Frequently Asked Questions

A student-athlete can go on an unofficial visit at any time, but they are limited to five official visits to NCAA Division 1 and 2 schools. On an unofficial visit, athletes pay for all costs. Coaches or athletic departments pay some or all of the costs of an official visit. The only thing that can be paid for on an unofficial visit is three tickets to an athletic event.

If a school pays for anything else, such as food, lodging, or travel expenses, then the visit will count as an official visit.

Unlike unofficial visits, which an athlete can go on at any time, an official visit must be taken during the athlete’s senior year. Also, a coach will have to offer to bring you on an official visit; there is no other way to sign up to take them. It’s a good idea to start taking unofficial visits to local schools, so an athlete can get a feel for visiting colleges. By doing this, they will be prepared for official visits, or more costly unofficial visits to schools that are not close to home. It’s important to be prepared for a visit so you’re not wasting your time or the coach’s time.

NCAA Division II scholarships by sport:

Many of FirstPoint USA’s clients will dream of being professional athletes and pursue college athletics to make it happen. Below is data estimated from the NCAA that compares participation rates of six sports and the percentage of students that achieve their goal of participating in college athletics and then professional sports.

Registering for the Clearinghouse, now called the Eligibility Center, does not get you noticed or recruited by coaches. All the Eligibility Center does is allows coaches to easily find out if you are academically and athletically eligible to compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I or 2 level. It is not necessary to register for the Eligibility Center if you are going to play at the NCAA Division 3 level.

Coaches will need your Eligibility Center number to find out if you are eligible to compete. Once you are assigned a number you must have a coach request your information from the Eligibility Center for your eligibility status to be reviewed and completed.

Many athletes just register with the Eligibility Center and expect to be recruited, this will not happen. The Eligibility Center costs $65 for US students and $95 for international students. You should register when you know that a coach from a D1 or D2 level is interested in you, otherwise you are spending unnecessary money.

Whether or not you have your amateur status depends on multiple factors. For Division I, II, and III sports, the NCAA reviews nine different aspects of an athlete’s profile to determine eligibility. Any violation of these nine factors may result in penalization or lose of eligibility with the NCAA.

Contracts with a professional team: Most of the time the NCAA will allow you to sign a contract with a professional team, as long as you're not receiving pay or benefits. However, they will closely review any contract you have signed with a pro team.

Salary for participating in athletics: To be declared an amateur, you cannot receive any salary for competing in athletics.

Prize money: The NCAA does not allow an athlete to earn money or prizes that are worth more than the cost of participating in an event. If you are not sure if your prize will violate NCAA rules, you are better off not accepting it.

Play with professionals: The NCAA will examine any time you have spent playing on a professional team or in professional competitions.

Tryouts, practice or competition with a professional team: If you have spent any time competing or trying out with professionals, regardless of whether you made the team or not, the NCAA will take a look at it to make sure you did not lose your amateur status.

Benefits from an agent or prospective agent: Amateur athletes may not have an agent. Sometimes agents try to get around this by offering benefits to athletes in hopes that they sign with them once they are done with college. Any contracts with an agent or benefits you have received from them will nullify your amateur status.

Agreement to be represented by an agent: As stated above, you are not allowed to sign any contracts to be represented by an agent.

Delayed initial full-time collegiate enrollment to participate in organized sports competition: The NCAA allows a 1-year grace period for enrollment after you graduate high school. After the one year period the NCAA may start taking away your eligibility. The NCAA allows you to have 5 seasons in which you can compete in 4. The fifth year is called a red-shirt year. A red-shirt year allows you to sit out a year of competition for various reasons, without losing one of your 4 years of competition.

Any financial assistance based on athletics or skills or participation: The NCAA does not allow you to benefit financially from your athletic skills or fame. This includes making money on autographs, free haircuts, and many other things. The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, or NAIA, allows only amateurs to compete in NAIA athletics. You will lose your amateur status for turning professional in a sport, but you will only lose amateur status in that sport.

Yes, you must be placed on the Institutional Request List, or an IRL, in order to receive an athletic scholarship and be eligible to compete at an NCAA Division I or 2 school. When you register for the NCAA Eligibility Center your eligibility is not reviewed until a coach asks the Eligibility Center to place you on the Institutional Request List.

If you are not receiving interest from Division 1 or 2 coaches then it is not necessary to register with the Eligibility Center immediately.

Once you have started receiving interest from Division 1 and 2 school you should begin the registration process. This includes answering questions about your academic and athletic history, and having your SAT or ACT scores and transcripts sent to the Eligibility Center.

Once you have completed the registration process you will be assigned an Eligibility Center number.

