Do D1 soccer teams have tryouts?

Not for recruits. A Division I coach may not hold a tryout for a player who is not enrolled at the college (Bylaw 13.11.1). Whether a program holds an open tryout for its own students is the program’s choice.

Can D2 soccer coaches hold tryouts?

Yes: one tryout per recruit at each school, from June 15 before junior year (Bylaw 13.8.2.1(a)). The player needs a medical examination first.

Can you walk on to a D1 soccer team?

It is possible, but at schools in the House settlement a walk-on takes one of the 28 roster places. Ask the coach whether the program takes walk-ons before you apply.

Do NAIA soccer programs hold tryouts?

They may, where tryouts are part of the college’s general policy: up to two days for a player at each school (Article II, Section C).

Guides

Without a scholarship offer

College soccer tryouts and walking on

The short answer

NCAA Division I and Division III coaches may not hold a tryout for a player who is not yet a student at the college. Division II allows one tryout per recruit at each school, from June 15 before junior year, and the NAIA allows a tryout of up to two days. A walk-on is a player on the team without an athletic scholarship. At Division I schools in the House settlement a walk-on takes one of the 28 roster places.

Sources last checked October 5, 2026

Pictured: Air Force v Cal Poly, men’s, 2025

U.S. Air Force photo/Trevor Cokley · Public domain

Tryouts for players not yet enrolled, 2026-27
NCAA Division I	Not allowed (Bylaw 13.11.1)
NCAA Division II	One tryout per recruit at each school, from June 15 before junior year
NCAA Division III	Not allowed (Bylaw 13.11.2.1)
NAIA	Allowed, up to two days per player at each school
Division I roster limit	28, walk-ons included, at schools in the House settlement

Can college soccer coaches hold tryouts for recruits?

Tryouts for a player who is not yet a student at the college

Level	The rule	Where it is written
Division I	Not allowed. A coach may not run any session where a recruit shows their ability. The ban covers anyone who has started ninth grade and is not enrolled at the college.	Bylaw 13.11.1; Bylaw 13.11.1.1
Division II	Allowed: one tryout per recruit at each school, from June 15 before junior year, on the college’s campus or where its team normally practises or plays. The player needs a medical examination by or under a physician within the year before.	Bylaw 13.8.2.1(a); Bylaw 13.8.2.1(c)
Division III	Not allowed. A coach may not watch or run a workout designed to test a recruit.	Bylaw 13.11.2.1
NAIA	Allowed where tryouts are part of the college’s general policy, for no more than two days per player at each school.	Article II, Section C

So the question “can I try out?” has a different answer at each level. At a Division II or NAIA program, ask the coach directly whether they hold tryouts and when. At a Division I or III program, a recruit is seen another way.

How do D1 and D3 coaches see a player without a tryout?

Video. A highlight video and a full match are how a coach judges a player first: how to make a highlight video.
ID camps. A college’s own camp is where its staff can coach a player in person. A Division I camp must be open to any and all entrants, limited only by number, age, grade level or gender (Bylaw 13.12.1.3), so anyone may sign up. We list 1,888 camps: ID camps by state.
Your own matches. Coaches watch club and high school games in the periods their calendar allows.

A camp is not a tryout, and attending one is not an offer. What a camp is for, and how to use one, is in how to stand out at a soccer ID camp.

What is a walk-on in college soccer?

The NCAA’s guide defines a walk-on as someone who is not typically recruited by the school and does not receive an athletic scholarship, but becomes a member of the team.

A preferred walk-on is different. In the same guide’s words, a coach wants the player on the team but has no scholarship for them, and the player is guaranteed a place on the roster. A preferred walk-on has a roster place without an athletic scholarship.

Division III has no athletic scholarships, so no player there is on one. The difference between a recruited player and a walk-on in Division III is only whether the coach asked for them.

Does the Division I roster limit leave room for walk-ons?

Only inside the limit. A Division I school in the House settlement may carry at most 28 soccer players (Bylaw 17.2), and a player must be on the team’s submitted roster to take part in any team activity (Bylaw 17.2.2). A walk-on is one of the 28, not an extra.

The middle Division I roster we read for 2026-27 lists 28 players for women and 28 for men, and 223 of 560 list more than 28. A Division I school outside the settlement is not bound by the limit, and a school inside it may keep designated student-athletes above it. More in college soccer roster size.

Can you try out once you are a student at the college?

The tryout bans cover players who are not enrolled at the college (Bylaw 13.11.1.1). Once you are a student there, they no longer apply to you. Whether a program holds an open tryout for enrolled students is its own choice, so ask the coach before you choose a college for that reason.

Email the coach before you apply, with video, and ask plainly whether they take walk-ons and how.
Ask how many players on the current roster joined that way.
Ask when the tryout or preseason report date is, and what you need to bring.
For a Division I, Division II or NAIA college, register with its Eligibility Center before you arrive.

Q&AQuick answers

Do D1 soccer teams have tryouts?: Not for recruits. A Division I coach may not hold a tryout for a player who is not enrolled at the college (Bylaw 13.11.1). Whether a program holds an open tryout for its own students is the program’s choice.
Can D2 soccer coaches hold tryouts?: Yes: one tryout per recruit at each school, from June 15 before junior year (Bylaw 13.8.2.1(a)). The player needs a medical examination first.
Can you walk on to a D1 soccer team?: It is possible, but at schools in the House settlement a walk-on takes one of the 28 roster places. Ask the coach whether the program takes walk-ons before you apply.
What is a preferred walk-on?: The NCAA’s guide says a coach wants the player on the team but has no scholarship for them. The player has a place on the roster.
Do NAIA soccer programs hold tryouts?: They may, where tryouts are part of the college’s general policy: up to two days for a player at each school (Article II, Section C).

Sources

Last checked against these sources onOctober 5, 2026. Figures marked Startline are counted from the data we hold and move when it does. Rules change: check anything dated against the governing body itself.

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