At Great College Advice, our team of college admissions consultants has guided hundreds of student-athletes through every division of college sports, from NCAA Division I powerhouses to D3 programs. This guide compiles the questions our counselors recommend asking, informed by years of firsthand experience working with recruited athletes and their families.

Whether you are an NCAA Division I prospect, a Division III athlete seeking academic rigor, or considering the NAIA, these questions matter. Use them in any recruiting conversation with a coach.

Why the Right Questions Matter

High school athletes can be star-struck when recruited, especially by distant programs. This guide helps you regain control.

Jeanette Hadsell, senior admissions consultant at Great College Advice, says: “The recruiting process is a marathon, not a sprint. Families must research before meeting coaches. Without clear questions, you risk life-changing decisions based on incomplete information.”

One parent in our community put it well: after an MIT Track and Field coach contacted their student a week before the deadline, the family realized they lacked a framework to evaluate the opportunity. A prepared question list would have helped.

Signing with a college athletic program is a major commitment — you exchange athletic ability for education. Be thorough.

Questions to Ask About Your Athletic Role

Before you consider anything else, understand exactly where you fit in the program — not just in Year 1, but across all four years. Coaches recruit for positions they need to fill; make sure you know the full picture.

• What position will I play on your team?
• Have you personally watched me play, or have you reviewed my video highlights? Why do you think my skills fit your program?
• Who are the current players competing at my position, and what skills do they have?
• How many other recruits are you considering for my position this cycle?
• Where do you see me fitting into the program in Year 1? Years 2, 3, and 4?
• What is my realistic chance of earning playing time as a freshman?
• Where do I rank on your list of recruits for this position?
• Can I redshirt my first year? Under what circumstances do you typically redshirt players?
• What are the annual physical requirements — training load, conditioning standards, weight expectations?
• Will I receive a written scholarship agreement or tender?
• What are your expectations of me as a player and as a person?

A redshirt year lets a student-athlete practice and attend classes without using a year of eligibility. This is common in football and some other sports although less so these days in the new era of NIL (Name, Image and Likeness). Clarifying whether this is part of the coach’s plan is essential. Redshirting affects your four-year trajectory in ways that may not be obvious on a visit.

Questions About NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness)

Since 2021, NCAA athletes have been able to earn money from their name, image, and likeness. NIL has reshaped recruiting, especially at Division I programs.

• How has NIL impacted your recruiting process at this program?
• Does your school have an NIL collective, and what opportunities might be available to athletes in my sport?
• What guidance does the athletic department provide to help athletes navigate NIL deals?
• Are there any NIL restrictions specific to your conference or institution I should know about?

NIL is no longer a bonus consideration — it is a line-item question in any serious recruiting conversation, particularly for Division I programs.

Questions About the Transfer Portal

The transfer portal is now a lasting part of college athletics. Understanding how a program handles players who leave and recruits from the portal reveals a lot about how the coaching staff values the roster.

• How many players have entered the transfer portal from your program in the past two years?
• Do you bring in transfer portal athletes at my position, and how does that affect my roster spot?
• If I am not progressing the way I hoped, what is your process for having that conversation?
• If I wanted to transfer, what would that process look like, and would you support my decision?

Questions to Ask About the Coaching Staff

Your relationship with the coaching staff will shape your entire college athletic experience. It is just as important for the coach to evaluate you as it is for you to evaluate the coach.

• How would you describe your coaching philosophy and style?
• Where do you place your emphasis during training — offense, defense, individual skill development?
• When does your head coaching contract expire?
• What is each assistant coach responsible for?
• How does your program treat walk-ons?
• What does a typical week look like for a student-athlete during the season? During the off-season?
• How important is this sport to the school’s athletic director and administration?

The question about the head coach’s contract is one that families frequently overlook. If a coach is in the final year of a contract with no extension in sight, the program you are committing to may look very different by your sophomore year. Jamie Berger, veteran college admissions expert, advises families to remember that “you are not just committing to a sport — you are committing to a coach, a staff, a culture, and an institution. All four of those things need to be right.”

Questions About Academics and Athletic Support

Sarah Farbman, Senior Admissions Consultant at Great College Advice, notes that athletic recruiting often pushes application timelines forward, sometimes by 18 months or more. That urgency makes it easy to overlook academics. Do not let it.