Your case will be reviewed and finalized once a coach uses your Eligibility Center number to request your information. Once a coach has requested you and your eligibility has been reviewed, you will either be cleared or deemed ineligible.

In order to be eligible to compete in college sports at the NCAA and NAIA levels, you will need to register with their respective Eligibility Centres at some point. It is recommended that you register as you enter your junior year only if you know for sure that you will be playing at either level. Make sure you know which division level you are able to compete at before you register for any Eligibility Centre; this will save you both time and money.

Being able to play your sport year-round has many advantages in the college recruiting process. College coaches want to see that you are dedicated enough to your sport that you continue to train year-round. It’s not enough to be a part of your high school team anymore. Serious high school recruits are playing year-round with club and travel teams.

Depending on where you go to high school, you are limited in how you will get exposure to colleges. While it may be great to be the star of your high school team, if you aren’t competing against other top schools or athletes, coaches will have a difficult time knowing how you will fit in at the college level.

Signing up for a club or travel team allows you new opportunities for more experience in high level competition. Most club teams require a fee, which means those willing to pay to be a part of the team are also serious about the sport and dedicated to the team. Playing for a club team means you are competing during your high school team’s off season. Working on your athletic skills and staying in shape throughout the year will help you maintain your strengths and help develop your weaknesses.

Joining a club team also gives you an opportunity to work with other coaches who can give you new insights into your game and help you grow stronger as a player. Playing your sport year-round is very beneficial and college coaches look favorably upon high school athletes who commit to doing so.

While all colleges and universities offer different kinds of scholarships, they don’t all have athletic scholarships.

Only NCAA Division 1 and 2, NAIA and NJCAA schools can offer scholarships to incoming athletes.

However, Ivy League schools and NCAA Division 3 schools do not have athletic scholarships. These programs use financial aid from other parts of the university, but not from the athletic department.

While not all of the schools you’re interested in can offer you an athletic scholarship there are other types of scholarships you can earn if you qualify.

These include academic and merit-based scholarships. That’s why it’s important to get your GPA as high as you can and do well on the SAT and ACT.

Being a strong student and athlete will help you find more college opportunities and get financial aid. Make sure you work hard to be a well-rounded student athlete; college coaches are only interested in athletes who succeed in both the classroom and on the field.

It is possible to earn an athletic scholarship for more than one sport. It doesn’t happen very often, especially at the NCAA Division I level. There are more athletes who compete in more than one sport at the Division 2, 3, and NAIA levels.

Having the skill and flexibility to compete in multiple sports in high school is very attractive to college coaches. You have a wider variation of physical strengths and techniques and are trained to be in competition for a majority of the year. However, being involved in more than one sport is also time-consuming, which means you need to have strong time-management skills.

Succeeding in school is much more important than dominating in multiple sports. High school athletes also need to be aware of their physical and mental limits. There is more stress for athletes in multiple sports. If an athlete struggles with the balance, his performance may suffer in his sport and in the classroom.

As a high school recruit, it’s a great benefit to participate in multiple sports. In some cases, a student-athlete may have to choose just one if they want to be able to focus on their development.

Make sure to take the time to think about which sport you love the most, even if you are better in another. Without the passion to play, the rigorous schedule of competition in college won’t be a fulfilling experience for an athlete.

There are thousands of opportunities to compete at the college level so there’s a chance you may be good enough to get one of them. College coaches look for potential student-athletes who are strong in athletics and academics.

To qualify for a college academic scholarship, you will need to meet certain requirements. While these specific requirements will vary with each school, the idea is the same. If you work hard and maintain a high GPA and do well on the SAT/ACT, then you could be rewarded with an academic scholarship. Per the NCAA you need a minimum 2.0 GPA and a 1010 on the SAT as well as a combined score of 86 on the ACT. These requirements are on a sliding scale, so if you have a higher GPA then your test scores can be relatively low.

College coaches want to see that you are a strong athlete and student. In addition to earning an athletic scholarship, you could also earn some academic financial aid if the coach thinks you meet the institution’s requirements.

If you think you might qualify to earn an academic scholarship, do some research at the schools that you have applied to or plan on applying to. You can only earn a scholarship from the school if you have applied and been accepted. You can also talk to the coach and see if they might be able to add an academic scholarship to your financial aid package.

To earn an athletic scholarship, there are several things that college coaches are looking for. They want to recruit student-athletes who are dedicated, team-oriented, strong, and successful. But of course, college coaches will also want to recruit high school athletes with great physical attributes and mastered athletic skills.

The athletic scholarship requirements vary with each institution and with each sport. College coaches all have their own guidelines and stats to sift through the hundreds of recruits who contact them with interest in their program.

There are no refunds available after you have registered for the NCAA Eligibility Center. Once you have submitted payment, your registration is final and will not be considered for withdrawal.

