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Everything You Need to Know About Official Visits

Going on official visits is one of the most exciting parts of the recruiting process. Not only do you have the opportunity to see a college campus in person but being invited also signifies that the coach is very interested in you as a recruit. This is your opportunity to get to know the campus, the culture, the team and the dorms and then decide if you would feel comfortable living there for the next four years.

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What is an official visit.

So, what makes a visit official? Any visit to a college campus in which any part is financed by the school is considered an official visit. Coaches usually save invitations for their top recruits and getting asked is a huge step on your recruiting journey. It’s important to prepare in advance for this crucial part of the recruiting process. We’ve put together everything you need to know to ace your next official visit.

NCAA official visit rules

Each division level has its own set of rules surrounding official college visits. Division I has the strictest regulations. The following are the rules you need to know:

• 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. Visits to Division II and Division III schools are unlimited.
• The school can pay for the following for you and your parents/guardians: transportation to and from the campus, lodging throughout your visit, three meals per day and three tickets to a home sports event.
• 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. Flights and separate bus or train tickets may not be purchased for parents.
• At all levels, recruits can take only one official visit per school.
• Each official visit may be up to 48 hours long, or the span of one weekend.
• D1 men’s ice hockey recruits can begin taking official visits as early as August 1 of their junior year in high school.
• D1 football recruits can begin taking official visits starting April 1 of their junior year of high school.
• D1 women’s basketball recruits may begin taking official visits in April of their junior year of high school, beginning the Thursday following the Women’s Final Four tournament.
• D1 lacrosse, softball and baseball recruits may begin taking official visits September 1 of their junior year of high school.
• For all other DI sports, recruits can begin taking official visits starting August 1 before the athlete’s junior year of high school.
• 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 your 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 your entire visit, opting to finance just a small portion of your visit. An official visit can also include having an on-campus lunch or dinner that is purchased by the coach. It doesn’t have to last the full 48 hours—again, that’s the maximum amount but not a requirement.

Generally speaking, the more money a coach spends on your 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. If you’re interested in a school, official visits can be the last piece of the puzzle to help you understand if it’s your best college fit.

What are the new recruiting rules around official visits?

Effective on April 13, 2023, the NCAA Division I Council announced that they will no longer limit the number of official visits recruits can make to NCAA member schools. Starting July 1, 2023, recruits are permitted an unlimited number of official visits to Division I 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. For men’s basketball, prospects still will be able to complete a second official visit to the same school, as long as it do not occur in the same academic year.

Effective May 1, 2019, the NCAA created a series of updated recruiting rules to slow down the recruiting process and cut back on the number of recruits getting verbal offers as eighth graders, freshmen and sophomores in high school. Athletes will now have more time to research colleges and focus on developing athletically and academically. Then, as juniors and seniors in high school, they will be better equipped to decide which college or university is right for them.

According to the new rules, DI recruits in most sports can now start taking official and unofficial visits starting August 1 before their junior year of high school. In the past, official visits weren’t permitted until the athlete’s senior year of high school and there were no restrictions on unofficial visits. While this is exciting news for recruits eager to visit campuses, these rule changes will also likely put more emphasis on athletes and families needing to be proactive early in the recruiting process. With top prospects being offered official visits their junior year, this means even more schools can lock down their recruiting classes early. As a recruit, you need to start the recruiting process as early as possible so you’re ready for official visit invites August 1 before junior year.

How does an official visit work?

Depending on the sport and division level, athletes can begin taking official visits junior year. A coach may extend an official visit offer to recruits during a phone call, email, text or direct message. 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.

To learn more, check out our video on  how to schedule your visits , where NCSA recruiting experts share what you can expect. This includes what travel expenses might be covered by the program, activities that coaches use to introduce you to the team and campus, and what coaches expect from recruits during a visit. 

Insider Tip : Coaches will look at how you interact with your parents—are you respectful, courteous and kind? Or, do you brush them off and behave rudely? Do you answer the coaches’ questions thoughtfully or do you give one-word responses? While it may be intimidating to visit a college campus and get evaluated by the coaches throughout, it’s important to make an effort to put your best foot forward.

How to prepare for your 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. Follow this checklist to make sure you’ve covered all your bases:

• 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. Many coaches will ask for your NCAA ID number before your official visit.
• 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. Because the NCAA receives so many requests through its Eligibility Center, the Institutional Request List serves to make sure athletes who need to be cleared quickly will be.
• 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. However, this step helps the admissions office ensure that your academic criteria are up to the standards of that school, while the NCAA Eligibility Center ensures that you’ve met the academic requirements mandated by the NCAA to compete in college sports.
• 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. However, if you have other schools on your list, you can ask the coach when the offer will expire.

• 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. This way, you don’t forget an important topic and you can impress the coach with your preparedness.

Read more: How to Maximize Your Summer Visits

Do parents go on 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. When the conversation turns to finances, scholarships and paying for college, this is where coaches typically expect parents to jump in .

For more on the topic, check out the video below featuring former sports broadcaster David Kmiecik and D1 and D3 swim coach Danny Koenig.

Read more:   Recruiting Tips for Parents

What happens on 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. Use the following checklist to make sure you hit all the key spots on campus:

• Check out the library and sit in on a class.
• Visit the different housing options, both on and off campus.
• Meet your future training staff.
• Eat in the school cafeteria or food court.
• Set up a meeting with an academic adviser.
• Hang out on the campus grounds.
• Stay off your phone and experience the campus.

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. Take this opportunity to see if you connect with your potential teammates.

Questions to expect from the coach on your official visit

You will also likely get some one-on-one 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. Here are just a few examples of questions to expect from a coach during your visit:

• “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. This will make the coach want you on their team even more.
• “What other colleges are you visiting?” Again, it’s important to be honest. If you have—or haven’t—visited any other schools yet, let them know.
• “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. Ask the coach how long the offer stands and when they would like to know your answer.

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. Plus, you’ll get some free time to explore the area and learn more about the school.

What to bring 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. Bring athletic clothes and shoes in case you get invited to work out with the team.

As mentioned before, it’s a great idea to come with some questions for the coach. When the moment comes to ask your questions, it’s easy to freeze up and forget them all. Having them written down will ensure you get the answers you need, plus it will show the coach that you are organized and responsible. Make sure you do your homework and read up on the school, too.

Your follow-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. The follow-up shows the coach you’re a thoughtful, courteous athlete, and it also keeps you top-of-mind as they assemble their roster.

Overall, enjoy your visit! This is your chance to get the “red carpet” treatment and get a taste of what life at that college will be like.

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Official vs Unofficial Visits: Official Visits Explained

Taking a college visit is an important part of the recruiting process. Understanding the differences between official and unofficial visits can help you plan your recruitment efficiently. An official visit is an opportunity for a college to pay for a recruit’s transportation, food, and accommodations, while an unofficial visit requires the recruit to pay for those expenses. Both visits allow the school to purchase tickets to a home sporting event for the recruit. In this article, we will explain the details of an official visit.

WHAT IS AN OFFICIAL VISIT?

A college campus visit that has any part financed by the school is considered an official visit. College coaches typically save official visit invitations for their top recruits, and players they believe could deserve a scholarship offer. To be invited on an official visit is a great opportunity for your recruiting process.

Official college visit rules vary, depending on the level a school is regulated. NCAA Division I has the most strict regulations, listed below are the rules you will need to follow:

Only 5 visits to Division I schools. There is no limit of official visits to Division II & Division III schools, but all NCAA official visits are limited to one per school.

Schools can pay expenses for you and your family. The school can pay for transportation to and from the campus, accommodation during your visit, three meals per day, and three tickets to a home sporting event for you and two of your family members (most schools require parents or guardians specifically).

Schools can only provide transportation to and from the campus for family members if they travel in the same car as the recruit. Flights, or separate bus/train tickets can’t be purchased for family members.

Official visits can last up to 48 hours, or the duration of one weekend.

Official visits for Division I sports are allowed on August 1, before a recruit’s junior year of high school. This rule excludes Division I Men’s & Women’s Basketball.

