Step 1: Register with the NCAA and NAIA Eligibility Center (By January 1)
NCAA Eligibility Center – Your first step will be to create a Free Profile Page or an Academic and Amateurism Certification Account with the NCAA Eligibility Center in order to get your NCAA ID#. When you begin the registration process for the NCAA Eligibility Center, you are given three options to choose from.
Most students choose:
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Option 1: Free Profile Page Account. If you are looking to simply register and be issued an NCAA ID # then option #1 may be the best choice. You can upgrade your Free Profile Page to an Academic and Amateurism Certification Account later by paying the one-time registration fee.
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Option 2: Amateurism-Only Certification account is only reserved for international students.
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Option 3: Academic and Amateurism Certification Account. Division I and II schools require their prospective student-athletes to have an Academic and Amateurism Certification Account.
By January 15: Be sure to record yourself playing your sport or at least put a plan in place to get video recordings.
Step 2: Build Your Recruiting Profile (By January 15 – January 30)
By January 15: Fill out online recruit questionnaires for college teams.
By January 21: Email or direct message college coaches.
By January 30: Check NCAA requirements thoroughly.
Step 3: Plan Campus Visits and Academics (By February 15 – Spring Break)
By February 15: Make a plan for college visits with your counselor.
By Spring Break of Sophomore Year: Start visiting college campuses (virtual or in-person).
By June 15: Consider virtual courses if you’re short on credits for eligibility.
Step 4: Complete Pre-Reads and College Applications (Summer of Junior Year)
Throughout the Summer of Junior Year: Conduct pre-reads with schools that are interested in you and complete pre-reads. Some students are recruited earlier than this. Many are, in fact. But if you haven’t been, you may want to consider going through the pre-read process.
Throughout the Summer of Junior Year: Complete Personal Statement/Common App Essay and supplemental essays for each individual college
Step 5: Submit Early College Applications (By August 15 – Fall)
By August 15: Submit early college applications (most early deadlines are November 1. while some public colleges in the south have early deadlines of October 15)
By Fall: Confirm your transcript has been submitted to the NCAA Eligibility Center.
By Fall of Senior Year: Complete a verbal commitment.
Step 6: Financial Aid, Certifications, and Final Decisions (December – National Signing Day)
Between Dec 1- Dec 15: Apply for financial aid and complete FAFSA forms (opens December 1 for the next academic year).
Between Dec 1- Dec 15: Request NCAA Amateurism Certification.
Between Dec 1- Dec 15: Optional: Sign an athletic grant-in-aid.
National Signing Day or Before: Confirm your school decision.
Additional Resources to Support Your Recruiting Process
2024-2025 College Bound Student-Athlete Resource — This is a helpful guide for prospective student-athletes at large. The NCAA allows D1, D2, and D3 colleges to determine a prospective student-athlete’s academic readiness through the admissions process and not through the NCAA Eligibility Center.
High School Core-Course Search – You can search for your high school to discover which courses at your high school fall into certain academic categories that will satisfy the NCAA 16 core-course requirement (For D1 and D2 only)
NCAA Directory – This is a good resource to help you see all the schools that sponsor Women’s Fencing, regardless of NCAA division. This will be a good tool to use to identify other high-achieving / like-minded schools that you can add to your college list to explore further.
Athletic Recruiting Questionnaires – This is an example of the recruiting questionnaires that colleges ask you to complete. This is a low-stakes way to make initial contact with coaches/programs you are interested in. Once you finalize your college list, you can make a plan to send these out.
If you’re ready to simplify your athletic recruitment journey and get expert guidance through every step, contact Opus College Prep here to get started.