If for some reason you decide not to attend a Division 1 or 2 institution and don’t need the registration anymore, it is still considered final and won’t be open for discussion. The only exception for a refund is if a duplicate payment or registration was made by accident, so the duplicate fee will be reimbursed.

To avoid this situation, make sure you know what schools you are interested in and whether or not you will need to register to play at those schools. NCAA Division 3 schools do not require you to be cleared by the Eligibility Center (Clearinghouse), so it’s important to take some time to consider what level you might be able to play at.

NAIA schools require registration at a completely different Eligibility Center as well, so it’s a good idea to consider your options.

If you’ve been contacted by a college coach or program, you probably think that you’re on your way to being recruited to compete in college.

You may be right, but it depends on how you’ve been contacted.

If you received a typed letter from a program or coach, it probably doesn’t mean much. College sports programs send out hundreds of letters like this to other high school athletes. It’s their way to gain your interest in their university. If you get a handwritten letter, it’s a better sign that they‘re interested in you, but again, they send a lot of those out to high school students. Once you start getting emails and calls directly from coaches, then you know you’re being actively recruited.

The length of the recruiting process is different for every student athlete.

Ideally, you should start the recruiting process as soon as your 1st year in High School. There is a ton of information to know about the recruiting process so being prepared once you start high school is a good idea.

Doing research or obtaining the help of a recruiting service are both great ways to help you get ready for the recruiting process as you enter high school.

Start by scheduling the core courses you need to be eligible for the NCAA. Once you have your classes set, start researching colleges you’re interested in.

You’ll also want to put together a resume that highlights your athletic and academic accolades, with a recruiting video and a short cover letter telling the coach why you’re interested in their program. Then start contacting coaches and sending them your resume.

This is a binding contract between you and the school for one year. Once you have signed this contract you are committed to that school for one year and you are no longer eligible to sign with a different program.

More information is available here

You are bound to the agreement signed with the NLI. If you do not honor your NLI you lose one year of Eligibility and must serve one year’s residence at your next NLI institution before receiving a scholarship.

Yes, you can sign an NLI with one school, and then go play for another if they‘re not part of the NLI program.

When you sign an NLI, you are committing yourself to that school for at least one school year. In exchange, you’re being awarded financial aid in the form of an athletic or academic scholarship. Once a high school athlete signs an NLI, the recruiting process ends for them. No other college coaches can continue to recruit them after they have signed an NLI with another school.

With that being said, it’s important to make sure that you’re comfortable with the decision that you‘re making; if you do sign an NLI with one school, you can make the choice to play on a team at another college as long as that school is a non-NLI program.

Yes. If you are receiving athletic financial aid from that school you can sign an NLI. Be advised NLI’s at the Junior College level are binding for two years.

When an institution sends you an NLI, it will be during the signing period for your sport. You have a certain amount of days to sign it and return it to that school.

When you sign your NLI, you should make sure you sign it in duplicate.

Then you keep one copy and send the other back to the college. It‘s always a good idea to keep a duplicate copy for your records in case something happens to the copy you try to send back.

There are a few different ways to submit your NLI. Many coaches prefer to send their athletes the NLI by email. Then the athlete can print it out and sign it. To return the signed copy to the school, you can do one of three things:

1) Fold it up and mail it to the coach,

2) fax it to the coach, or

3) scan it back into the computer and email it to the coach.

It’s always a good idea to send the coach a hard copy though, in addition to a fax or an electronic submission.

No, you will not sign an NLI as a walk-on. Walk-on athletes are non-scholarship team members so an NLI is not required. An NLI is only considered valid when it is accompanied by a financial aid award letter issued from the school. So walk on athletes will not sign an NLI.

An athletic scholarship is a year-by-year contract which means a walk-on athlete could possibly earn a scholarship after their first year on the team. Walk on roster spots provide a great opportunity to many high school athletes who may not qualify for a scholarship or who attend a school that doesn’t have athletic scholarships available. So make sure you consider all your options as opportunities; just because you aren’t signing an NLI doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t join the team.

That depends on which institution you plan on attending. A verbal commitment is stating your intention to enroll in a particular school, and that school’s promise to give you financial aid but it is not official. It is a non-binding oral agreement between you and the university. An NLI is an official binding agreement that you sign as a commitment to a school in exchange for financial aid. It is a binding agreement that you will attend that school for at least a year and cannot be recruited by another school.

Since a verbal commitment is not binding, it is possible for a student-athlete to verbally commit to one school but sign an NLI with another. This is because the NLI program doesn’t recognize a verbal commitment. A high school athlete who has made a verbal commitment can still be recruited by other schools. An athlete who has signed an NLI cannot be recruited anymore. A school can also make a verbal agreement with a student then turn around and offer an NLI to another. It is important to recognize which agreement you have entered in and not lose out on a scholarship opportunity with another college.