Men’s Division I basketball recruits can begin taking official visits January 1 of their junior year of high school.

Women’s Division I basketball recruits can begin taking official visits in April of their junior year of high school, the Thursday after the Women’s Final Four tournament.

Official visits are not allowed during recruiting dead periods .

WHAT ARE NCAA DIVISIONS?

NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics)

NAIA rules are not as specific as the NCAA. You will need to communicate with your coach about the details involving the costs and activities of your visit.

There is no limit to the number of NAIA schools a recruit can visit, but they are limited to one per school.

Expenses covered or reimbursed for recruits is at the discretion of the school. Expenses can include transportation, accommodation, and/or meals.

School funded attendance at ID camps or individual evaluation sessions are considered official visits.

NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association)

Junior College rules vary, depending on the regions and institutions. Here are a some of the most common rules to follow:

There is no limit to the number of NJCAA schools a recruit can visit, but they are limited to one per school.

Expenses covered or reimbursed for recruits is at the discretion of the school. Expenses can include transportation, accommodation, and meals.

Schools are NOT ALLOWED to pay expenses for a recruit’s parents/guardians or family members that join them on their visit.

A recruit must have completed their junior year of high school to be eligible for an official visit to a NJCAA school.

WHY TAKE A VISIT?

If a coach invites you on an official visit, you should consider it a good sign that the program is serious about your recruitment.An official visit is an additional opportunity for coaches to evaluate recruits. Throughout the visit coaches will be trying to get a better understanding of your personality & character. They will try to determine if you are a good fit for their team and school.

Additional Evaluation

Coaches will pay close attention to how a recruit interacts with their parents/guardians, to help better determine an athlete’s general demeanor. Does the recruit act respectfully, courteously, and kindly to their parents & family? Or does the recruit respond rudely?

Coaches will also use the recruit’s answers to questions to gather a better understanding of a player. Does the recruit give thoughtful answers, or quick one word responses? Does the recruit ask questions in response, or just expect to only give answers during conversations?

BE PREPARED

Official visits require prep work from recruits before the visit takes place. Here are a few tasks to be completed when taking an official visit.

Register with the NCAA Eligibility Center

To take an official visit, the coach needs to know that you are eligible to compete at their school. To visit Division I and Division II schools, a Certification Accoun t is needed. The NCAA Eligibility Center will issue you a NCAA ID number upon registration. Coaches will ask you for the NCAA ID number before your official visit.

Be added to the Institutional Request List

Ask the coach to add you to the Institutional Request List , which wil l fast track your NCAA Eligibility Center application process. Because of the large number of requests received by the NCAA Eligibility Center , the IRL makes sure that athletes can be cleared quickly due to time constraints.

Send the admissions office your transcript

The school should be able to access your transcript and test scores through the NCAA Eligibility Center , but you should send your transcript and scores to the admissions office to ensure that you meet the academic criteria of that school. The NCAA Eligibility Center only ensures that athletes meet the academic requirements needed to compete in college sports.

COLLEGE ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Be ready to respond to an offer

An official invite does not guarantee an offer, but you should definitely be prepared for the best case scenario. If you have additional visits scheduled, it might make sense to ask the coach when the offer will expire and if it's possible to take some time to think about your answer. If you have no more visits scheduled and are offered by your top choice, saying yes as soon as possible could be the right choice. No matter the decision made, you should be prepared for that conversation on your visit.

Have questions for the coach

At some point during an official visit, you will be able to ask questions of the coaches. This is one of the major advantages of taking an official visit, and the opportunity should not be wasted. You should create a detailed list of questions to ask the coach, and bring the list with you on the visit. The list will ensure all your questions are answered, as well as impress the coach with your high level of preparedness.

PARENTS’ ROLE

Parents & family members have an important role during an official visit - Ensure the recruit is the focus of the experience. Family members should allow the athlete to ask questions and direct the conversations. The recruit should be able to hold open & honest conversations with the coach throughout the visit. Family members can allow the athlete to make their own opinions about the school, before adding perspective. Once the conversation makes its way to finances, school costs, and scholarship opportunities, the family members are expected to jump in and contribute to the conversations.

WHAT HAPPENS ON A VISIT?

Every official visit will be different, but there are some similarities that can be counted on.

Campus Tour

Sit in on a class

Visit the housing options (on & off campus)

Meet the training staff

Eat in the school dining hall, food court, or cafeteria

Meet with an athletic-specific academic advisor

Meet team members (sometimes the entire team)

EXPECTED COACHES QUESTIONS

You will have an opportunity to speak with coaches one-on-one at some point during the visit. As previously stated, having questions ready for the coach is helpful, but you will also need to be ready for the type of questions coaches will ask. Here are a few examples that can be expected from a coach during a visit.

What other schools are recruiting you?

What other colleges are you visiting?

When can you commit?

What is the most important aspect of your decision?

What do you enjoy most about our program?

Why do you think you would be a good fit at our school?

Will you accept our offer for an athletic scholarship?

THE FOLLOW UP

After each visit, be sure to follow up with coaches. Send them a “thank you” note, or message, thanking them for their time & effort, as well as explaining what were your favorite parts of the visit. The follow up shows coaches that you are a thoughtful person & keeps you in their mind during the recruiting process.

Now that you understand official visits, you should Schedule a Free Assessment to begin your recruiting process.

If you have already begun the recruiting process, be sure to increase your efforts through our Recruitment Services .

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Great article! The breakdown of official visits is really helpful for anyone navigating the college recruitment process. On a different note, if you’re looking for something unique to drive around campus or to your visits, check out https://www.autobidmaster.com/en/search/salvage-cars/hummer/ . They have a great selection of salvage Hummers that could make a standout vehicle for a college student. Plus, the process of buying a car through them is pretty straightforward, much like the tips provided here for planning your college visits.

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Official vs. Unofficial Visits: What’s the Difference?

Whether you’re an aspiring college athlete or not, one of the most effective parts of the college application process is visiting a campus. It’s the best way to find out if you like or don’t like a campus and why.

Every college admissions office puts together a laundry list of visit opportunities for prospective students on a yearly basis, but there is an extra wrinkle for prospective student-athletes. That comes in the form of official and unofficial visits. While everyone understands that one is official and the other isn’t, what are the differences and how do they apply to those impacted?

Official Visit vs. Unofficial Visit

Official visits are any trips to college campuses by a prospective student-athlete that’s paid for by the college they’re visiting.

Unofficial visits are completely paid for by the prospective student-athlete or their family.

The benefit of official visits is that they allow a college to really “wine and dine” a recruit. When hosting someone for an official visit, college programs can pay for the transportation needed by the recruit to get to and from campus, their housing and three meals per day for both the athlete and a parent. Colleges can also include tickets to a home sports event.

There is no flexibility for college athletic programs to pay for anything when it comes to an unofficial visit, but they’re still able to reserve tickets for the recruit and their family to a home sports event.

As one can imagine, the NCAA enforces some regulations on official visits. At the Division I and II level, student-athletes are allowed just one official visit per school, and five total. So if you find yourself being asked to go on several official visits, you need to be thoughtful of how you spend them.

There is no limit at Division III or NAIA schools with regard to total official visits made by a recruit, but they can only make one visit per school. If you’re taking unofficial visits, though, recruits and/or their families can visit as many colleges as many times as they want.

What Doesn’t Change

The big, overarching concept that’s the same between both official and unofficial visits is how one evaluates the school itself. Don’t forget, it’s important to like more things about a school than solely the athletics program. Asking yourself the same questions regardless of what type of visit you’re on is crucial to making an informed decision when the time comes.

• How are the dorms?
• Is the food any good? Hey, this is important! You have to eat least three times a day for four years, ya know.
• What are the academic buildings like? Are you a fan of the campus layout? What about the surrounding area? Would you be excited to attend this school even if sports weren’t a factor?
• Don’t forget about academics. What majors, advising programs, and internship opportunities are available? What resources are available to help you succeed?

