Prospective Student-Athletes
NCAA Division II Recruiting Information
The NCAA has rules that govern how and when NCAA Division II institutions may recruit prospective student-athletes. These rules help ensure a fair recruiting environment and establish requirements for recruiting communications, campus visits, evaluations, offers and other recruiting activities.
NCAA recruiting rules can vary by division and sport and may change over time. The information below provides a general overview of important Division II recruiting rules. If you have questions about how a rule applies to your individual circumstances, please contact the Saginaw Valley State University Athletics Compliance Office.
For the most current NCAA recruiting information, visit the NCAA Recruiting page.
Basic Recruiting Do's and Don'ts
Prospective student-athletes and their families should keep the following guidelines in mind:
- Do not accept cash or impermissible benefits from SVSU athletics staff members, boosters or other representatives of SVSU's athletics interests.
- Do not accept benefits, services, employment opportunities or other special arrangements that are provided because of your decision to attend SVSU.
- Do not accept promises of benefits or special arrangements in exchange for attending SVSU.
- NCAA rules may limit who may contact you on behalf of the university. If someone other than an SVSU athletics staff member contacts you regarding athletics recruitment, please notify the SVSU Athletics Compliance Office.
- A prospective student-athlete may contact an SVSU coach at the prospect's own initiative and expense. NCAA rules may restrict when the coach can respond or initiate recruiting contact.
NCAA Eligibility Center
If you plan to compete at an NCAA Division II school, you should register with the
NCAA Eligibility Center and create an Academic and Athletics Certification account.
Division II initial eligibility generally requires student-athlete in high school to:
- Complete 16 NCAA-approved core courses.
- Earn at least a 2.2 core-course GPA.
- Graduate from high school and have your final official transcript and proof of graduation submitted to the NCAA Eligibility Center.
- Complete the NCAA Eligibility Center's required academic and athletics certification process.
Your core-course GPA is calculated using NCAA-approved core courses, which may be different from the GPA shown on your high school transcript.
Review the NCAA's
Division II Initial Eligibility Requirements and work with your high school counselor to make sure you are taking NCAA-approved courses.
Recruiting Communications and Contact
For high school prospective student-athletes, NCAA Division II in-person, off-campus recruiting contact generally may begin
June 15 immediately preceding the prospect's junior year of high school.
Telephone calls, electronic correspondence (i.e. text messages, emails, private social media messages, etc.) and general recruiting materials may be sent at any time.
Because recruiting rules can differ by sport and recruiting period, prospective student-athletes should consult the
NCAA Recruiting Information and their SVSU coach or the Athletics Compliance Office with questions.
Official Visits
An
official visit is a visit to SVSU during which the university may pay certain expenses associated with the visit, subject to NCAA rules. Examples of permissible expenses include transportation, lodging, meals, and entertainment.
For Division II:
- An official visit may not begin before June 15 immediately preceding the prospective student-athlete's junior year of high school.
- Before an official visit, a prospective student-athlete must provide the institution with their official/unofficial academic transcript and register with the NCAA Eligibility Center.
- An official visit generally may last no more than 48 hours.
- A Division II institution generally may provide one official visit per prospective student-athlete to that institution.
- Certain exceptions, including circumstances involving a head-coaching change or post-high-school visits, may affect the application of the one-visit rule.
- Official visits are subject to applicable recruiting calendars and may not occur during a recruiting dead period.
For more information, review the NCAA's
recruiting resources or contact the SVSU Athletics Compliance Office.
Unofficial Visits
An
unofficial visit is a visit to SVSU that is paid for by the prospective student-athlete or the prospect's family.
- Prospective student-athletes may make an unlimited number of unofficial visits to an NCAA Division II institution, subject to applicable recruiting periods and other NCAA rules.
- Unlike official visits, an unofficial visit may occur before the prospect's junior year of high school.
- SVSU may provide certain permissible benefits during an unofficial visit, including meals and limited complimentary admissions to home athletics events, as permitted by NCAA rules.
- Unofficial visits related to recruiting are not permitted during a recruiting dead period.
If you are planning to visit SVSU, contact the sport's coaching staff in advance so the visit can be coordinated in accordance with NCAA and SVSU rules.
Complimentary Admissions
During an official or unofficial recruiting visit, NCAA rules may permit SVSU to provide a prospective student-athlete and accompanying individuals with complimentary admissions to certain home athletics events.
Generally, Division II institutions may provide a maximum of
five complimentary admissions to a home athletics event in which the institution's intercollegiate team competes, subject to NCAA requirements.
Complimentary admissions must be provided in accordance with NCAA rules and may not be exchanged for cash or transferred for compensation. Additional restrictions apply to conference tournaments, NCAA championships and other postseason contests.
Recruiting Periods
NCAA Division II recruiting calendars divide recruiting activity into different periods. The rules that apply to a coach depend on the sport and the applicable recruiting calendar.
Contact Period
During a contact period, authorized athletics staff members may engage in permissible in-person, off-campus recruiting contacts and evaluations, subject to the rules for the particular sport.
Dead Period
During a dead period, in-person recruiting contacts and evaluations are not permitted on or off the institution's campus, and recruiting-related official and unofficial visits to campus are not permitted.
Communication with prospective student-athletes may still be permitted during a dead period.
For current sport-specific recruiting dates, visit the NCAA's
Division I and II Recruiting Calendars and Guides.
Eligibility and Recruiting Resources
Questions?
NCAA recruiting and eligibility rules can be complex and may depend on the prospective student-athlete's sport, grade level, transfer status and individual circumstances.
Prospective student-athletes and their families should contact the appropriate SVSU coaching staff member or the Saginaw Valley State University Athletics Compliance Office with questions before accepting benefits or participating in recruiting activities that may be subject to NCAA rules.
For NCAA information, always consult the current NCAA legislation and NCAA Eligibility Center resources.
