Your Guide to Unofficial Visits

Unofficial visits are a great way for student-athletes to get a feel for different college campuses. Athletes in most sports and their families are not allowed to arrange unofficial visits with a school’s athletic department (including the coach) until August 1 of the athlete’s junior year. Families can still go on unofficial visits before August 1 before junior year, but they aren’t allowed to have any recruiting conversations with the coach while on campus.

A key reason to go on unofficial visits is to evaluate if a college is the right fit for you, especially if you’re not yet a junior in high school. Get a campus tour, check out the dorms and get a feel for if you could live there for four years. The best part: Unofficial visits are unlimited and can be taken at any age and at most times throughout the year.

Planning your unofficial vist

There’s a lot to consider before you start planning your unofficial visits. How you plan your unofficial visits will be different depending on your goals for the visit, your age and the division level of the school. If you’re visiting DII, DIII and NAIA schools, you won’t be impacted by recent NCAA recruiting rule changes—they are only applicable for DI schools. This means that, no matter your age, you can arrange the unofficial visit with the athletic department or coach, and you can speak with the coach while you’re on campus.

If you’re interested in visiting DI schools, you can’t arrange the visit with the athletic department—or talk about recruiting with the coach while you’re there—until August 1 of your junior year of high school. Men’s hockey can begin scheduling unofficial visits as early as January 1 of sophomore year.

If you’re an upperclassman visiting D1 schools, or a recruit visiting schools at the other division levels, you can use your unofficial visit as a chance to advance your recruiting with the coach at that school. To do so, you need to make sure that the schools you’re visiting offer real recruiting opportunities. Ask yourself each of the following questions before you set up the visit:

• Have you already been communicating with the coach?
• Has the coach approached you or your high school/club coach about setting up an unofficial visit?
• Has the coach reviewed your academic information?
• Has the coach seen your highlight video?
• Have you reviewed the school’s information and determined that it might be the right fit for you?

If you answered “yes” to most of these questions, you’re in a great position. Most importantly, you want to ensure that you have been in communication with the college coach. You don’t want to waste your time visiting a school that may not be a realistic recruiting opportunity for you. To set up your visit, call the coach and let them know you’re interested in seeing the campus. Ask them what dates they would be available to meet you and your family. Some recruits lean heavily on their high school or club coach to help them set up unofficial visits with college coaches.

If you’re an underclassman interested in D1 schools, there are a few different routes you can go. First, you can take unofficial visits to those D1 schools as if you were a regular student. Tour the library and the campus at large. Check out the town. Ask questions, take notes and determine what you like about the campus. This can help you better understand what you’re looking for in a school, so you can refine your target list. Don’t forget to check out some DII, DIII and NAIA schools—you never know what your best fit will be until you explore the different options available!

What happens on an unofficial visit

While every school is a little bit different, most coaches will take some time to speak with you and your parents/guardians about the school and their athletic program. Come prepared with questions for the coach and use this opportunity to get them answered. Then, the coach may take you on a tour of the athletic facilities. The rest of the time will be up to you to arrange a tour of the campus and possibly meet with an academic adviser. You and your family may also be invited to attend a home sporting event.

While unofficial visits are a great way to get to know a coach and the athletic program better, they also give you a chance to really experience the college campus. Can you picture yourself living there for four years? Here are a few ways to familiarize yourself with the college campus during your visit:

• Check out the library and sit in on a class.
• Visit the different housing options, both on and off campus.
• Meet your future training staff.
• Eat in the school cafeteria or food court.
• Set up a meeting with an academic adviser.
• Hang out on the campus grounds.

As you’re checking each of these spots off your list, take a couple minutes to write down your thoughts. It might seem trivial in the moment, but as you visit schools throughout the year, they can all start to blend to together. You can always refer to your notes later on when you’re working on narrowing down your target list of schools.