• What is the admissions process for a recruited athlete at this institution?
• What percentage of scholarship athletes graduate in four years?
• What was the team’s average GPA last year?
• What academic support systems are in place — tutors, mandatory study hall, class-load management?
• How are missed classes and exams handled during the competition schedule?
• How are missed practices or tardiness due to academic commitments handled?
• How many academic credits are required to maintain athletic eligibility?
• How many credits are required to maintain financial aid?
• Does the school have a dedicated athletic advising center, and how many athletes use it?

For guidance on how GPA is calculated and what academic benchmarks matter for recruited athletes, see our dedicated guide.

Questions About Team Culture

Jeanette Hadsell of Great College Advice emphasizes that team culture questions are among the most revealing a recruit can ask: “Ask about what the culture of the team is like — how the players get along, what the expectations are beyond practice. For sports like swimming or track, where men and women may train together, that environment matters too. The off-season culture tells you a lot about a program.”

• Do players on the team live in the same residence hall?
• Am I required to live on campus all four years?
• What region or state do most of your players come from?
• What team-building activities does your program use?
• How much travel is involved in a typical season?
• What are the program’s most notable accomplishments in the past five years?
• What are the team’s conduct standards — are they the institution’s minimum or more stringent?
• Am I expected to stay on campus during the summer?
• What are my off-season responsibilities?

Questions to Ask About Athletic Scholarships and Finances

Jeanette Hadsell warns against a common misconception: “Not everything is a full ride. Sports and schools differ in scholarship budgets. Many Division I schools do not offer athletic scholarships. Football and basketball follow different financial rules than Olympic sports like track and swimming.”

This means financial conversations require careful, specific questions — not assumptions.

• Exactly what expenses does the scholarship cover — tuition, room, board, books, fees, special assessments?
• If I am injured, what happens to my scholarship?
• What conditions determine annual scholarship renewal?
• What medical insurance and coverage does the college provide for athletes?
• Can I also receive academic merit aid in addition to athletic aid?
• Are there academic scholarships available if my athletic aid is reduced or does not cover the full cost?

For a broader look at which athletes receive the largest scholarships and why, see a detailed breakdown by sport and division.

How Great College Advice Supports Recruited Athletes

Great College Advice offers assistance in building an athletic résumé, guidance on coach outreach strategy, assessment of coach interest, and integration of athletic prospects into the broader college list development process.

Our counselors — with over 100 combined years of admissions experience across the team — understand that athletic recruiting is not a separate track from college admissions. It is deeply intertwined with it. The students we work with are not just athletes; they want the right academic environment, the right culture, and the right competitive opportunities.

Navigating athletic recruiting and don’t know where to start? Contact Great College Advice for a free consultation. We will help you build the right questions, evaluate the right programs, and make the decision that is right for your future.

The post What Questions to Ask Recruiting Coaches first appeared on Great College Advice.

In my last two blog posts, I’ve explained that your college application tells a story about you. And have discussed two of the most important parts of that story: your transcript and test scores. (See: “The Story of Your College Application: Transcripts” and “The Story of Your College Application: Test Scores“.) Here, I will focus on extracurricular activities, which constitute another part of your story.

Throughout this post, I will use the term “activities” to include everything students do outside of the classroom, including clubs, sports, community service, religious activities, and work experience. Many students have asked me if it will “look better on a college application” if they do one activity versus another. The truth is that it doesn’t really matter what you do, as long as you’re doing something and demonstrating an ongoing, in-depth commitment to it.

When deciding which activities to pursue, the most important question to ask yourself is, “What do I enjoy doing?” After all, if you’re going to devote a significant amount of time to something, you might as well have fun in the process. If possible, you should take on a leadership role in an activity. As this suggests that you are responsible and have good communication and organizational skills. Additionally, being a leader indicates that you are capable of guiding and managing your peers.  Colleges are interested in this because they want to admit students who will become leaders on their campuses.

Another factor to keep in mind is that you don’t have to do everything. Colleges are not impressed by students who have a mile-long list of activities. But who are only involved on a “surface level”. Especially if those students didn’t even get involved until their junior or senior year. Rather, colleges prefer applicants who have fully participated in two to three activities for an extended period of time. Furthermore, colleges like to see that students have achieved something in their chosen activities. Be it winning a district or state championship, receiving an honor or award, or holding a leadership position.

