SO YOU WANT TO PLAY COLLEGE TENNIS?
If you possess a genuine passion for the sport, a strong work ethic, and aspire to be part of a team, we believe there is a college team for you. As you begin this journey, keep in mind that a fulfilling college tennis experience includes various elements: location, academic opportunities, campus life, team dynamics, and much more. We urge you to stay open minded during the process and give due consideration to factors beyond tennis. Ultimately, college tennis is about pursuing higher education in the classroom while forging relationships and creating memories that last a lifetime.
At any point in this process, simply click the blue “FIND A COLLEGE FOR YOUR LEVEL” button, input your gender and current WTN rating, and a list of colleges tailored to your current WTN will be generated.
+1,850
PROGRAMS
+3,000
COACHES
+19,300
STUDENT-ATHLETES
+7,400
SCHOLARSHIPS
Understanding
The College
Tennis Pathway
STEP TWO: The College Tennis Playing Levels
STEP THREE: What Am I Looking For?
STEP FOUR: Where Might I Be Eligible To Play?
STEP FIVE: Researching College Tennis Programs
STEP SIX: Creating A Recruiting Video
STEP SEVEN: Contacting A Coach
STEP EIGHT: Your First Conversation With A Coach
STEP NINE: Taking an Official or Unofficial Visit
STEP TEN: Making A Decision
STEP ELEVEN: Frequently Asked Questions
1
Understanding Divisions in College Tennis
College tennis consists of 1,850 + institutions across seven divisions of various sizes, scholarship abilities, and eligibility requirements. Understand these differences before continuing on.
2
The College Tennis Playing Levels
College tennis features a wide range of tennis abilities. Use the links below to see where you might fit.
I Know My WTN Rating
I Don’t Know My WTN Rating
Why WTN is important
3
What Am I Looking For?
Understanding what you are looking for in your college tennis and academic experience is an important part of finding the right fit.
A good college experience should be about more than the level of the team you might play on. We encourage all PSAs to consider key areas such as: academics, social & campus life, school location, & team atmosphere, to name a few.
Below are some questions we suggest you answer as you begin this journey.
4
Where Might I Be Eligible To Play?
A PSAs eligibility to compete for a college tennis team and receive a scholarship is dependent on the organization that oversees athletics at that particular university. The ITA is not an eligibility center and has no authority over decisions regarding eligibility.
5
Researching College Tennis Programs
We suggest creating a list of ~15 schools that you believe are a good fit for you. Use the links below to help you find schools with college tennis programs.
Research Tips
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- Include schools that meet most of your criteria
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- Consider looking at different divisions and areas of the country
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Start with a list of schools that you can play for based on your WTN by using the “Find A College For Your Level” tool
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11
Frequently Asked Questions
College tennis consists of 1,850 + institutions across seven divisions of various sizes, scholarship abilities, and eligibility requirements. Understand these differences before continuing on.
Yes. The NCAA has “progress towards degree” benchmarks. If the American college or university to which you hope to transfer approves the classes you are taking at your current university, and if you meet the transfer requirements, it is unlikely you will have issues with your eligibility from an academic perspective. It is important that you work closely with the NCAA Compliance Officer of the school you intend to transfer to.
If you want to transfer, you need to inform the coach and the compliance department of your intention to transfer and request to be placed in the Transfer Portal (NCAA Division I and NCAA Division II and III). Once you ask the compliance administrator to place your name in the portal, the athletic department has two business days to submit the information and you will receive a confirmation email from the NCAA. Understand that one of the downsides of entering the portal is that your athletic department can reduce or stop awarding your athletic aid at the end of the term in which the transfer request was made. Once your name appears in the Transfer Portal, you can officially speak with other college coaches. Coaches are NOT ALLOWED to speak with you unless you are placed in the Transfer Portal.
Universities can offer athletic scholarships for more than one year. A multi-year agreement requires the university to provide a scholarship to the student-athlete in accordance with the terms and conditions of the agreement. However, the agreement does not bind the student-athlete to the institution any more than the current transfer rules – he or she may transfer during the term of the award. If a student-athlete signs an NLI, he or she cannot transfer during the initial year of competition without penalty.
A written scholarship offer cannot be made until your senior year in high school. However, a verbal offer may be made by the coach at any time before this. Technically they should not be made before June 15 after your sophomore year in high school because there is no way for an NCAA coach to communicate with you until that time. This verbal offer is not legally binding, and there are no legal consequences for either party changing their mind whether the scholarship was verbal or written. The agreement is not binding until the National Letter of Intent is signed and returned to the University.
Recruiting services can be very helpful for a variety of reasons. Many PSAs use the help of an outside service if they have a complicated athletic case (i.e. played too many events without going to school), are confused about the process or have a lower WTN/ranking than coaches are interested in. We suggest you go through each step in our pathway, first, to see if doing the process yourself is possible.
NIL is the ability for college athletes to profit from the commercial use of their name, image, and likeness, without jeopardizing their NCAA eligibility. For example, athletes can be influencers for companies, or appear in advertisements.
Revenue sharing is the ability for universities to directly share athletic department revenue with student-athletes in the form of direct payments. Revenue sharing is only available to NCAA Division I student-athletes at universities that have “opted’in” to the house settlement.
Both options allow student-athletes to receive additional money on top of their scholarships and cost of attendance.
https://tennisrecruiting.net/article.asp?id=11841
