Spring is almost here, which means that one of the busiest times of the year for campus visits is quickly approaching. The months of March and April, when most students have a school vacation, are one of the most popular times for recruits to hit the road and see some college campuses. In this post, which is Part I of a two-part series on campus visits, we will help you understand the differences between the two types of campus visits - official and unofficial - and discuss how and when they fit into the bigger picture of the recruiting process. In Part II, we will dive into the visits themselves: what you can expect, how to get the most out of them as a prospect, and best practices and tips for when you’re on campus.
Let’s start with some basic definitions. An unofficial visit is a visit financed entirely by the prospective student-athlete. A visit is considered an official visit if any part of the visit (other than complimentary admissions to a home athletic event) is paid for by the institution. There are many different NCAA rules on the number, duration and timing of both types of visits . The grid below breaks down all of the major rules around unofficial and official visits by division….