Some students choose not to get involved in extracurricular activities for a variety of reasons. One of the most common is that they want to focus on school and are afraid that participating in activities will negatively impact their grades. Unfortunately, this generally is not the type of student colleges are looking for. Of course, colleges want students who are committed to academics. But they also want students who will get involved on campus, as that is what makes colleges thrive. Not only that, but participating in activities and earning good grades shows that you can manage your time, and that is key to succeeding in college.

Another reason students might not participate in school or community activities is because they have to work or have family obligations. Such as taking care of younger siblings. Believe it or not, those are activities, too! Again, colleges like to see that you’ve made a long-term commitment to something and that you are responsible. And what better demonstrates that than maintaining a job or helping your family?

In addition to being interested in the extracurricular activities you do during the school year. Colleges also want to know how you’ve spent your summers. Unless you’re going to summer school, you don’t have to go to school at all during the summer. So what you do with that time speaks volumes about who you are. When deciding what to do during the summer, use the aforementioned guidelines. Summer should be more than just sleeping in, watching TV, and hanging out with your friends.

As with your transcript, you have control over the kind of story your activities tell. And you should give some thought to what you want your story to say. If you find yourself coming home after school everyday and doing nothing more than your homework. Ask yourself is there’s a better way you could be spending your time. Not only might you find something impressive to put on your college applications. You also might discover something you really enjoy.

The post Your College App Story: Extracurricular Activities first appeared on Great College Advice.

If you’ve identified a college that may be of interest to you, make a special point to visit that school. While on campus, why not make a little time to visit with the coach? Meeting with a coach is a great opportunity to ask questions about the school and the athletic program that you are interested in.

Not only will it give you more insight into the program and help you decide if you like the coach. But it’s also an excellent chance to market yourself. Be sure to contact the coach in advance of your visit to schedule an actual appointment. You don’t want to show up on campus hoping to speak to a coach and have no one there to see you!

Before you go, it’s also good idea to do a little bit of research about the college so that you can highlight to the coach the particular reasons why the school appeals to you. Spend some time on the school’s website. Read up on the school in one of the guidebooks to colleges. Check out YouTube to see if the school has a virtual tour, or go to one of the websites that offers virtual campus tours such as ecampustours.com  or Youniversitytv.com.

For your appointment, be sure to take:

• A copy of your transcript, so the coach can see what kind of student you are
• A copy of your athletic resume

When you go, there’s no harm in having a parent be there with you. It may even be beneficial since your parents will ask questions that you won’t. Be nice to your parents, however! The coach will be observing you, and you want to leave the best possible impression. Coaches don’t want disrespectful players on their team.

Because you have initiated the contact with the coach, and you are paying for everything having to do with your visit (i.e. transportation, food, lodging). You are considered to be conducting an “unofficial visit”. “Official visits” are those where the athlete is invited by the coach to spend time with the college’s team and the athlete’s expenses are paid for by the school. (Note that “official visits” can’t happen until after a student’s junior year in high school.) There is no such thing as an “official visit” in NCAA Division III sports, since those schools will not pay to recruit athletes.

If you are on an early “unofficial visit”, and you don’t really know where you stand with respect to the team and the recruiting process at that school, frame your questions as exploratory (e.g., “Playing my sport in college is very important to me, so I’m interested in understanding your approach to the team and the student experience on the team and at the school.”)

If you are further along in the recruitment process, and you appear to be clearly on the coach’s radar for recruitment. Then you can be more direct and specific with your questions. Either way, don’t be afraid to ask questions of the coach when you meet. You need to have as clear an understanding as possible about where you stand as an athlete with that school. And, if you attend, what your experience will be like when you get there.

For a great list of possible questions to ask the coach, see my colleague Mark’s blog post here.

Andrea Aronson
College Admissions Counselor
Westfield, NJ

The post Athletic Recruiting: Plan an Unofficial Visit first appeared on Great College Advice.

Universities are also cutting sports–or at least slashing their budgets.  Very few NCAA sports programs break even, and even fewer make money:  most are a drag on institutional budgets.  As reported by the Associated Press,

In the five-year period through 2008, only 18 of 119 Division I athletic departments operated in the black, according to preliminary numbers compiled by Dan Fulks, an accounting professor at Transylvania University in Lexington, Ky., who has been an NCAA consultant for 20 years. Those numbers were before the economic downturn.

