Navigating the NCAA: A Comprehensive Guide to Travel Rules and Regulations

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) sets forth a complex web of rules and regulations governing all aspects of collegiate athletics, including travel. These rules aim to maintain fairness, prevent undue influence, and ensure the well-being of student-athletes. This article provides a comprehensive overview of NCAA travel rules and regulations, covering various aspects from recruiting visits to team travel for competitions.

Recruiting Visits: Official vs. Unofficial

One of the most exciting parts of the recruiting process is going on official visits. Being invited on an official visit signifies that a coach is very interested in a recruit. Any visit to a college campus that is financed by the school is considered an official visit. Coaches usually save invitations for their top recruits, and being asked is a huge step in recruiting. It’s important to prepare in advance for this crucial part of the recruiting process.

Official Visits

Each division level has its own set of rules surrounding official college visits. Division I has the strictest regulations. The NCAA allows recruits an unlimited number of official visits to Division I schools. Recruits are limited to one per school, unless there is a head coaching change after their visit, in which they are permitted a second visit. Schools may pay for a recruit’s transportation to and from campus. However, they can only provide transportation for parent/guardians if they travel in the same car as the recruit. Each official visit may be up to 48 hours long, or the span of one weekend. Official visits are not allowed to occur during recruiting dead periods.

Within these official rules, each school will have a slightly different way in which they conduct visits. Some schools will be able to finance the whole trip, paying for transportation, meals, lodging, and tickets to a home game. But this is the maximum of what colleges can provide for their recruits. Some programs simply may not have the money to pay for the entire visit, opting to finance just a small portion of the visit. An official visit can also include having an on-campus lunch or dinner that is purchased by the coach. Generally speaking, the more money a coach spends on an official visit, the higher up on their list you are as a recruit. However, that’s not a reason to discount a program that’s trying to recruit on a budget.

As of July 1, 2023, recruits are permitted an unlimited number of official visits to Division 1 schools, unless there is a head coaching change post-visit, in which case recruit is allowed to complete a second official visit to the same school.

Depending on the sport and division level, athletes can begin taking official visits junior year. Once a coach invites you, grab your family schedule and work out a weekend to take the trip. While receiving an invite does indicate you are at the top of a coach’s recruiting list, it doesn’t mean you’ve locked in your spot just yet. This means the coach will be evaluating you during your entire official visit. Most importantly, visits are a great way for coaches to get a better understanding of your personality and character. They want to see if you are a recruit who will be a positive asset to their team and the school.

Preparing for an Official Visit

Because official visits are more formal than unofficial visits, there’s a bit more prep work required from athletes before the visit takes place.

Register with the NCAA Eligibility Center: Before your visit, the coach needs to know that you are eligible to actually compete at their school. If you’re visiting Division I and Division II schools, you need to get a Certification Account. Make sure that your parent/guardian is with you as you sign up, because there is a fee involved. This is a good step to take your sophomore year of high school, so you’re ready to start taking official visits your junior year. If you’re visiting a Division III school, sign up for an NCAA Profile page, which is the free version of the Certification Account. You only need a Certification Account if you’re actively getting recruited by Division I and/or Division II colleges. When you register with the NCAA Eligibility Center, you will receive your NCAA ID number.
Have the coach add you to the Institutional Request List: This is another formality to ensure that you are eligible to compete at an NCAA school. Request that the coach add you to the IRL list, which will put your Eligibility Center application on a fast track to get cleared.
Send the admissions office your transcript and a standardized test score: If you’ve already registered with the Eligibility Center, the school should be able to access your transcript and test scores.
Know how you will respond if you receive an offer: As mentioned earlier, offers are not guaranteed during official visits, but they do happen. To avoid freezing on the spot, go into your official visit with a game plan for how you will respond. If this is your top school and you’ve visited the other colleges you’re interested in, it might make sense to say yes as soon as possible.
Put together your list of questions for the coach: During your official visit, you will have a chance to get all your questions answered, so take advantage of this opportunity. Sit down with your parents before the visit and brainstorm all your questions. Write down your questions for the coach and bring the list with you.

The Role of Parents During Official Visits

Parents are invited to go on official visits. The school can pay for three meals per day and tickets to a home sports match. However, the school is only allowed to pay for their transportation to and from campus if the parents are traveling in the same car as the recruit. Flights and separate bus or train tickets may not be purchased for parents.

Parents have a very specific role throughout the official visit: Let the athlete be the focus of the experience. For some parents, it might be hard to let go and allow their student-athlete to take center stage during this visit. However, parents should let their athlete ask questions and take control of the conversation. Give them an opportunity to hold a candid, uninterrupted conversation with the coach. Allow them to make their own opinions about the school before injecting your point of view.

What to Expect During an Official Visit

While every official visit will be slightly different, recruits can expect that the trip will include a campus tour. This is your chance to familiarize yourself with the campus and ask yourself if you would enjoy living there for four years. As you tour the campus, take notes. When you’re trying to remember what you liked-and didn’t like-about each of the schools you visited, you can refer back to your notes to help jog your memory about the trip.