This is just the start. Head over to the bookstore, ask current students (both athletes and non-athletes) as many questions as you can, and try to research any unanswered questions after you get home.

A Secret Tip: Act Natural

Here’s the thing—you’ll probably feel like a high school student during these visits. That’s OK because, well, you are a high school student. But I have a secret to tell you: as long as you’re not walking around with your parents or a bunch of other recruits and aren’t on an official tour of the campus, you’ll look just like just all the other college students there. It’s true. Nobody will know the difference.

This is an awesome opportunity to wander around campus by yourself and get a sense of what your experience as a student could be like.

You might be thinking, “But that’s weird! I don’t want to do that!” I get it—I would’ve thought the same thing as a high school junior or senior. However, you’re going to have to do this for real (like meet other students and speak to campus administration) sooner than you think, so there’s no better time than now to give it a try.

When you go on official visits or do admissions-sponsored tours/programs, you’re going to see the best and most wonderful things about that school. That’s literally their job. There are plenty of awesome colleges out there, but no place is all sunshine and rainbows. Exploring the campus by yourself is an opportunity to get a sense of what potential downfalls there are, and it’ll give you a chance to decide whether any of them are deal-breakers or not.

See if people hold doors open for you. Are students walking around campus with a smile on their face? If you get something to eat in the cafeteria, can you sit down with a random person to eat without feeling like an outcast? Is it easy to set up a meeting with the dean of students? Whether your experiences are positive or negative, it’s a decent indicator of what your experience at that college/university could be like.

Visits are an integral part of the college admissions process, regardless of whether you’re a recruited athlete or not. When you get the opportunity to visit a campus you’re potentially interested in, take full advantage of the time you have there.

Photo Credit: Andrei Stanescu/iStock

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Athletic Campus Visits: Understanding OFFICIAL Visits (Part 2/2)

by Renee Lopez | Campus Visits , Recruiting tips

Many high school student-athletes want an opportunity to play at the next level and be offered a college athletic scholarship. While the percentages are in the range of 3-10% (depending on the sport) of high school student-athletes that get an opportunity to play at the next level, not all of them are offered a scholarship based off of their sports talent as many are only offered a walk-on position. Even fewer are offered an opportunity to visit a campus on the school’s ‘dime’ with an official visit to campus.

In part one of our Campus Visits series, we discussed the prevalence of unofficial visits to see a college campus . Most college coaches, admissions staff, and faculty concur that a visit to a college campus can be extremely valuable. Having been a college coach for 14 years, I would highly encourage you to visit numerous campuses early on in your high school career. I would encourage you to visit campuses that are much different from each other- big and small, city vs suburbia, and various levels of sports competition so you can start to figure out what is the right fit for you.

One NCAA Division 1 Head Coach (who asked to remain anonymous so he could speak bluntly) said, “One of my biggest pet peeves in the college recruiting process is that so many high school student-athletes, and especially their parents, have the impression that colleges have an unending amount of money in their recruiting budgets to fly kids in from all across the country on a whim that they may or may not be interested in our college.”

He continued, “I appreciate the anonymity in this as I say this as kindly, yet bluntly as I can…Our recruiting budgets are not like the SEC or ACC, even though we are D1. Here’s the scenario families need to understand. If I can fly myself and my assistant to a college showcase or tournament and see 500-1000 kids play in one weekend for the same costs of flying one athlete in to see our campus and entertain them, who may or may not commit to us…What would you do to be a good steward of the limited recruiting budget for our team? Some recruits, not all, think that just because they are a talented athlete, that they ‘deserve’ an official visit.”

“Please let your readers know that they should see being offered an official visit as a privilege, not a right. Do not ask for an official visit or athletic scholarship in your initial email!  You would never believe the number of kids who do this. It’s just demonstrates your attitude of entitlement, which coaches do not want on their teams. The majority of student-athletes should focus on unofficial visits and be gracious if they are offered an official visit.”

This past week, I interviewed another Athletic Director of a major D1 program who echoed these thoughts. He was also speaking on the condition of anonymity in order to protect their school’s image and his self-proclaimed cynicism, “Student-athletes who are offered official visits should really be serious about the school being in their top 3-5 choices. Please do not use these official visits as a fun getaway for a weekend and also act inappropriately while visiting the college. It will get around to other athletic programs as the sports industry is a very tight-knit industry. Do not simply waste a college coach’s time and the school’s finances on taking official visits of schools you have zero intention of attending. Some people think that this will drive their ‘stock’ up in terms of scholarship offers. It’s simply not the way the system works.”

As a recruiting educator who consults with many families and conducts seminars on the process in various high school and sports organizations, I would reiterate these perspectives as being a major problem in the recruiting process. There are a lot of regulations regarding official visits, so this blog is an attempt to simplify some of the information.

If you are granted an opportunity to visit a college on an official visit, below you will find some answers to some frequently asked questions. I will primarily focus on NCAA rules for these visits at the DI and DII levels. (Please note that NCAA D3, NAIA, NCCAA, and NJCAA all have different rules when it comes to campus visits, so it is best to check with the governing body of the prospective college).

Who Pays for an Official Visit?

This is taken directly from the NCAA website: ‘An “official visit” is any visit to a college or university campus by you and your parents that is paid for by the college. The college or university may pay all or some of the following expenses:

• Your transportation to and from the college (for DI basketball and FBS football, this may include coach-class airfare for up to two people).
• Room and meals (three per day) while you are visiting the college/university.
• Reasonable entertainment expenses, including up to six complimentary admissions to a home athletics contest for Division I, or up to five complimentary admissions to a home athletics contest for Division II.’

What Steps Must I Take Prior To The Official Visit?

A prospective student-athlete cannot do an official visit until he or she:

• Presents the institution with a current high school or college-preparatory school transcript (official or unofficial)
• Registers with the NCAA Eligibility Center; and
• Is placed on the institution’s institutional request list (IRL) with the NCAA Eligibility Center.

How Do I Set-Up An Official Visit?

You need to be offered an official visit by the college coach. As mentioned above, this is not something you just call and ask the coaching staff to do for you. Do not have the expectation that college coaches will do this, especially with large roster programs. 

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How many official visits can i do to a specific campus.

A member institution may finance only one visit to its campus for a prospective student-athlete (even if they are exploring playing multiple sports). Some sports allow these visits to take place during the junior year of high school while others only allow it at the senior year.

It is important to note that you cannot do an official visit during any dead periods which vary in timing by sport. I would suggest checking the NCAA website for recruiting calendars that describe the specifics for each sport here.

What Should I Bring With Me On An Official Visit?

Since the school will already have much of your paperwork already, I would recommend asking the college coach if there is anything specific they would like for you to bring with you. You should also have a list of questions with you to ask admissions, current students, faculty, and athletic staff. I have prepared a set of 13 questions for you to ask a coach in our recent blog here .

What Should I Wear On An Official Campus Visit?

I would recommend your first priority is comfortable walking shoes, as you will typically do a lot of walking. I would encourage you to wear something a bit nicer than just athletic clothes or jeans. You should be wanting to make a good first impression, but you do not have to be in a business suit.

I would think “business casual”. I would recommend a nice button-down shirt (tucked-in) and dress pants for men. For women, I would recommend a casual skirt or dress pants and nice blouse or sweater. I would also encourage you to dress in layers, as many campus buildings have the air conditioning on high when it is summer and vice versa, during the winter months.

Can I Stay Overnight in the Residence Halls On An Official Campus Visit?

The prospective student-athlete may stay in an enrolled student-athlete’s residence hall. You will typically have a student-host who will be in charge of you while on campus. Insider Tip: Remember that the college coach will ask for a report from that student host about how you behaved socially during your visit. Make sure that you represent yourself with maturity the entire time you are on the campus and not on your phone the entire time!

What Will I Be Able to Do While An Official Campus Visit?

On most colleges, you may take a campus tour, meet with the admissions and financial aid staff, tour residence halls, eat in the dining facilities, and meet with faculty in your desired academic major(s). It varies on every college campus and depending on if you are there on a weekday or weekend. The college coach will typically arrange all of the details of your official visit, including attending a home competition, and make sure you spend time with people you need to within the athletic department. Often times this includes the current team, strength and conditioning coaches, athletic training staff, NCAA Compliance Directors, and academic advisers.

