, things will go a lot more smoothly and you’ll be more likely to be satisfied with the results. Stick to these steps when choosing a college:
- Identify colleges that offer the right fit, academically
- Identify colleges that offer the right fit, athletically
- Identify colleges that offer the right fit, financially
- Identify colleges that offer the right fit, socially
If you want to know how to find the best college, identifying colleges which offer the right fit will surely increase your chances of having a successful college career.
In this article, we cover each fit in more depth and offer some tips for what to look for, and how to start your college search.
Finding the right college (what to look for)
Academic fit
- Athletic scholarships don’t guarantee school acceptance; academic qualifications matter.
- Consider your desired major and academic commitment alongside sports.
- Seek advice on managing course loads from coaches and potential teammates.
Athletic fit
- Focus on the right division level for you, as less than 2% reach D1.
- Aim for schools where you contribute significantly, like D2, D3, NAIA, or junior colleges, all with great opportunities and scholarships.
- Understand division differences to find your fit.
Financial fit
- Assess affordability and potential aid at each school, considering athletic scholarships and other aid types.
- Investigate aid options at every school you consider.
- Explore tips on finding the right financial fit for your family.
Social fit
- Choose a comfortable school as it’s your home for four years.
- Evaluate campus environment, location, size, dorms, and social atmosphere during visits.
- Seek feedback from current students.
- Consider distance from home and weather/climate.
- Maintain a checklist of personal preferences.
- Get advice from NCSA recruiting experts on choosing a socially fitting school.
NCSA Power Rankings consider factors like student desirability, academic performance, affordability, and more.
View our list of best colleges for student athletes.
College search tips
Student athletes typically have a couple dream schools in mind when they begin their recruiting journey. But the chances of coaches at those schools recruiting their position and offering a scholarship might be slim.
That is why we tell every student athlete to keep their options open, research several programs and build a school list to maximize opportunities and find their best college fit.
Insider Tip: When you sign up to join NCSA you get access to our exclusive College Match feature where you can easily filter through schools based on your specific athletic, academic and college fit criteria. Get started with a free recruiting profile today!
Starting early in high school, student athletes should begin to build a list of potential colleges.
This list should include five safety schools, ten target schools and five dream schools.
- Target schools: These are the schools where you have the most realistic chance of getting in and will be the right fit not only athletically, but academically, financially and socially.
- Dream schools: Maybe these schools are a stretch academically, where you will need to improve significantly to qualify athletically or maybe too expensive without significant financial aid. You should have these dream schools on your list but recognize they might be a stretch.
- Safety schools: These are the schools you have on your list as your back-up plan. Keep your options open and consider schools that you otherwise might not have before starting your research. While these schools may not be your first choice, they’re still a good fit.
NCSA’s college search tools
One of the most difficult aspects of finding the right college is simply knowing where to look. There are thousands of viable schools in the country across the Division 1, Division 2, Division 3, NAIA, and junior college levels where student athletes can potentially find a great fit for their college experience.
That’s why NCSA provides student athletes and families with powerful college search tools that simplify this complicated process.
Over 82% of college programs have had an NCSA athlete on their roster and the impressive range of our athlete placement is partly due to our college search feature. College Search allows users to easily filter through thousands of schools based on specific athletic, academic and college fit criteria.
Additionally, NCSA College Match equips users with the most sophisticated college-matching algorithm in the industry, able to suggest colleges that offer athletic scholarships while also focusing colleges to match preferences, skill level, academics and recruiting evaluation results.
Users can dig even deeper into their search results with Match Analysis, which provides a visual snapshot of how they fit athletically and academically at a specific college.
What are you waiting for? Get started for free!