While athletes are not required to sign a National Letter of Intent, or NLI, there are several reasons to do so. By signing an NLI, a high school athlete is committing themselves to a college program for at least a year in exchange for financial aid. Once an athlete signs an NLI, the recruiting process is essentially over. They have secured a roster position with a school and no longer speak with coaches from other programs (coaches are not allowed to contact a signed athlete).

Athletes who are enrolling in four-year colleges and universities sign NLIs as a part of the recruiting process. When a college coach offers an NLI to you, they are looking for you to commit yourself to their program and attend their school as a student-athlete on an athletic scholarship. If you are offered scholarships from multiple schools, it will be important to take some time and discuss which college will be the best fit for you. The college you decide to attend is a huge decision and will have an impact on the rest of your life. Remember: it’s not just about playing your sport- you are there to earn a degree and establish a possible career path.

A prospective student athlete, or PSA, is any high school athlete that is getting recruited by college coaches. The NCAA officially gives this term to athletes when they enter ninth grade. It also is used when a college gives any financial aid or other benefits to an athlete before a student’s 16th birthday.

Coaches who are interested in an athlete and the athlete is interested in their school, they become a PSA by communicating openly with that coach. High school athletes can be considered PSAs to multiple coaches, since there might be many colleges interested in that athlete.

You are allowed five years to compete four years. If you have experienced a season ending injury, medical or family emergency you can apply for an extra year of eligibility. This extra year is known as a Grayshirt.

You are allowed five years to compete four years at the college level. If you are eligible to compete but choose to sit out that year it is called you redshirt year.

Coaches cannot evaluate you nor have any in-person contact with you from outside of their college campus. You can visit a coach on their campus during this time. Coaches can write or call you during this time.

Our fee is for the provision of services including, but not exclusive to; pre-qualifying the academic & athletic eligibility of its clients and successfully guiding them through the entirety of the scholarship. As the company is not permitted to charge a fee for its services based solely on scholarship offers secured for our clients, our fee is charged in advance of our services commencing. (See NCAA rule 12.3 Use of Agents’)

NCAA rules prohibit any company or individual from guaranteeing your successful placement at a American college or university with an athletic scholarship. NCAA rules state: “A prospective student-athlete may allow a scouting service or agent to distribute personal information to member institutions without jeopardizing his or her eligibility, provided the fee paid to such an agent is not based on placing the prospective student-athlete in a collegiate institution as a recipient of institutional financial aid." (see NCAA rule 12.3.3.1 ‘Talent Evaluation Services & Agents’)

Our role is to pre-qualify your chances of receiving a sports scholarship, then guide you through the entirety of the recruitment process with suitable American colleges and universities. The company is not permitted to charge a fee for its services based on placing clients at American colleges with suitable sports scholarships. As a result, a refund would not be provided in cases where scholarships offered to clients were deemed ‘unsuitable’ by the client. NCAA rules state, “A prospective student-athlete may allow a scouting service or agent to distribute personal information to member institutions without jeopardizing his or her eligibility, provided the fee paid to such an agent is not based on placing the prospective student-athlete in a collegiate institution as a recipient of institutional financial aid." (see NCAA rule 12.3.3.1 ‘Talent Evaluation Services & Agents’)

No. Having a professional agent is against NCAA rules (see NCAA rule 12.3.1 ‘Use of Agents’) and having one could make you ineligible to compete in college sports. We do not provide services to professional athletes nor do we charge a fee based on the level of scholarship you receive. Our fees are solely for the guidance and advice we provide throughout the athletic recruitment process.

NCAA Division 1 colleges and universities are only permitted to work with scholarship agencies that are approved through the NCAA scouting service approval process.

The NCAA is recognised as the main governing body of American college sport. The association oversees 89 championships in 23 sports. There are more than 400,000 student-athletes competing in three divisions at over 1,000 colleges and universities within the NCAA.

The approval process was implemented by the NCAA national office, to ensure compliance with legislated requirements governing the elements required to permit an institution's subscription and interaction with scholarship agencies and their prospective athletes.

The National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE) is the governing body of varsity esports, dedicated to the creation and support of college esports.

The TOEFL (“Test of English as a Foreign Language”) is a standardized test that measures a test-taker's mastery of the English language. TOEFL scores are primarily used by universities as part of the admissions process. Typically, those who take the TOEFL want to attend university or graduate school abroad

IELTS means International English Language Testing System and it is a test of English language proficiency. The test is designed to assess the language ability of non-native speakers of English who intend to study or work where English is the language of communication.