The NCAA also states, “An institution may not arrange miscellaneous, personalized recruiting aids (e.g., personalized jerseys, personalized audio/video scoreboard presentations) and may not permit a prospective student-athlete to engage in any game-day simulations (e.g., running onto the field with the team during pregame introductions) during an official visit. Personalized recruiting aids include any decorative items and special additions to any location the prospective student-athlete will visit (e.g., hotel room, locker room, coach’s office, conference room, arena) regardless of whether the items include the prospective student-athlete’s name or picture.”

Can I Do A Try-Out or Play With The Team While I Am On Campus?

Try-outs are not allowed at the NCAA Division I level. However, some sports are allowed to do Identification (ID) Camps which would allow you to pay to participate for a camp held on the campus at various times during the year. However, it is not permissible for an institution to pay any leg of a prospective student athlete’s transportation costs if he or she participates in an institutional camp or clinic in conjunction with an official visit.

NCAA Division II programs may do a try-out while you are there, or may not. There are also stipulations for doing try-outs in terms of timelines (when is your official high school season, etc). To do a try-out, the NCAA also requires you to have a copy of a recent sports physical, including a sickle-cell test. I would not assume you are or are not going to do a try-out when you are visiting a D2 campus. Instead, I would ask the coaches if they are looking to do this prior to your traveling.

There are pages and pages of rules and restrictions in the NCAA Compliance handbooks regarding campus visits (literally these books have hundreds of pages of rules). There are many differences between sports and various levels. This blog is meant to be a resource and is definitely not inclusive. It is recommended if you are invited for an official campus visit, you follow the direction of the athletic staff as to what is permissible and what is not during your visit. Also, if you have not already, I would highly recommend you read our 3 Part blog series on committing to a college. ( Part 1: Prior to Committing , Part 2: During Signing , and Part 3: Steps to Take After Signing ).

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Recruiting tip: everything you need to know about official and unofficial visits, share this article.

The USA TODAY High School Sports Recruiting Tips are provided by our recruiting partner,   Playced.com .

Visiting the campus of the colleges you are most interested in is a critical step in the recruiting process. There is no better way to decide which college environment is best for you. When it comes to the college athletic recruiting process, there are two types of college visits: official visits and unofficial visits. If you want to play your sport in college, you need to know the difference between the two and you need to know how to maximize each. Here’s the definition of an official and unofficial visit and some advice on how to make the most of both.

The difference between official and unofficial visits

An official visit is any visit to a college that is offered and paid for by the university. You and your parents will have your transportation to and from the college paid for. Also paid for by the college will be your hotel, meals and entertainment expenses. Generally, you will receive three free tickets to that college’s home game the weekend you are in town. Each official visit can last up to 48 hours. You are only allowed 5 official visits at the Division I and II levels.

The simple definition of an unofficial visit is anytime you (or you and your parents) visit a college and your parents foot the bill. You can take as many unofficial visits as you like. Unofficial visits to colleges in which you have an interest are a great idea and can start as early as you like.

How to make the most of your college visits

You need to be strategic with your all college visits. If you’re lucky enough to be asked on a few official visits, then you’re most likely a top prospect for those schools. Enjoy the experience and be proud of your accomplishment. That said, you should only take official visits to the schools you are truly interested in. Don’t waste a coach’s time or the school’s money unless you are truly interested. An official visit should not be viewed as a free three-day vacation.

If you’re scheduling some unofficial visits, make sure the programs are a match for your abilities and you have a genuine interest in the college. Then, alert the college coach that you will be on campus and if the weekend is not during a dead period then perhaps a short meeting might be possible.

Here are some things you should consider doing on your visit (official or unofficial) that you might otherwise overlook:

• Meet with the academic advisor
• Sit in on a class to be sure you are comfortable with the classroom atmosphere
• Meet and talk with team members
• Watch the team play or practice

When you go to a college campus whether the visit is official or unofficial, soak it all in. Visit the student union. Talk with students about college life. Get a real feel for the atmosphere. Your college decision isn’t a four-year decision, it’s a forty-year decision.

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Important Questions to Ask on Your Official Visits

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If you are ready to take your recruiting to the next level, click the Get Scouted button below to be evaluated by an NSR College Scout.

Official visits and even unofficial visits are a critical time for athletes in the recruiting process. How they go most times determines if the athlete will receive a scholarship offer. Visiting with a college coach and taking a tour of the university helps athletes figure out if the school is the right fit for them.

Every recruit is different, and some questions don’t pertain to everyone, but National Scouting Report has been doing this a long time and found things all athletes should do and ask.

Hopefully, before an athlete has made it to the visiting stage of the recruiting process, they’ve done their homework. But just in case make sure it happens before the campus visit. It’s important for athletes to refrain from asking cliché questions that could be found by a simple Google search or visiting the university’s website. For one, it comes off as lazy, which you don’t want a prospective coach to think about you. Secondly, it prepares you to ask the hard-hitting questions you need to know.

This skill is essential for athletes to do when conversing with a college coach. Mostly because coaches will answer a good bit of the questions athletes may have. Even though there’s a saying that says, “No question is a stupid question,” it will look bad if you ask a question that they’ve already gone over.

Ask Questions

College coaches are intimidating. No one wants to make a mistake or ask the wrong question, especially when dealing with a potential college scholarship. However, not asking questions, will not go over well either. There are multiple reasons for that. The recruiting process is all about relationships, and it’s impossible to build one with a one-way conversation. Choosing a college or university is the most difficult decision an athlete will have to make, so it’s essential for athletes to have all the knowledge needed to choose wisely.

Where an athlete is in the recruiting process is different for everyone. For some athletes recruiting begins earlier, so they go into their official visits entirely different than someone who is late in the game. Questions will also be different for a Division-I school versus a Division-III since DIII schools can’t offer athletic scholarships, so there’s no reason even to bring that up.

Below are general questions athletes need to ask on their official visits.

• What is a typical day for your athletes?
• What is the practice/training schedule?
• Where do you see the future of this program?
• What positions are you looking to fill?
• How big is this year’s recruiting class?

To Players:

• How do you like the coaching staff?
• How do you manage training and academics?
• What is a typical day? Compare this to the coach’s answer.
• Do you have any advice for me?
• If you could do it again would you choose this university?

To Support Staff: Academic, Administration, Compliance, Training, etc.

• How will you help me succeed academically?
• What is the players training schedule?
• Where/What should I be doing now?
• Are there degree programs athletes can’t do?

At the end of the day, it’s important to figure out when and what to ask college coaches before you go on your official visits. NSR scouts guide athletes through this process and assist them with the exact questions they need to ask for their situation. Don’t waste an opportunity, find a scout near you and get the recruiting help you need.

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For Athletes

5 tips for your official or unofficial visit.

There is no better way to know which school is the best fit than to visit the campus. You’ll instantly see a snapshot of the school, the culture and more.

In a related instance, a big part of the recruiting process is taking an “Official” or “Unofficial” visit, where you meet the coaches and potential future teammates while also feeling out the school.

Here are some tips on “Official” and “Unofficial” visits, as well as some background information on each.

Before the tips, an overarching recommendation:

Take a Friday off from school (high schools usually exempt some college visit days) and spend the day and night with players on the team. Meeting with the coaches and getting a tour of the athletic facilities is a good start, but you want to spend time on campus with current players and the general student body.

5 Tips for Your Visit

1. Take a standard admissions tour of campus . Outside of the tour, this will enable you to see what other types of students are considering the school.

2. Go to classes with a player on the team, if possible . Are classes what you expected? Can you see yourself in only small classes? Are large lecture classes suitable?

3. See where players eat meals . You get a great idea of who they socialize with. Do they only eat with other athletes? Do they have friends outside the team?

4. Stay in underclassmen dorms if you can . Do most students live on campus? Can you see yourself living in a 2 person double or a 4 person suite? Are there coed dorms? Is campus housing close to the academic buildings?

