Prospective Student-Athletes

This sub-site is intended to highlight some pertinent NCAA rules for you as a prospective student-athlete at UC San Diego.  It is impossible to cover every NCAA rule that impacts you as a Division II prospect.  If you ever have any questions about NCAA rules and regulations, please contact the Compliance Office staff.

Definition of a Prospect:

A prospective student-athlete is any student who: has started classes for the 9th grade; is a student younger than the 9th grade who has received a benefit from UC San Diego; is a student in a preparatory school or 2-year college; OR is a student at a 4-year institution who has been issued a release by his/her university.

You become a "recruited" prospective student-athlete at UC San Diego if any coach or representative of the University's athletics interests (i.e. "booster") does any of the following:

Essential Information for Prospects:

NCAA Recruiting Rules

The NCAA strictly regulates when and how coaches and athletic department staff members can contact prospective student-athletes.  Depending on the circumstances, they may not always be able speak to you or get back to you via phone or email.  When contacting a coach or administrator, ALWAYS leave a detailed message that includes your age, grade level and school.  This will help the coach/administrator determine whether he/she is allowed to have contact with you. 

The NCAA has a helpful Division II Recruiting Timeline with important definitions and a DII recruiting timeline to help you understand some of these rules.  Please note, recruiting contact rules are different across Divisions I and II and III.

See Recruiting Rules FAQs section below for answers to some of the most frequently asked recruiting questions.

NCAA Initial Eligibility Standards

Incoming freshmen must meet certain academic standards to be considered eligible at UC San Diego.  These NCAA eligibility standards are separate from the admissions standards you must meet to be considered for admission to UC San Diego.  Divisions I and II have different eligibility standards so check in early to make sure you are on track to meeting NCAA Initial Eligibility Standards.

Transfer Student Eligibility

Prospective student-athletes who wish to transfer to UC San Diego are subject to Division II transfer eligibility rules.  The rules are different depending on whether you are transferring from a 2-year junior college or a 4-year institution. For an overview of transfer eligibility rules, please reference the NCAA's Transfer 101 guide.  If you have questions about transfer rules, please contact Katie McGann, Associate Athletic Director at kmcgann@ucsd.edu or 858/534-8700.

Please note: if you are a student currently at another 4-year NCAA or NAIA school, OR if you have been enrolled at another 4-year institution in the last year, UC San Diego coaches and administrators are not allowed to have any contact with you unless you have a release (also known as permission to contact) from your 4-year institution.

To obtain a release, you will need to contact the athletics department at your current or former 4-year institution.  Once you have your release, please email (kmcgann@ucsd.edu) or fax (858/534-8172) it to Katie McGann, Associate Athletic Director, in the UC San Diego Compliance Office.  Once we have the release, UC San Diego coaches and administrators can have contact with you.

NCAA Eligibility Center

All incoming student-athletes are required to register with the NCAA Eligibility Center and submit certain information.  The Eligibility Center evaluates both the academic and amateur status of all incoming student-athletes.  Register and complete your assigned tasks as early as possible to avoid delays once you get to UC San Diego.

Graduation Rates

NCAA rules require us to provide information to incoming student-athletes regarding our institution's federal Graduation Rates and our Division II Academic Success Rate 

Year-Round Drug Testing

The NCAA randomly selects institutions and student-athletes for drug testing throughout the academic year, including the summer. All student-athletes are subject to drug testing before, during or after their competitive seasons.  All student-athletes need to be aware of the NCAA Banned Drugs list and should check with the Athletic Trainers for any questions. Student-athletes who test positive are subject to at least a one-year suspension and loss of eligibility.

Many nutritional/dietary supplements contain NCAA banned substances. In addition, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not strictly regulate the supplement industry; therefore the purity and safety of nutritional/dietary supplements cannot be guaranteed. Impure supplements may lead to a positive drug test. The UC San Diego Athletics Department does not promote the use of nutritional/dietary supplements and the use of such supplements is at the student-athlete's own risk. Student-athletes should contact the Head Athletic Trainer, Kevin Messey (kmessey@ucsd.edu) or Director of Strength and Conditioning, Rudy Thomas (r4thomas@ucsd.edu) for further information.

Additional information may also be found through the Center for Drug Free Sport, which sponsors a confidential Resource Exchange Center (REC) for student-athletes and athletics staff with questions about nutritional supplements The REC may be contacted toll free at (877) 202-0769 or by clicking the link above.  When accessing the REC via the Internet, the required password is ncaa2.

California Assembly Bill 2079

On September 30, 2010, AB 2079 was signed into California law by the Govenor.  This law requires educational institutions that offer athletics scholarships, or that provide, by any delivery method, written mateiral regarding their athletic program to a student-athlete, to provide a direct link to the institution's Internet web page where the student-athlete shall be able to access all information regarding the institution's athletic scholarship program.  By clicking here you will find information and links that provide a comprehensive review of all issues related to UC San Diego athletics scholarships, medical related expenses and the transfer release process.

Recruiting Rules FAQs:

1.      What is an official visit?

Any visit to a college campus where the institution pays for part or all of your expenses.  You are only allowed to take one official visit per institution.  But, for Division II, there is no limit on the total number of schools you may visit for an official visit.  In Division I, you are limited to a total of 5 official visits.  Both DI and DII schools count against the 5 visit limit.  You cannot go on an official visit until opening day of classes of your senior year of high school.

2.     What is an unofficial visit?

An unofficial visit is any visit to a college that is not paid for by the institution.  Unlike with official visits, you are allowed to take as many unofficial visits to a school as you like AND you can go on an unofficial visit at any age.

3.     When is the first opportunity a UC San Diego coach may communicate with me?

There are different rules for different means of communication.  The NCAA's Division II Recruiting Timeline will give you a complete breakdown of when and how UC San Diego coaches can have contact with you and your parents. Remember recruiting rules are different for Divisions I, II and III.

4.     When can I start calling a UC San Diego coach?  When can I start emailing them?

Prospective student-athletes and their parents may call a UC San Diego coach at any time.  If the coach answers the call, he/she is free to talk to you.  However, if you leave a message, NCAA rules may not allow the coach to return your call.  Please reference the abovementioned Division II Recruiting Timeline for the rules. 

Similar to phone calls, you can always email a UC San Diego coach.  However, unless you've reached September 1st of your junior year in high school, the coach is not allowed to email you back except to explain the NCAA contact rules.

Remember, if you are a student at another 4-year institution and are attempting to contact a UC San Diego coach or administrator, you must have been issued a release.

Division II Recruiting Timeline

DII Toolkit 

National Letter of Intent (NLI)

NCAA Eligibility Center

NCAA Initial Eligibility Standards

UC San Diego Office of Admissions 

UC San Diego Office of Financial Aid

Contacting the Compliance Office

Remember this is not a complete list of NCAA rules. Please contact a compliance staff member if you have any questions or before taking action that may be contrary to NCAA rules.  Click here to view the Compliance staff contact information.