Below we expand on our tips for how to schedule unofficial visits with college coaches: 

1. Brainstorm which campuses you would like to visit most. Most athletes cannot afford to go on multiple unofficial visits across the country. Therefore, think about 2-3 campuses that you would like to visit that are either within driving distance or a quick flight away. 
2. Look at your calendar and pick out some free days. Once you have picked out some free days that you and your guardian(s) are able to go on unofficial visits, try to pair visits together. For example, if you are going to visit the University of San Francisco, then it is also wise to pair that visit with the University of California, Berkeley and see both campuses in one day or in the same weekend. 
3. Contact the coaches and schedule unofficial visits. If NCAA rules prohibit coaches from emailing you back or calling you back, then it is time to pick up the phone. Call coaches on the phone and speak to them directly about scheduling an unofficial visit. Remember, if they do not pick up then keep calling back! Notify coaches that you will be near the campus on XYZ dates (the dates you have already picked out) and would like to visit then. Once you have locked down a time to visit one campus, you can move onto the next campus and see if you can schedule two campuses for the same day or for the same weekend. 

Although the recruiting process becomes more serious for juniors and seniors in high school, it is never too early to tour campuses and meet coaches in person.

The more unofficial visits you take, the more likely you will be able to get a sense of the school, team, and coaches. Unofficial visits are a free pass to gain insight into how you feel about coaches and their program as well as how coaches feel about you. View the video below to learn more about how to schedule your visits. 

What are the NCAA unofficial visit rules?

According to the NCAA unofficial visit rules, you are allowed to stay on campus with an enrolled student, but there are some specific rules the institution must follow based on its division level. For DI and DII schools, recruits can stay in an enrolled student’s dorm; however, the athlete must pay the regular institutional rate for that lodging. DIII recruits can stay with currently enrolled students in their dorm if that housing option is available to all students who visit the school, athletes and non-athletes alike. DIII schools can also pay for a student-athlete’s housing during an unofficial visit if they provide housing for every prospective student. Your parents/guardians will still need to find their own accommodations.

Questions to ask the coach during your unofficial visit

When you go on your unofficial visit, one of your top priorities should be to ask the coach any questions you have about the school and the program. Before you go, write down your questions and keep adding to the list throughout your visit. When it’s time to talk to the coach, you’ll have your list ready to go, rather than trying to come up with questions on the spot. Here some examples of questions you might want to ask:

• What are the athletic and academic requirements? You’re probably well-versed in eligibility requirements—if not, read more about NCAA eligibility requirements. But each coach will have slightly different criteria that they look for in their athletes.
• What kind of academic support does the athletic program offer? Being a successful student is the most important part of your college career. Make sure that you’ll be set up with the tools you need.
• What commitments do you expect from athletes in the off-season or during holidays? If going home over the holidays and for summer break is important to you, then you need to know what commitment level is expected during these times.
• What is your coaching and training style? By this point, you’ve probably played for a few different coaches with various coaching styles. And you probably know what kind of approach works best for you. Remember: The coach has to want you on their team, but you also can choose a team that best fits what you’re looking for.
• Will I be able to meet any current athletes? It’s important to see the team dynamics, if possible. Do they joke around or are they more serious? Do they hang out on the weekend or do they have separate friend groups?
• What are the training facilities like? To stay healthy and in shape throughout your tenure as a college athlete, you’ll need access to the right facilities and people.
• What are you looking for in a recruit? This is your opportunity to find out what spots the coach is trying to fill and ultimately who they want on their team to fill these positions.

What to wear on an unofficial visit

A lot of recruits ask us what to wear, and our best piece of advice is to err on the side of overdressing, rather than underdressing. You want to look neat and clean throughout your entire trip. For men, bring a collared shirt with nice jeans or khakis. For women, skirt, dress, nice slacks or jeans are acceptable. Avoid wearing sweatshirts, sweatpants, hats, flip flops and ripped jeans.

Bring athletic clothes and shoes in case you get invited to work out with the team. For all D1 sports—minus men’s basketball—athletes are not allowed to try out for a team during a visit; however, the team captain can organize a team workout, which recruits can join if the coach is not present. Similarly, at DIII schools, recruits can join in an unofficial team workout. For Division I men’s basketball and all DII sports, recruits can take part in tryouts during visits.

After your unofficial visit: The coach follow-up

When you get home, write the coach a “thank you” note. Tell the coach what you liked about the school and thank them for their time. You can also include a brief list of where you’ll be playing next so they can watch you in person. Not only does this show the coach that you are a thoughtful, courteous athlete, but it will keep you top-of-mind as the coach works on creating their roster.