5. Go out and see what a Friday night on campus is like . Are there lots of school-run activities? Do students go to campus parties? Do students go into a nearby town or city?

Doing all of these things will enable a player to see if they are a good academic, athletic and social fit.

Remember, you never want to go to a school just for sports. You want to choose a school that is a good fit for you academically and socially. Use athletics as a vehicle to get into the best school possible. Over the course of your life, your degree is going to shape a lot of the options you have after your playing days are long gone.

Overview: Unofficial Visits

• Pertains to DI, DII and DIII
• All visits before senior year are by definition unofficial.
• Prospective student athletes pay all travel expenses associated with the visit.
• Prospective student athletes can stay on campus with a member of the team or another student.
• Prospective student athletes can meet with the college coach while on campus.
• Coaches can help prospective athletes coordinate NCAA unofficial visits.

Digging Deeper

How does a coach know who is really interested? How does a player know who is really interested?

The answer to both questions is the unofficial visit. After a player receives a letter or email from a coach, it is up to the player to contact the coach and provide a highlight reel and a letter or email alerting the coach that he/she is interested in the program. Of note: A large majority of the letters sent to recruits on September 1st are simply to see who comes back with video and expressing interest.

If the coach considers the player a real prospect, they will go out of their way to invite the player on campus for an unofficial visit. If the player accepts the invitation, then the coach knows that the player is truly interested in their school.

If you have not heard from a number of programs you are interested in, you must put a highlight reel and your information in front of them ASAP before the coach runs out of weekends in the Fall to have you up for a visit.

If the coach has not invited you up for a visit, you must show him a highlight that displays your talent.

Overview: Official Visits

• Pertains to DI and DII programs
• Prospective student athletes can only make one official visit to any given college.
• Prospective student athletes can only make official visits during their senior year of high school.
• Prospective student athletes can make no more than 5 total official visits.
• Official visits can only last 48 hours.
• The college team can pay for your travel and lodging. This is the main distinction between an official and unofficial visit.
• Prospective student athletes may receive free admission to the team’s games, but can only sit in the general seating area.
• Your host can be a player on the team, who receives a set amount of money to cover your expenses while you are on campus.
• Prospective student athletes cannot use this allotment to buy souvenirs or other merchandise.

Official visits are becoming more of a formality with the acceleration of the recruiting process, as many prospects commit well before their senior year even begins.

At Division I programs and top-tier Division III programs, most players will have verbally committed before their senior year. The official visit has become an opportunity for a player to visit campus on the school’s dime while meeting other recruits and current team members. For players who have not verbally committed, we suggest taking all 5 of your official visits.

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Preparing for Official Visits

But to get the most out of these visits, prospects need to remember the rules about official visits. It takes planning ahead of time to maximize official visits in the recruiting process.

Getting Eligible for Official Visits

To take an official visit in Division I or Division II, a prospect needs to do the following:

• Register with the NCAA Eligibility Center ;
• Be added to a school’s institutional request list at the NCAA Eligibility Center;
• Provide the school with a transcript; and
• Provide the school with a standardized test score.

If a prospect has already registered with the Eligibility Center, and sent transcripts and test scores, the school should be able to access them from there. The requirements for what they need to send to a school for an official visit are lower than what the NCAA or a school’s admissions office requires. Test scores can be printouts of the testing agency’s website or on transcripts. The PLAN and PSAT tests are accepted in addition to the ACT and SAT. And transcripts can be unofficial copies.

If you have been actively recruited and official visits have been mentioned, gather up copies of these documents and register with the NCAA Eligibility Center, previously known as the NCAA Clearinghouse . That way you can send the necessary information as soon as the coach invites you on a visit.

Maximizing Your Five Visits

In Division I schools , a prospect can take five official visits. In Division II schools, Division III schools and the NAIA, official visits are unlimited. Prospects who are being recruited by both Division I and Division II schools should take advantage of this, and give many Division II schools a chance. All prospects being recruited by Division I schools should select their five visits carefully. If you can take an unofficial visit to a school on your own dime, that is a good way to get an initial feel and possibly rule a school out without wasting an official visit.

Prospects should also keep in mind they are permitted only one visit to each college. Pick a time to visit that will help you gather the most information possible. That means picking the week of a home game to see the atmosphere around the team, or making sure part of the visit falls on a weekday so you can attend a class.

Not All Official Visits Are Equal

An official visit is a visit to a school’s campus where any part of the visit is financed by the school. That means what is provided on an official visit can vary widely from school to school and sport to sport.

In Division I football , men’s and women’s basketball, and baseball, schools are only allowed to provide a certain number of official visits each year. Football is permitted 56, baseball is allowed 25 , and basketball is allowed just 12. Men’s basketball must also split visits between seniors and juniors, who may now take official visits starting January 1 of their junior year. Because the schools are limited in how many visits they can provide, any official visit in those sports tends to indicate the coaches are very interested in the prospect.

In other sports, it is the budget, not NCAA rules, that limit official visits. Coaches who need to stretch the budget may not pay for everything during an official visit. One common practice is to ask prospects to pay for the plane ticket, then they cover everything else. Some visits may not last the full 48 hours. And sometimes an official visit simply means the coach bought the prospect lunch. What the coach is willing to pay for can be an indication of how serious your recruitment is. That said, prospects should not dismiss a program that is pinching recruiting dollars, especially if everything else with the program seems top-notch.

One last tip for prospects is to be on the lookout for extra-long visits. Official visits are limited to 48 hours,but coaches may bring the prospect into town the night before and put them up in a hotel without starting the clock. This not only costs more, but the coach also wants to maximize the amount of time on the visit and make sure the prospect is in a good state of mind. If you are lucky enough to have such a visit planned for you, it almost always means you are a top priority for the coaching staff.

Do Your Homework

Official visits can be some of the best parts of the recruiting process. Prospects get to travel to a campus, experience a bit of college life, and are the center of attention for a couple of days. But while it might seem glamorous, prospects need to remember that the school is putting its best foot forward. And that official visits leave a big impression when you ultimately decide which school to commit to. Use some of these resources to make sure you get the most out of your visits:

• 10 Things to Do On Your Official Visit
• Official Visit: Make Sure It’s Your Athlete’s
• Don’t Lose Your Scholarship in the Recruiting Shuffle (especially the chart at the bottom)

Do you have any questions about taking an official visit? Just ask us in the comments section below, or connect with us on Facebook , Twitter , or Google+ !

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Coaches differ on the best official visit strategy

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What's the secret to the best time to bring recruits to campus for official visits? The secret is that there aren't any secrets, as coaches at schools from coast-to-coast will tell you there isn't a one-size-fits-all solution for the timing of official visits.

Any visit to a campus by a college-bound student-athlete and his parents or legal guardians paid for by the college is considered an official visit. During an official visit, the college can pay for transportation to and from the college for the prospect, lodging and three meals per day for the prospect, as well as reasonable entertainment expenses -- including three tickets to a home sports event.

December and January and the run-up to national signing day have traditionally been when schools bring recruits and their families to campus for visits. The NCAA's Football Recruiting Ad Hoc Group estimated around 75 percent of official visits take place in the eight weeks before signing day. But with the expedited recruiting cycle, the committee found more and more schools have been bringing recruits in on game weekends in September, October and November.

"I've had a little bit of a change of heart on when you should bring kids to campus over the years," Nebraska coach Mike Riley said. "I used to believe December and January were the only times you should bring players to town. But over the past few years, I've started to see many of the benefits bringing recruits in on visits for game days can have for your program. Both approaches have advantages, but they can also have some pitfalls you need to be aware of."

One of the biggest benefits for bringing recruits to town in December and January is that you can usually get larger groups of players together and use some strategy on uncommitted targets. SMU defensive coordinator Van Malone said he likes to group guys who are definitely coming to his school with a small handful of guys that are still not sure.

