Calls and visits
Questions to ask college soccer coaches
The short answer
Ask about three things: your place on the squad, the money, and daily life. The most useful single question is where the coach sees you among the players already at your position, and you can check the answer against the roster. The median Division I roster lists 28 players on the women’s side and 28 on the men’s, so a squad is far larger than the eleven who start.
Sources last checked
| Roster questions tell you | Whether there is room at your position in your class |
|---|---|
| Money questions tell you | What the family pays, and for how many years |
| Academic questions tell you | Whether you can study what you want and still play |
| Life questions tell you | What a normal week looks like |
| Median Division I roster, 2026-27 | 28 women’s, 28 men’s |
| Notice of reduced or non-renewed aid is due by | July 1 (NCAA guide, Scholarships) |
What should you ask about your place on the team?
- Where do you see me playing, and who is at that position now?
- How many players are you bringing in at my position in my class?
- How many players are on the roster, and how many travel?
- How many freshmen played in games last season?
- Do you take transfers at my position most years?
- If I am not in the first group, what would I need to show to get there?
Check the answers before the call. Each program page shows the squad by class year, read from the school’s own roster for 2026-27. Count the players at your position and when each one graduates.
What should you ask about scholarships and cost?
- Is there athletic aid for me, and how much, in dollars?
- Is it for one year or more, and what would make it change?
- What academic or need-based aid do players like me usually get, and who do I talk to?
- What does a player pay that aid does not cover: fees, kit, travel, summer school?
- If I am injured, what happens to my aid?
Two facts to hold in mind. Division III programs give no athletic aid (Bylaw 15.01.3). And in Divisions I and II, the NCAA’s guide says a school that plans to reduce or not renew athletic aid must tell the player in writing by July 1. More in college soccer scholarships.
What should you ask about academics?
- Can I take the major I want and still make training? Do current players study it?
- What happens when a class or a lab clashes with practice?
- What academic support do players get on the road?
- What do you need from me for admissions, and by when?
What should you ask about daily life in the program?
- What does a normal week look like in season, and out of season?
- How do you like to play, and how does my position work in it?
- How long have you been here, and do you expect to stay?
- What do players do in the summer?
- Can I talk to a player at my position?
What should you ask at the end?
- Where am I on your list for my class?
- What is the next step, and when?
- Is there anything you still need to see from me?
Write the answers down the same day. If the answer on your place in the class is vague, say so politely and ask again: a clear no is more useful than a kind maybe. Before a visit, read official vs unofficial visits.
Quick answers
- What is the most important question to ask a college soccer coach?
- Where do you see me among the players already at my position, and how many are you recruiting in my class? It tells you whether there is a real place, and you can check it against the roster.
- Should you ask a coach about scholarships on the first call?
- You can ask how the program handles aid in general. The detail of your own offer comes once the coach has seen you play and wants you. Ask for any offer in dollars and for how many years.
- What should parents ask a college coach?
- The cost questions: what aid there is, what it covers, how long it lasts and what happens after an injury. Let the player lead the soccer conversation.
- How do you know if a coach is serious about you?
- A serious coach answers specifically: where you fit, what they have seen, and what happens next with a date. Personal calls, a visit invitation and a coach coming to watch you are stronger signs than a general email.
- Is it rude to ask a coach how many players they are recruiting at your position?
- No. It is a normal question, and coaches expect it. The rosters are public, so it is fair to ask how a coach sees them changing.
Sources
- NCAA Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete, 2026-27 ↗
- NCAA Division III Manual, 2026-27 (Legislative Services Database) ↗
- Startline: roster sizes, from each school’s own 2026-27 roster page
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.
See a school’s roster by class year
The demo’s compare screen shows each program’s squad make-up for a sample player, so the roster questions answer themselves.
The demo is the real product with a sample player in it. No account, no card, and nothing you do in it is charged or sent.