Read also: Crafting Your NCAA Profile

Coaches typically will want you to meet a few members of the team-or the whole team-to see how your chemistry checks out. You may also be invited to participate in a workout or another team activity. According to NCAA rules, however, any kind of workout you attend on an official visit cannot be organized by the coach or coaching staff. Typically, the workout will be led by the team’s captains.

You will also likely get some 1-on-1 time with the coach. This is a chance for you to ask any final questions that you have. Before your visit, write down some questions and keep adding to the list so you have something to go off of when you sit down with the coach. The coach will also probably have some questions for you, too.

“What other schools are recruiting you?” Be honest here and tell the coach other schools you’re actively talking to. If it’s true, list schools that are rivals with or comparable to the school you’re visiting.
“What other colleges are you visiting?” Again, it’s important to be honest.
“When can you commit?” While getting invited on an official visit doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get an offer, it certainly does happen. If this is your number one school and you have a good feeling about it, this might be the right time to lock down a commitment. If you have any other schools to visit before you make your decision, that’s OK, too. Simply make an educated guess when you think you will know.

Some coaches will arrange for you and your parents to attend a home sporting event. They might also have a teammate take you to dinner or walk you around campus again.

What to Wear on an Official Visit

A lot of recruits ask us what to wear on an official visit, and our best piece of advice is to err on the side of overdressing, rather than underdressing. You want to look neat and clean throughout your entire trip. For men, bring a collared shirt with nice jeans or khakis. For women, a skirt, dress, nice slacks or jeans are acceptable. Avoid wearing sweatshirts, sweatpants, hats, flip flops and ripped jeans.

Following Up After the Visit

Have you ever heard that the follow-up is the most important part? After each visit, make sure you follow up with the coach. Send them a “thank you” note, thanking them for their time and telling them some of your favorite parts of the visit. You can also let the coach know where you’ll be competing next if they’d like to watch you in person.

Overall, enjoy your visit!

Team Travel: General Regulations

The NCAA provides guidelines for team travel to ensure fair competition and student-athlete well-being. These regulations cover various aspects, including transportation, lodging, and meals.

Permissible Expenses

An institution may provide actual and necessary travel expenses (e.g., transportation, lodging, and meals) to a student-athlete for participation in athletics competition, provided the student-athlete is representing the institution (competes in the uniform of the institution) and is eligible for collegiate competition. It is permissible for an institution that is participating in an NCAA championship to provide expenses to attend the championship to any student-athlete who is eligible to represent the institution in intercollegiate competition, even if the student-athlete may not actually represent the institution in the championship due to the restriction on the number of student-athletes who may participate in the competition.

Travel Timing

In general, an institution (team or individual student-athlete) traveling to a regular-season competition during the institution’s official vacation period may depart for the competition either 48 hours prior to the start of the competition or at the beginning of the institution’s official vacation period. Further, an institution (team or individual student-athlete) shall return to campus by the end of the institution’s official vacation period or depart from the competition site not more than 36 hours following the conclusion of the event.

There are exceptions to this rule:

Travel prior to the United States Gymnastics Federation (USGF) collegiate championships.
Travel prior to and following contests when inclement weather (e.g., hurricanes, snow storm) requires the institution to adjust original travel plans to depart no more than 72 hours prior to the start of the actual competition or return no more than 60 hours following the conclusion of the actual competition.

In a situation where the 48/36 hour limitation is applicable, an institution that is participating in a multi-competition or multi-day event (e.g., conference tournament) may depart 48 hours prior to the event’s first round of competition (as opposed to 48 hours prior to the institution’s first scheduled competition), and may remain 36 hours after the conclusion of the last contest (even if the institution is not participating in the last contest).

Impermissible Activities

It is not permissible for an institution to provide cash to student-athletes for team entertainment in conjunction with away-from-home contests, except as permitted in NCAA Bylaws 16.8.1.5 (NCAA Championships). Complimentary tickets to professional sports contests shall not be provided to student-athletes, unless the tickets are provided by the institution (or by a representative of athletics interests through the institution) for entertainment purposes to student-athletes involved in an away-from-home contest. It is not permissible for an institution to reroute a return flight through various cities in order to accommodate student-athletes who wish to return home after the regular season contest (e.g., rerouting a flight to a specific city because a connecting flight out of that city would help the student-athlete get home).

Meals and Snacks

All student-athletes on the same team must receive identical meal allowances on intercollegiate trips and during vacation periods when student-athletes are required to remain on the institution’s campus for organized practice sessions or competition. It is permissible for student-athletes to receive a snack the night before an institution’s contest as a benefit incidental to athletics participation.