"You sprinkle him in with the guys that are locked in, because they're talking 'we and us,'" Malone said. "The guy that hasn't made a decision, he's 'you and them,' and by the end of the weekend, we hope he's talking 'we and us,' too. It also gives the parents a good feel to be around other parents that are sold on the school already. It gives parents time to bond. You suddenly start seeing parents talking about how they could someday ride to the games together and talk about tailgating together. That's easily one of the best reasons to bring kids in for December visits instead of earlier in the season."

Another big advantage of December and January visits instead of game day trips is the coaching staff and players who are hosting visits can pay full attention to the recruits and their families instead of having to work around final game prep, the actual game itself and the ramifications of losing the game.

"When you bring kids in on game day weekends, you have to really hope that your players can be your best recruiters," Mississippi State assistant recruiting coordinator Niel Stopczynski said. "The team is doing a lot of recruiting for you, because you don't have a whole lot of time to sit around and talk to the recruit and his family. Recruits that come in on game weekends might be lucky to get only an hour or two with your head coach, but when you bring them in January or December, you can ensure big blocks of time with your coaches. That's why we always push later visits.

"And God forbid if you lose the game. You might as well send the recruits home after you lose a big game in front of a bunch of official visitors."

"Your fan base is one of your biggest selling points, and what better thing to showcase to a recruit than your game days." Nebraska coach Mike Riley

But there are plenty of potential drawbacks to waiting for postseason visits. Texas coach Tom Herman said there's always concern if you wait too long to get a kid to campus, he could be influenced by another school, and it could be too late to "play catch-up." And unless you're at a school like USC, UCLA or Miami, you always run the risk of having weather affect recruiting weekends in December and January.

Count No. 2 defensive tackle LaBryan Ray as a fan of taking visits in December and January. He said he was asked repeatedly by coaches to take visits during the season, but he elected for a visit schedule of Ole Miss in December, Tennessee on Jan. 13, Alabama on Jan. 20 and Florida on Jan. 27.

"I owed it to my team to be focused on them during the season," Ray, who had 124 tackles and 13 sacks at Madison (Alabama) James Clemens High School. "If you're flying around all over the country, you're missing practices, film review and putting yourself ahead of the team."

Yet the numbers do tell us that more and more schools are using official visits on game weekends, especially at places where there is an outstanding setting on Saturdays or if there's a marquee game.

"Your fan base is one of your biggest selling points, and what better thing to showcase to a recruit than your game days," Riley said. "The crowd. The band. The tailgating. The electricity that's created on game days can be awfully appealing and make big impressions on a recruit. It's hard to replicate that, even when you have a home basketball game in December or January."

But still coaches said they have to be smart with the type of players they bring in on game weekends. Instead of spending an official visit during the season on a local prospect, many schools will use it on players from outside their state or from a different region. For example, Nebraska brought in 31 of its available 56 official visits this recruiting cycle on game weekends and 30 of them were from out-of-state players.

"Say we had a juco kid from California that had never stepped foot in the state of Mississippi, that's never been to a game, probably never watched us on TV and has zero clue about what life is like in Mississippi on game day. We'll bring that guy in during a game day visit," Mississippi State's Stopczynski said. "I think the most emotionally charged you get on your visits, is when you come in on a game day, especially if we do a good job and we win. The crowd is happy. The cowbells are ringing and everything else. It does something to you."

Herman agreed and said that Texas will likely employ that philosophy as the he goes through his first full cycle in Austin with the 2018 recruiting class.

"With out-of-state kids, most of the time it's important to get them in during the season so they can see a game day atmosphere," Herman said. "... I think if you've got interest from one of the top players in the country, and he's out of state and wants to come see game, we'll certainly accommodate that."

That's exactly what Penn State, Florida, UCLA and Ohio State did for top-ranked inside linebacker Anthony Hines III of Plano (Texas) East. Hines took all five of his official visits during the season because he said it was important for him to see what it was like on campus on a typical game day.

"Living in Texas, you don't get too many opportunities to see places like Los Angeles, State College, Gainesville or Columbus other than what you see on TV," Hines, who committed and is already enrolled at Texas A&M, said. "So I wanted to get on campus at those schools, walk around and see what the environment was like, what were the fans like. I also liked seeing how the coaches interacted with the players on game day. For me, the game day visits were vital."

It's the differences between Hines and Ray and how schools like Nebraska or Mississippi State use their official visits that make it one of the most fascinating parts of the entire recruiting process. For every argument for in-season or out-of-season visits, there's a counter for why it's not a good idea.

"... I think every kid is a little bit different when you're out there recruiting them," Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said. "There are some kids that you say 'Hey, they like every school.' If they like every school, then you want to be the last school they visit, so that's the last thing on their mind. Others you want to get them on campus as soon as you can, so they'll commit.

"It's more complex of an issue than you think, and there's no right or wrong answer. You just hope your coaches recruiting find out from the people involved in the process when that right time is."

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Harry ends his three-day official visit to the city today.

Today marks the start of their second official visit in five years.

Or was it an official visit ?

The glebe terrier would be drawn up at the time of each visitation, an official visit usually by the archdeacon.

During the recruiting process, prospective student-athletes go on an official visit to the school they are being recruited by.

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Supreme Court gives win to Trump, ruling he has immunity for some acts in election interference indictment

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday raised the bar for prosecuting Donald Trump, ruling that he has immunity for some of his conduct as president in his federal election interference case but maybe not for other actions, adding another obstacle for special counsel Jack Smith’s taking the case to trial .

In a novel and potentially consequential case about the limits of presidential power, the justices voted 6-3 along ideological lines to reject Trump’s broad claim of immunity, meaning the charges related to his attempts to overturn the 2020 election results will not be dismissed, but they said some actions closely related to his core duties as president are off-limits to prosecutors.

"Big win for our Constitution and democracy. Proud to be an American," Trump said in a post in all capital letters on his social media website, Truth Social.

Trump's Republican allies welcomed the ruling, while Democrats roundly condemned it. In televised remarks from the White House on Monday night, President Joe Biden called the decision "a terrible disservice to the people of this nation."

"No one, no one is above the law, not even the president of the United States. [With] today’s Supreme Court decision on presidential immunity, that fundamentally changed for all practical purposes,” Biden said.

Chief Justice John Roberts, writing for the majority, said further proceedings are needed in lower courts to determine what conduct Trump can be prosecuted for. Among the conduct that the court determined to be core presidential powers and therefore subject to immunity are Trump's contacts with Justice Department officials. Trump is also "presumptively immune" from being prosecuted for his contacts with Vice President Mike Pence in the weeks leading up to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol by his supporters, Roberts wrote.

The indictment alleged that Trump sought to pressure the Justice Department to investigate unfounded claims of widespread election fraud as part of a plan to keep him in power despite Biden's election victory. Trump also wanted Pence to refuse to certify the election results as part of his ceremonial role at the joint session of Congress on Jan. 6.

"The President is not above the law," Roberts wrote. "But Congress may not criminalize the President's conduct in carrying out the responsibilities of the Executive Branch under the Constitution."

What that means for the case going forward remains to be seen. Trump’s lawyer conceded in the oral argument in April that at least some of the allegations in the indictment concern private conduct that would not be protected by any immunity defense. Likewise, the Justice Department lawyer arguing the case for the special counsel said the prosecution could go ahead even if some official acts were protected.

Smith's office declined to comment on the ruling Monday.

At a minimum, there will be further proceedings before U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan to determine what, if any, of the other conduct alleged in the indictment is protected. Among the acts she will review to determine whether they are subject to immunity are Trump's contacts with people outside the federal government, including state election officials such as Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, whom Trump pressured to reject results showing Biden victories.

Prosecutors will also have a chance to rebut the suggestion that Trump's contacts with Pence are protected. That determination would hinge on whether prosecuting Trump for those actions would "pose any dangers of intrusion on the authority and functions of the executive branch," Roberts wrote.

In addressing the contacts with state election officials, Roberts wrote that the president has "broad power to speak on matters of public concern," including the conduct of elections. On the other hand, the president "plays no role" in the certifying of elections by states, he added. Chutkan needs to conduct a "close analysis" of the indictment to determine whether Trump's actions are protected, Roberts said.