And one might argue (though in America college sports seem to be sacrosanct) that the amounts of money regularly poured into varsity athletics are unjustifiably high.  So perhaps it’s a good thing that coaches’ budgets are being axed.

But whether we think this is a good or bad thing, there is no doubt that the faltering economy is having an impact on the student experience at many universities.

Here are some examples:

• Some schools are eliminating new scholarships to less flashy sports, like cross country, track and field, and swimming.
• Many schools are trimming travel budgets.  For some schools this means fewer chartered plane and more commercial flights.  For some this means more buses instead of airplanes.  For others, it means traveling only to neighboring states.
• Some are cutting insurance for walk-on players.
• Media guides–hefty, eye-popping, public relations pieces–are being eliminated at many colleges.
• Coaches are scheduling more practices and games during the day to save on nighttime lighting.

Some of these measures will be barely noticeable to most athletes (except those swimmers who were expecting scholarships in return for spending countless hours paddling back and forth across the pool).  But if the economic downturn continues to affect college budgets, I would expect to see more cuts to athletic programs in the coming years.

Since most athletic programs do not pay for themselves, college presidents and boards of trustees will come under pressure to make further cuts to their institutional budgets.  And as they do, expect them to focus more on trimming athletic budgets as a way to protect financial aid, faculty salaries, and student services that are shared by all students–rather than the small number of athletes in some sports.

What does this mean for students and their families who are shopping for colleges with particular sports?  Be aware that some sports are much better funded than others, and that while a sport seems well-funded today, that doesn’t mean it will be well-funded tomorrow.  Ask questions about the financial health of the program, and inquire as to what cuts already have been made in the last year or two.  Don’t just assume that if your son or daughter gets a scholarship today that it will necessarily be extended all four years:  that’s a guarantee that no coach can really make in these tough financial times.

Educational Consultant

The post Colleges Cut Costs By Cutting Sports first appeared on Great College Advice.

Consider purchasing her book: you’ll be glad you did!
Mark Montgomery
Great College Advice and Athletic Recruiting Assistance
Montgomery Educational Consulting

The post Answering Coach Questionnaires for NCAA Recruitment first appeared on Great College Advice.

The first thing I said was that participation in sports was often an indicator of success in college. As varsity athletes tend to have higher GPAs and are more satisfied with their college experience.

However, these parents’ basic concern is valid. Being a Division I athlete is a huge commitment. One must eat, sleep, and breathe one’s sport, and a D1 athelete can plan on training throughout the year to stay in tip-top condition. Further, Division I athletes must commit to playing all four years if they want to keep their athletic scholarship.

But I spent a lot of time explaining that while Division III schools do not offer athletic scholarships, they do recruit athletes in a different way. Every school with a volleyball team (for example) wants to fill its roster with good players who can take a league championship. Thus many colleges offer other forms of scholarship money to entice an able player to join its team–and its student body.

For you see, colleges have needs that they are trying to fulfill. Not only do they need to round out their volleyball roster. But they need a tuba player, an editor of the school newspaper, and a tenor for the glee club. Think of admissions officers as social engineers: they need to populate the campus with a variety of folks to fill certain prescribed roles. The whole process is not quite so neat and clean as that (it’s not very scientific). But the art of the admissions officer is to build a well-rounded class. And in order to do this, they have to meet the needs of the coaches (among others).

So my advice to parents was to relax a bit. Their kids can still find colleges at which they can have a satisfying varsity athletic experience. And still focus on their school work and also allow them to explore other activities (study abroad, a new social cause, artistic pursuits, etc.).

While some kids are seeking the rush and excitement of serious competition a the Division I level. The majority of players that I met today at the Colorado Crossroads volleyball tournament will never be able to achieve that level of competition. But as I explained to these parents, their daughters will have myriad opportunities available to them. If they learn to play the college admissions and athletic recruiting games like a pro.

Speaking of a pro, I have been very fortunate to have Nancy Nitardy, author of Get Paid To Play, working with me at Colorado Crossroads. She is a former Division I swimming coach at Dartmouth, Harvard, and Indiana University. She works with me in advising athletes on their best athletic options. While I help the same students identify their best academic options. Together, Nancy Nitardy and I are able to provide great college advice for college-bound athletes, whatever their level of play.

Mark Montgomery
Montgomery Educational Consulting
Great College Advice

The post Division I vs. Division III: Sports or Studies? first appeared on Great College Advice.