Specific Travel Scenarios

Air Travel

The NCAA will reimburse the cost to check one bag each way for trips less than five days. For trips lasting five days or more, two bags each way will be reimbursed. Travelers will not be required to take propeller aircraft. Short’s Travel may offer options that utilize this kind of equipment. However, travelers can request other arrangements. The NCAA will cover ticket changes made necessary due to NCAA requirements. If a change is required due to non-NCAA related reasons, those fees will be the responsibility of the traveler. The NCAA will not pay any costs associated with spousal, partner, or family travel.

Rental Cars

The NCAA will not reimburse for rental cars for travelers at annual meetings. On occasion, the traveler’s staff liaison may approve a rental car to transport other travelers. In this situation, the rental cars must be arranged through Short’s Travel with Enterprise or National whenever possible and will be direct billed to the NCAA. Rental vehicles should be returned fully fueled as required by the rental agency. Turo, Uber Rentals, Lyft Rentals and other car rental companies providing like services are not allowable rental car options.

Public Transportation

Public transportation expenses are covered by per diem and cannot be submitted for reimbursement (unless used as transportation to site or meeting, in place of flight or rental car). Non-staff may use public transportation (i.e., buses, subways, trolleys, trains).

Train Travel

Non-staff must work through Short’s Travel to book reservations. Reservations must be booked at least 30 days prior to travel. Typically, reservations can be made 11 months in advance of travel. The NCAA will not cover upgraded tickets, these include flexible (unless approved by travel staff), business, and first-class fares. The NCAA will cover ticket changes made necessary due to NCAA requirements, (date or time changes). If a change is required due to non-NCAA related reasons, those fees will be the responsibility of the traveler.

Hotel Accommodations

Non-staff travelers should book the lowest available rate for a standard king room, even if the rate for an upgraded room is within the maximum rate. When attending a program or conference, travelers may stay at the program or conference hotel, even though it may not be the most economical option available or within the approved maximum hotel rate. When filing for reimbursement, non-staff should submit both the itemized hotel receipt as well as proof of a conference registration. A student-athlete (rather than the student-athlete’s institution) would be required to pay for incidental expenses the individual incurred in conjunction with a hotel bill for one of the institution’s away games, unless the expenses fall within the permissible actual and necessary expenses the student-athlete may receive for such contests.

Financial Considerations

Per Diem

All NCAA meetings and events can only receive a per diem if reimbursement is approved for the meeting/event. Per diem is allowed for in-person meetings only. Virtual attendees are not approved to receive per diem. Per diem should not exceed $75 and may be claimed for each day away from home or school. No more than one day's travel each way may be claimed. Per diem covers all incidental expenses including airport parking, tolls, airline seat fees, internet access, ground transportation, and meals not provided by the NCAA.

Receipts

Receipts are required to be submitted for all miscellaneous charges not covered by per diem. Receipts should include detailed information on the expense. For meals, the receipt must include the itemized, detailed receipt not just the credit card receipt. For lodging, the receipt must be the itemized, detailed invoice or folio from the hotel not just a credit card statement.

Frequent Flyer Miles

The NCAA allows non-staff travelers to acquire frequent flyer miles and use the miles as they desire.

The Role of Boosters

It is also important to note that once an individual becomes a booster, he or she remains as such for life. NCAA legislation does not allow for a booster to play any role in the recruiting process. A booster may view a prospect's athletics contests on his or her own initiative; however, a booster may not contact the prospect, prospect's coach, principal or counselor in an attempt to evaluate the prospect. The employment or arranging of employment for a prospect before the end of his/her senior year of high school is prohibited. A student-athlete remains a prospect even after signing a National Letter of Intent. Both the institution and prospect continue to be governed by NCAA recruiting legislation until enrollment occurs at the institution. During enrollment, only benefits expressly authorized by NCAA legislation are permitted. The student-athlete shall not receive any extra benefit. Student-athletes may receive only necessary travel expenses associated with a speaking engagement, not an honorarium. Boosters may invite an enrolled student-athlete, or the entire team, to their home for an occasional meal. The term "occasional" is defined as once per month.

Other Considerations

Speaking Engagements

Student-athletes may receive only necessary travel expenses associated with a speaking engagement, not an honorarium.

Occasional Meals

Boosters may invite an enrolled student-athlete, or the entire team, to their home for an occasional meal. The term "occasional" is defined as once per month.

Family Travel

The Council voted to extend by one year a pilot program that paid for family travel expenses for the 2015 championship. The Division I Football Oversight Committee also recommended that the program be extended for the College Football Playoff. The Football Championship Subdivision Subcommittee will review the issue for potential future implementation for that championship. The program will operate as it did in 2015: The NCAA will pay up to $3,000 total in travel, hotel and meal expenses for family members of each student-athlete who competes in the Final Four semifinal games but don’t advance to the championships. The allowance is meant to cover transportation, hotel and meals for two family members per student-athlete. The extension marks the next step in expanding benefits provided to families of college athletes. During the 2013 Men’s Final Four, the NCAA provided free tickets to the families and moved their seats behind the team benches.

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