In another blow to Smith, the court ruled that none of the conduct for which Trump is immune can be admitted as evidence at trial in any form.

The court's three liberal justices strenuously dissented , with Justice Sonia Sotomayor writing that the ruling "makes a mockery of the principle, foundational to our Constitution and system of Government, that no man is above the law."

The Constitution, she added, "does not shield a former President from answering for criminal and treasonous acts."

She warned that the ruling could have broad ramifications by protecting presidents for a wide variety of actions.

"Let the President violate the law, let him exploit the trappings of office for personal gain, let him use his official power for evil ends," Sotomayor wrote. "Because if he knew that he may one day face liability for breaking the law, he might not be as bold and fearless as we would like him to be. That is the majority's message today."

In a separate dissenting opinion, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson described the ruling as a "five-alarm fire that threatens to consume democratic self-governance."

Even if the new proceedings do not take much time, there is little chance for the trial to conclude before Election Day. It had previously been suggested that a trial would not start until at least three months after the Supreme Court ruling, which would mean it would potentially not start until early October at the earliest. The trial itself could last up to 12 weeks.

The case put the national spotlight on the court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority that includes three justices Trump appointed. The court handed Trump an election-year boost when it ruled in March that Colorado could not kick him off the ballot .

The justices were also criticized for their delay in taking up Trump’s appeal, which some view in itself as a victory for him, as it meant the trial could not take place in March as originally planned.

Legally speaking, the case was unprecedented, as no president has ever been prosecuted after having left office. Therefore, the court was wrestling with a legal question that had never come before it: whether a president has some form of immunity for his core duties derived from the constitutional principle of separation of powers, which delineates the powers of the presidency in relation to other branches of government.

The legal argument focused on Trump’s official acts, with both sides agreeing that a former president does not have immunity for personal conduct.

The Supreme Court intervened after a federal appeals court had ruled Feb. 6 that Trump was not immune from prosecution, saying that once he left office he became “citizen Trump” and should be treated like any other criminal defendant. The Justice Department has long maintained that a sitting president cannot be prosecuted.

The appeals court did not analyze which, if any, of the conduct in the indictment could be viewed as an official act, a fact that appeared to irk some of the justices during oral argument.

Trump’s lawyers pointed to a 1982 Supreme Court ruling that endorsed presidential immunity from civil lawsuits when the underlying conduct concerns actions within the “outer perimeter” of the president’s official responsibilities.

Smith’s team argued that there is no broad immunity that prevents former presidents from being prosecuted for criminal acts committed in office.

The federal indictment returned by a grand jury in Washington in August consisted of four counts: conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights, specifically the right to vote.

In another Jan. 6-related case, the court on Friday narrowed the scope of law penalizing the obstruction of an official proceeding. Trump also faces that charge, but legal experts say the Friday ruling may not affect his case .

Trump, the indictment said, conspired to “overturn the legitimate results of the 2020 presidential election by using knowingly false claims of election fraud to obstruct the government function by which those results are collected, counted and certified.”

The indictment focuses on Trump’s involvement in a scheme to submit fake election certificates to Congress in the hope that they would nullify Biden’s victory. The chain of events culminated in the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

Trump, who pleaded not guilty, says he was simply expressing his concerns, which were not based on any evidence, that the election was marred by widespread fraud. The case is one of four criminal prosecutions Trump is currently battling.

Lawrence Hurley covers the Supreme Court for NBC News.

Does An Unofficial Visit Mean An Offer?

Scheduling an unofficial visit is a huge step in the recruitment process. It may be your first in-person interaction with a collegiate coach, or just a way to get a better feel for a school. Whatever it may be, be sure to make the most out of it, and take notes to compare it to other schools you may eventually visit.

Taking an unofficial visit to a college or university does not necessarily mean you’ve been extended an offer, nor does it mean you’ll be extended an offer. It is possible for a coach to offer a student athlete while taking an unofficial visit, but by no means is this guaranteed. Part of taking an unofficial visit is developing a relationship with the coach and making a lasting impression. By doing so, a coach is more likely to consider you favorably when deciding how to distribute his or her scholarships.

Below is some additional information discussing the prospects of receiving a scholarship on an official visit, the NCAA guidelines for unofficial visits and why you should take an official visit.

Will I Receive An Offer On My Official Visit?

Even though the odds are against you receiving a scholarship offer on your unofficial visit, there are a few key considerations to gauge your odds.

Relationship With The Coaching Staff: This might seem obvious, but a non-starter to being offered on an unofficial visit is having a relationship with the coach/coaching staff. A coach isn’t going to make an offer to an athlete they don’t know. The recruiting process is all about developing relationships with coaches, so if you want to have any chances of being extended an offer on an unofficial visit, you’ll need to put in the time and effort into building relationships with coaches at the schools you are targeting.

Can You Meet With The Coaching Staff: Another obvious situation that would prevent you from being extended an offer on an unofficial visit is can you meet with the coach. The NCAA prohibits college coaches from discussing recruiting with high school athletes on unofficial visit until after August 1st of their junior year. In addition, the NCAA has designated “dead periods” when a college coach isn’t allowed to have any contact with recruits. If your unofficial visit is before August 1st of your junior year or during one of these “dead periods”, you will not be able to talk with the coach and obviously not be able to receive an offer.

Recruiting Timelines: The final consideration for whether you might be offered on your unofficial visit is where you are in the recruiting timeline. If you are very early in the recruiting process and the coach hasn’t begun to offer scholarships to your recruiting class yet, it is likely you’ll not receive an offer on your unofficial visit. But, if you’re in the recruiting sweet-spot where the coach is starting to fill your recruiting class and you’re high on their list, you may receive an offer on your visit. Due note, this is highly dependent on your sport and the division of the school you are visiting.

Again, it isn’t likely to be offered a scholarship on an unofficial visit, but if you’ve taken the time to develop a relationship with the coach and you’ve planned your unofficial visit at the ideal time, it might just happen.

Unofficial Visit Guidelines

Unofficial visits operate a bit differently than official visits. Discussed below are the NCAA rules and regulations regarding unofficial visits.

Individually Financed: Unlike official visits, unofficial visits are to be completely financed by the athlete and their family. Per NCAA rules, the only thing school athletic programs are permitted to pay for is three complimentary admission tickets to a sporting event for the individual and his or her family taking the visit. Additionally, while schools are not allowed to pay for overnight housing for students and their families over the course of the unofficial visit, they can provide housing in dormitories for the standard rate charged. This rate to stay in a dormitory is often favorable to hotel stays.

When Can I Take An Unofficial Visit: An unofficial visit can be taken at any time. It doesn’t matter what age you are as a prospective student athlete to take an unofficial visit; this could even be prior to starting high school. Keep in mind, a NCAA rule went into place in May of 2019 stating that for Division I schools, you are not allowed to arrange unofficial visits with the athletic department or talk about recruiting with a coach while taking your official visit until August 1st of your junior year of high school.

Additional NCAA Stipulations: There is one exception to when prospective student athletes can take unofficial visits if they want to talk to the coach and that’s the NCAA “dead periods”. These “dead periods” vary by specific sport and strictly prohibit all in-person recruitment processes between player and coach. The only way a prospective student athlete would be permitted to take an unofficial visit during an NCAA regulated “dead period” would be if they have signed a National Letter of Intent, an athletic scholarship agreement, or have already been admitted to the school and paid a deposit.

Athletes and their families are responsible for planning their unofficial visits making them much more individualized than official visits. As such, interacting with the coaching staff is likely to be much more limited than on an official visit. Unofficial visits are meant to be a time for student athletes to see the school and envision whether or not it is a fit for them with less of an emphasis on athletics.

Why Should I Take An Unofficial Visit

Unofficial visits should be used as a learning mechanism to gain an idea of whether or not you see certain schools as the right fit.

