Dates for 2026-27
The NCAA soccer recruiting calendar, 2026-27
The short answer
In 2026-27 the NCAA’s Division I calendar gives women’s soccer four dead periods and men’s soccer two dead periods and one quiet period. In a dead period a coach may not meet a recruit in person or host a visit; calls and messages are still allowed. The first signing date is November 11, 2026.
Sources last checked
| Women’s soccer dead periods | August 1 to 11, 2026; November 9 to 12, 2026; December 16, 2026 to January 6, 2027; July 28 to 31, 2027 |
|---|---|
| Men’s soccer dead periods | November 9 to 12, 2026; December 11 to 14, 2026 |
| Men’s soccer quiet period | December 23 to 25, 2026 |
| First signing date | November 11, 2026 (Bylaw 13.02.13 and Figure 13-2) |
| Transfer window, fall | November 23 to December 22, 2026 (Figure 13-1) |
| Transfer window, spring | May 1 to May 15, 2027 (Figure 13-1 (fall sports other than football)) |
Read from the 2026-27 NCAA recruiting calendar, other Division I sports, updated August 4, 2026.
What are the women’s soccer recruiting periods in 2026-27?
| Period | Dates | Why then |
|---|---|---|
| Dead period | August 1 to 11, 2026 | Set by the calendar |
| Dead period | November 9 to 12, 2026 | Monday to Thursday of the first week of the fall signing date |
| Dead period | December 16, 2026 to January 6, 2027 | Set by the calendar |
| Dead period | July 28 to 31, 2027 | Set by the calendar |
These are the only dated periods the calendar lists for women’s soccer this year.
What are the men’s soccer recruiting periods in 2026-27?
| Period | Dates | Why then |
|---|---|---|
| Dead period | November 9 to 12, 2026 | Monday to Thursday of the first week of the fall signing date |
| Dead period | December 11 to 14, 2026 | Friday to Monday of the Division I men’s soccer championship |
| Quiet period | December 23 to 25, 2026 | Set by the calendar |
These are the only dated periods the calendar lists for men’s soccer this year.
What is a dead period, and what is a quiet period?
| Period | What it means | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Dead period | no in-person recruiting contact or evaluation, on or off campus, and no official or unofficial visits; calls and messages are still allowed | Bylaw 13.02.5.5 |
| Quiet period | in-person recruiting contact only on the college’s own campus | Bylaw 13.02.5.4 |
| Contact period | coaches may make in-person, off-campus recruiting contacts and evaluations | Bylaw 13.02.5.1 |
| Recruiting shutdown | no form of recruiting is allowed | Bylaw 13.02.5.6 |
For a family the practical point is small: do not plan a campus visit or expect a coach at a game inside a dead period. Email, video and phone calls carry on as normal.
Which dates are the same every year?
The calendar changes each year. The dates that decide when a coach may first contact a player are in the rules themselves and are tied to the player’s year in school.
| Division | What | From | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Division I | WhatCalls, messages, recruiting materials | FromJune 15 after sophomore year | RuleBylaws 13.1.3.1 and 13.4.1 |
| Division I | WhatOff-campus contact, visits, camp conversations | FromAugust 1 before junior year | RuleBylaw 13.1.1.1; Bylaw 13.6.2.1.1; Bylaw 13.12.1.5.1 |
| Division I | WhatWritten offer of athletics aid | FromAugust 1 of senior year | RuleBylaw 13.9.3.1 |
| Division II | WhatCalls and messages | Fromat any time | RuleBylaw 13.1.3.1 |
| Division II | WhatIn-person contact and official visits | FromJune 15 before junior year | RuleBylaw 13.1.1.1; Bylaw 13.3.1.2 |
| Division III | WhatMaterials and messages | Fromat any time | RuleBylaw 13.4.1 |
| Division III | WhatOfficial visits | FromJanuary 1 of junior year | RuleBylaw 13.6.1.1.1 |
| NAIA | WhatContact | Fromno set start date | Rulethe NAIA handbook has no recruiting calendar or dead periods |
The same dates, set against each year of high school, are in the recruiting timeline.
When are the signing date and the transfer windows?
The first day a recruit may sign an athletics aid agreement with a Division I or II soccer program in 2026-27 is November 11, 2026 (Bylaw 13.02.13 and Figure 13-2). The calendar’s November dead period is the Monday to Thursday of that week.
For players already in college, the Division I notification-of-transfer windows for soccer are November 23 to December 22, 2026 and May 1 to May 15, 2027 (the NCAA’s windows chart). More in the transfer portal guide.
Quick answers
- When is the dead period for college soccer in 2026-27?
- Women’s soccer: August 1 to 11, 2026; November 9 to 12, 2026; December 16, 2026 to January 6, 2027; July 28 to 31, 2027. Men’s soccer: November 9 to 12, 2026; December 11 to 14, 2026. These are NCAA Division I dates.
- Can a coach call or email during a dead period?
- Yes. A dead period stops in-person contact and visits. The Division I Manual says a staff member may still communicate with a recruit other than in person (Bylaw 13.02.5.5).
- Can you visit a campus during a dead period?
- Not as a recruiting visit: official and unofficial visits are not allowed during a Division I dead period. A family can still tour a campus through the admissions office like any other applicant.
- Does Division III have a recruiting calendar?
- Division III sets standing dates rather than a yearly calendar of periods: off-campus contact after sophomore year, and official visits from January 1 of junior year.
- Where does the NCAA publish the calendar?
- On its recruiting calendars page, as a PDF for each division. Soccer is on the Division I calendar for “other sports”. The link is in the sources below.
Sources
- NCAA 2026-27 recruiting calendar, other Division I sports (men’s and women’s soccer) ↗
- NCAA: Division I and II recruiting calendars ↗
- NCAA Division I Manual, 2026-27 (Legislative Services Database) ↗
- NCAA Division I notification-of-transfer windows, 2026-27 ↗
- NCAA Division II Manual, 2026-27 (Legislative Services Database) ↗
- NCAA Division III Manual, 2026-27 (Legislative Services Database) ↗
- NAIA Official Handbook, 2026-2027 ↗
Last checked against these sources on. 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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