Does An Unofficial Visit Mean An Offer?
Scheduling an unofficial visit is a huge step in the recruitment process. It may be your first in-person interaction with a collegiate coach, or just a way to get a better feel for a school. Whatever it may be, be sure to make the most out of it, and take notes to compare it to other schools you may eventually visit.
Taking an unofficial visit to a college or university does not necessarily mean you’ve been extended an offer, nor does it mean you’ll be extended an offer. It is possible for a coach to offer a student athlete while taking an unofficial visit, but by no means is this guaranteed. Part of taking an unofficial visit is developing a relationship with the coach and making a lasting impression. By doing so, a coach is more likely to consider you favorably when deciding how to distribute his or her scholarships.
Below is some additional information discussing the prospects of receiving a scholarship on an official visit, the NCAA guidelines for unofficial visits and why you should take an official visit.
Will I Receive An Offer On My Official Visit?
Even though the odds are against you receiving a scholarship offer on your unofficial visit, there are a few key considerations to gauge your odds.
Relationship With The Coaching Staff: This might seem obvious, but a non-starter to being offered on an unofficial visit is having a relationship with the coach/coaching staff. A coach isn’t going to make an offer to an athlete they don’t know. The recruiting process is all about developing relationships with coaches, so if you want to have any chances of being extended an offer on an unofficial visit, you’ll need to put in the time and effort into building relationships with coaches at the schools you are targeting.
Can You Meet With The Coaching Staff: Another obvious situation that would prevent you from being extended an offer on an unofficial visit is can you meet with the coach. The NCAA prohibits college coaches from discussing recruiting with high school athletes on unofficial visit until after August 1st of their junior year. In addition, the NCAA has designated “dead periods” when a college coach isn’t allowed to have any contact with recruits. If your unofficial visit is before August 1st of your junior year or during one of these “dead periods”, you will not be able to talk with the coach and obviously not be able to receive an offer.
Recruiting Timelines: The final consideration for whether you might be offered on your unofficial visit is where you are in the recruiting timeline. If you are very early in the recruiting process and the coach hasn’t begun to offer scholarships to your recruiting class yet, it is likely you’ll not receive an offer on your unofficial visit. But, if you’re in the recruiting sweet-spot where the coach is starting to fill your recruiting class and you’re high on their list, you may receive an offer on your visit. Due note, this is highly dependent on your sport and the division of the school you are visiting.
Again, it isn’t likely to be offered a scholarship on an unofficial visit, but if you’ve taken the time to develop a relationship with the coach and you’ve planned your unofficial visit at the ideal time, it might just happen.
Unofficial Visit Guidelines
Unofficial visits operate a bit differently than official visits. Discussed below are the NCAA rules and regulations regarding unofficial visits.
Individually Financed: Unlike official visits, unofficial visits are to be completely financed by the athlete and their family. Per NCAA rules, the only thing school athletic programs are permitted to pay for is three complimentary admission tickets to a sporting event for the individual and his or her family taking the visit. Additionally, while schools are not allowed to pay for overnight housing for students and their families over the course of the unofficial visit, they can provide housing in dormitories for the standard rate charged. This rate to stay in a dormitory is often favorable to hotel stays.
When Can I Take An Unofficial Visit: An unofficial visit can be taken at any time. It doesn’t matter what age you are as a prospective student athlete to take an unofficial visit; this could even be prior to starting high school. Keep in mind, a NCAA rule went into place in May of 2019 stating that for Division I schools, you are not allowed to arrange unofficial visits with the athletic department or talk about recruiting with a coach while taking your official visit until August 1st of your junior year of high school.
Additional NCAA Stipulations: There is one exception to when prospective student athletes can take unofficial visits if they want to talk to the coach and that’s the NCAA “dead periods”. These “dead periods” vary by specific sport and strictly prohibit all in-person recruitment processes between player and coach. The only way a prospective student athlete would be permitted to take an unofficial visit during an NCAA regulated “dead period” would be if they have signed a National Letter of Intent, an athletic scholarship agreement, or have already been admitted to the school and paid a deposit.
Athletes and their families are responsible for planning their unofficial visits making them much more individualized than official visits. As such, interacting with the coaching staff is likely to be much more limited than on an official visit. Unofficial visits are meant to be a time for student athletes to see the school and envision whether or not it is a fit for them with less of an emphasis on athletics.
Why Should I Take An Unofficial Visit
Unofficial visits should be used as a learning mechanism to gain an idea of whether or not you see certain schools as the right fit.
To Tour The School: Unofficial visits are unlimited in number and can happen at any age. This being said, treat unofficial visits to different schools as a way to feel out their campus’ and what all they have to offer you as a student, not just as an athlete. You should use this time to do things such as taking a tour, looking at the libraries and dining halls, and other buildings that are important to a college or university.
To Help In Your Recruitment: One thing coaches often look for in prospective student athletes is reciprocal interest. If a coach is interested in you, the more interest you show, the greater likelihood you have to be extended a scholarship offer. Before taking an unofficial visit, be sure to be in communication with the coaching staff at that school. Whether it be through your high school coach, or you personally, make sure to get into contact with the coach and schedule a time for you and your family to meet with him or her. Building relationships with a coach early may serve extremely beneficial in the long run.
To Ask Questions Of A Coach: Whether it be an official or unofficial visit, having questions prepared to ask coaches is extremely important. This may be your first in-person interaction with a coach, so try to learn as much as you can. You might ask about the athletes he or she recruits, his or her coaching style, and his or her expectations. Be sure to prepare insightful questions to get the most out of taking an unofficial visit.
Things To Keep In Mind
If You Aren’t Offered A Scholarship, Don’t Panic: Many coaches will wait to offer athletes until after they have taken visits so as to look back and reflect upon what kind of asset they believe you might be to their team. Many coaches will take a bit of time to think over extending you a scholarship offer, so by no means is it a bad sign to not be offered a scholarship on an unofficial visit.
Do Your Research: Since your family will be paying for your unofficial visits, you’ll want to pick the schools you visit strategically. Take the time to research each school, get into contact with the coach and scope out their level of interest in you as a recruit. Then, narrow down your list based on the coaches that seem most interested and pick the schools that make the most sense for you based on your preferences and the financial burden of all the visits.