To Tour The School: Unofficial visits are unlimited in number and can happen at any age. This being said, treat unofficial visits to different schools as a way to feel out their campus’ and what all they have to offer you as a student, not just as an athlete. You should use this time to do things such as taking a tour, looking at the libraries and dining halls, and other buildings that are important to a college or university.

To Help In Your Recruitment: One thing coaches often look for in prospective student athletes is reciprocal interest. If a coach is interested in you, the more interest you show, the greater likelihood you have to be extended a scholarship offer. Before taking an unofficial visit, be sure to be in communication with the coaching staff at that school. Whether it be through your high school coach, or you personally, make sure to get into contact with the coach and schedule a time for you and your family to meet with him or her. Building relationships with a coach early may serve extremely beneficial in the long run.

To Ask Questions Of A Coach: Whether it be an official or unofficial visit, having questions prepared to ask coaches is extremely important. This may be your first in-person interaction with a coach, so try to learn as much as you can. You might ask about the athletes he or she recruits, his or her coaching style, and his or her expectations. Be sure to prepare insightful questions to get the most out of taking an unofficial visit.

Things To Keep In Mind

If You Aren’t Offered A Scholarship, Don’t Panic: Many coaches will wait to offer athletes until after they have taken visits so as to look back and reflect upon what kind of asset they believe you might be to their team. Many coaches will take a bit of time to think over extending you a scholarship offer, so by no means is it a bad sign to not be offered a scholarship on an unofficial visit.

Do Your Research: Since your family will be paying for your unofficial visits, you’ll want to pick the schools you visit strategically. Take the time to research each school, get into contact with the coach and scope out their level of interest in you as a recruit. Then, narrow down your list based on the coaches that seem most interested and pick the schools that make the most sense for you based on your preferences and the financial burden of all the visits.

Keep Reading?

'Unofficial' vs. 'official' presidential acts: What's the difference?

In a historic ruling on Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court said former President Donald Trump is entitled to immunity from criminal prosecution for "official" acts taken as president, but not for any "unofficial" acts.

The 6-3 decision could have major implications for the various criminal cases pending against Trump -- especially special counsel Jack Smith’s federal case , for which Trump faces four felony counts for alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election.

What constitutes an "official" versus an "unofficial" act by the president is not precisely defined in the opinion, and Chief Justice John Roberts acknowledged it could raise "difficult questions."

"Certain allegations -- such as those involving Trump's discussions with the Acting Attorney General -- are readily categorized in light of the nature of the President's official relationship to the office held by that individual," Roberts wrote in the opinion. "Other allegations -- such as those involving Trump's interactions with the Vice President, state officials, and certain private parties, and his comments to the general public -- present more difficult questions."

In addition to the core presidential duties laid out in the Constitution, conduct within the "outer perimeter" of official functions would be deemed immune as long as it is "not manifestly or palpably beyond his authority."

It would be up to the lower courts to determine whether the conduct in question is considered official or unofficial.

"[Official acts are] something that you would expect the president to do -- kind of a core presidential duty, like acting as Commander-in-Chief of the military," said Chris Timmons, a former prosecutor and ABC News legal contributor. "If the president of the United States sent troops to Lebanon, for example, he couldn't be prosecuted for murder."

Though the ruling has been largely deemed a win for Trump, it’s far from a get-out-of-jail-free card, legal experts told ABC News -- particularly when it comes to prosecution for actions he took not as the president but as a candidate.

When it comes to allegations that Trump enlisted "fake electors" to overturn the 2020 election in his favor, for example, it would likely be difficult to argue that was done in his official capacity as president.

"The interaction with fake electors is not something a president does as part of his official duties -- it is something a candidate does as part of their campaign," Michael Gerhardt, a constitutional law expert at the University of North Carolina, told ABC News. "That allows the court to say, I think rightly in this case, that Trump's interaction with the fake electors is really on the unofficial side, rather than official."

Even so, punting the decision to the lower courts is almost certain to throw obstacles in the way of the pending litigation against Trump, slowing them down even further ahead of the election.

"The court basically said that as long as Trump or any president claims that what he was doing was acting officially, then his actions are presumptively constitutional, and it's up to the prosecutor to find evidence to overcome that presumption, and that is not going to be easy," Gerhardt said.

Some legal experts expect Smith may reevaluate the federal case against Trump, possibly jettisoning some elements that could prove shakier due to the Supreme Court ruling.

"One option is to try to streamline the case considerably to only those acts that either Trump conceded were unofficial, or those acts plus some that Jack Smith thinks he has the best chance of persuading the courts are unofficial, and then proceed on that basis in the interest of efficiency," Jessica Roth, a former federal prosecutor and Cardozo Law professor, told ABC News. "Or does he want to be more aggressive and try to keep more of the allegations in the case, which might be more risky for him in terms of ultimately prevailing?"

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Trump says he can end the Russia-Ukraine war in one day. Russia’s UN ambassador says he can’t

In this photo provided by the United Nations, Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation, and President of the Security Council for the month of July, briefs reporters on the program of work of the Security Council, at the United Nations, Monday, July 1, 2024. (Eskinder Debebe/UN Photo via AP)

FILE - Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks during a presidential debate with President Joe Biden, June 27, 2024, in Atlanta. During the presidential debate, Donald Trump did as he often does when it comes to the Capitol riot, skirting past the events of that fateful day, shifting blame for the mob’s siege to others and declining to unequivocally say he will accept the results of this year’s election. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)

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UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Donald Trump has repeatedly said he could settle the war between Russia and Ukraine in one day if he’s elected president again. Russia’s United Nations ambassador says he can’t.

When asked to respond to the claim from the presumptive Republican nominee, Vassily Nebenzia told reporters Monday that “the Ukrainian crisis cannot be solved in one day.”

At a CNN town hall in May 2023, Trump said: “They’re dying, Russians and Ukrainians. I want them to stop dying. And I’ll have that done — I’ll have that done in 24 hours.” He said that would happen after he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin. And he keeps repeating the claim on the campaign trail.

During last week’s debate with President Joe Biden, Trump claimed, “If we had a real president, a president that knew — that was respected by Putin ... he would have never invaded Ukraine.”

Trump campaign’s communications director Steven Cheung said Tuesday that “a top priority in his second term will be to quickly negotiate an end to the Russia-Ukraine war.”

“Trump believes European nations should be paying more of the cost of the conflict,” Cheung said.

Nebenzia said the war could have ended in April 2022 in Istanbul when Russia and Ukraine were “very close” to an agreement. Moscow invaded its neighbor two months earlier on Feb. 24, 2022, though Russia insists its “special military operation” began in 2014 after clashes in Ukraine’s east resulted in Moscow seizing the Crimea Peninsula.

The Russian ambassador blamed Ukraine’s Western backers for blocking the April 2022 peace deal and telling Kyiv to keep fighting Russia.

Now, he said, Zelenskyy “is running around with his so-called peace plan which, of course, is not a peace plan but a joke.” While meeting in Switzerland last month, nearly 80 countries called for the “territorial integrity” of Ukraine to be the basis for any peace agreement to end the war. But some key developing nations did not join in and Russia did not attend the conference.

Nebenzia pointed to Putin’s offer on June 14 to “immediately” order a cease-fire in Ukraine and start negotiations if Kyiv begins withdrawing troops from the four regions annexed by Moscow in 2022 and renounces plans to join NATO.

Zelenskyy, who has vowed not to give up any territory, rejected what he called an ultimatum by Putin to surrender more land.

The Trump campaign didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment about Nebenzia’s remarks.

After Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukrainian forces thwarted their drive to the capital. Much of the fighting has been focused in Ukraine’s south and east, where Moscow illegally seized four regions, although it doesn’t fully control any of them.

But Ukraine is still struggling to stabilize parts of its front line after desperately needed military assistance from the United States was delayed for months before being approved in April. And Russia took advantage of the Ukrainian weapons shortage to launch an offensive and has made gains.

Nebenzia called Zelenskyy’s peace formula “a nonstarter” and said he needs to be “realistic” and take into account what’s happened since April . The more difficult the situation becomes for Ukraine on the ground, he warned, the more difficult diplomacy will become to end the war.