ALLIE COLLINS

Finding colleges to add to your recruiting list does not have to start with typing “best colleges for my sport” into Google and hoping for the best. A smarter approach is to use the search tools and member directories provided by college athletic associations to narrow programs by factors such as association, division, conference, and location.

The goal isn’t to find the perfect college immediately. The goal is to start building a list of programs worth researching.

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Don’t Just Search for the Biggest Names

When student-athletes first start the college recruiting process, it can be easy to think of the same handful of schools.

Maybe they’re schools you’ve watched on TV. Maybe they’re programs with the biggest social media following. Maybe they’re simply the only colleges you know.

But there are hundreds of potential college athletic programs out there, and many of them may never show up on your radar unless you intentionally search for them.

That’s why one of the first steps in building a college recruiting list is learning how to search for programs strategically.

And good news: you don’t need a secret recruiting database to get started. Many college athletic associations provide tools and member directories that can help student-athletes explore their options.

The rest of the process is about narrowing, researching, and organizing what you find.

Start With Some Basic Filters

Before opening every college directory and falling into a three-hour research rabbit hole, start by thinking about what you’re looking for.

You don’t need to have your entire college future mapped out.

But having a few filters can help you narrow your search.

Consider:

• Your sport
• Athletic associations and divisions you want to explore
• Geographic preferences
• Regions or states
• Conferences
• College size
• Academic interests or potential majors
• Your current athletic ability and development potential

Remember: these filters aren’t permanent.

You may start your search thinking you only want to stay within four hours of home and eventually discover a program farther away that you absolutely love.

That’s okay.

Your recruiting list should evolve as you learn more.

Use College Athletic Association Directories

One of the easiest ways to begin your search is by using the official directories provided by college athletic associations.

The NCAA’s official membership directory allows users to find and explore member institutions, with search options that include factors such as division, state, and sport.

Search NCAA Member Schools

The NAIA’s Find a School tool allows prospective student-athletes to explore NAIA schools and conferences.

For NJCAA opportunities, you can use the association’s official member and school resources to explore junior college programs. Because conferences and member institutions can vary, always use the current official NJCAA resources when building your list.

Visit the NJCAA

You can also find these resources — and other official recruiting and eligibility information — in The Resource Center.

Explore The Resource Center Here

Why Start With Official Directories?

Because they help you search beyond the colleges you already know.

Instead of just trying to search for the “best colleges” in your sport, you can search for programs in your region, in a specific conference, at a specific level, etc.

That’s a much better starting point.

Search by Association and Division — But Don’t Stop There

Maybe you already know that you want to explore NCAA Division II programs.

Great. Start there.

Or maybe you’re unsure which level is the best fit.

Also great. Search multiple levels.

One of the biggest mistakes student-athletes make is deciding too early that they are only interested in one division. There can be significant differences between programs within the same association or division.

A Division I label doesn’t automatically mean a program is the best athletic fit for you. A Division II, Division III, NAIA, or junior college program isn’t automatically a lesser opportunity, either.

The goal is not to win the title of Highest Division I Can Possibly Say I Play. The goal is to find programs where you can thrive.

Search broadly first. Then narrow.

Use Conferences to Find More Programs

Once you find one program that interests you, look at its conference.

This is one of my favorite ways to expand a college recruiting list. Let’s say you find a school that checks several boxes:

• You like the location.
• The academic programs interest you.
• The athletic level seems realistic.
• You can see yourself competing there.

Don’t stop after researching that one school. Look at the other programs in its conference.

You may find several additional schools with similar:

• Geographic regions
• Athletic competition
• Institutional characteristics
• Travel patterns
• Recruiting opportunities

One school can lead you to an entire group of programs you hadn’t previously considered.

Search by Region or Location

Geography can be another useful starting point. You might want to search:

• Schools in your home state
• Neighboring states
• A specific region of the country
• Colleges within a certain distance from home

But don’t make location your only filter.

Sometimes athletes become so focused on staying close to home that they miss programs that might be an excellent fit.

Others do the opposite and become so focused on going somewhere new that they never seriously evaluate opportunities nearby.

Neither approach is automatically wrong. The key is knowing what matters to you.

When You Find a Program, Don’t Automatically Add It to Your “Dream School” List

Finding a college is step one. Researching it is step two.

When you discover a program, start asking:

• Does the school offer my sport?
• Does the athletic level appear to fit my current ability and potential?
• Does the school offer academic programs I’m interested in?
• Where is it located?
• What does the team roster look like?
• Who are the coaches?
• What conference does the team compete in?
• Does the overall college environment interest me?

At this point, you don’t need to know whether you would commit to the school.

You’re simply deciding if the program is worth researching further. If the answer is yes, add it to your list.

Keep Track of What You Find

This is where the research process can get messy.

You start with one school. Then you find another school in the same conference. Then another. Then you open 14 tabs.

Then you tell yourself you’ll remember which one had the major you liked.

You will not. I say that with love.

This is exactly why you need a system for organizing your recruiting research.

As you find programs that interest you, track information such as:

• School name
• Athletic association and division
• Conference
• Location
• Coaching staff
• Your initial interest level
• Academic programs
• Recruiting notes
• Coach contact information

You don’t need to research every school to the same depth immediately.

The important thing is creating a place to keep track of the programs you discover.

Use the Free College List Organizer

My Free College List Organizer is designed to help student-athletes organize the programs they find throughout the college recruiting process.

Instead of relying on screenshots, scattered notes, and 47 browser tabs, you can keep your potential colleges and recruiting information organized in one place.

As you search association directories, explore conferences, and discover new programs, add the schools that interest you to your organizer.

Then you can continue researching and narrowing your list over time.

A Simple Process for Searching for College Programs

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, keep it simple.

Step 1: Choose a starting point.

Start with one or more of the following:

• An athletic association
• A division
• A geographic region
• A state
• A conference

Step 2: Use official directories.

Use the NCAA Membership Directory and NAIA Find a School tool, along with the current official NJCAA resources, to explore programs you may not otherwise discover.

Step 3: Explore beyond the first school you find.

Look at:

• Other schools in the conference
• Similar programs in the region
• Other divisions or associations

Step 4: Add potential programs to your college list.

Don’t overthink it.

At this stage, you’re building possibilities.

Step 5: Research and narrow.

As you learn more about each school, determine whether it deserves to stay on your list. That’s it.

And remember: you don’t have to know exactly where you belong before you start searching. Sometimes the search itself is what helps you figure that out.