or are athletes expected to submit, then coach will decide. question is for a non helmet sport
Thereās no blanket answer to your question. Depends on the school and also the sport. Ask the coaches.
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sport is cross country / track. schools are Bucknell, Colgate, Lehigh or W&m
Again, this is a conversation to have with the coaches. Typically, most schools will ask for academic prereads the summer before senior year or possibly sooner than that. The coaches will want to see their score. They need to know if the kid can handle the school academically. If an offer is extended, the coach will advise whether or not to submit the score.
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Anecdotally, I have heard that Colgate does not have many fully supported with admissions slots per sport. Itās more of a āget in on your ownā situation for most athletes there. So be sure to be asking the level of support with admissions youāll be getting with an offer.
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yes fully understand that is the case for walk ons- is that what your children did? sometimes that can be the better path as it smokes out whether the child really wants to attend the school, playing the sport or not
No, my athlete was not a walk-on. And not at any of the schools youāve listed. But Iām familiar with the process.
If youāre really worried about the test score being a barrier to admission for a walk-on situation, you should cast a wider net. Just my opinion.
never said my kid will be a walk on, likely a top recruit - spring times are what typically drives the tiering at these levels. Should have clarified the question - so let me ask a different way - are Patriot League schools TO for top recruits?
You can ask a different way, but the answer is the same. Ask the coaches. Situations are different from school to school, sport to sport, year to year, and recruit to recruit.
Thereās just no definitive answer to be found on this forum to your question. Even someone telling you their exact experience with a coach from one of these schools may be totally different for your student athlete.
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+1 on asking the coaches directly. The issue is that this can vary by program and coach but also from year to year. So even past info might not provide an answer to you.
Iām not familiar with the process at those schools as I donāt know anyone who considered them, but others here might have some experience.
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Iāve heard that at some schools the coaches ask for the test scores for their own purposes (to decide if they want to continue with recruiting) but may not submit to admissions or may not require the student to submit to admissions.
One Yale coach (long ago, so when test scores were required by NCAA) wanted the transcript and scores first because they didnāt want to recruit a student who could not keep up with the academic requirements, training, travel, etc. They want successful student athletes, stressing the āstudentā part. My daughter had to attend study tables for at least a semester, until a gpa of at least 3.0 was met. There were a couple players who were in for much longer than a semester. Her coach received a notice if a class was misses or for a low grade.
Coaches donāt want to deal with academic issues.
great advice all - this was incredibly helpful, just unfortunate that none of the responses actually referenced a specific experience with any of the schools listed. Asking the coach is a great catch-all suggestion for any and all things related to athletic recruiting - not implying itās a lazy response but actually being able to dimension examples that occurred during a fluid TO environment would be most valuable. But to all those who took the time to reply, I thank you for making an effort
2025 William and Mary wanted test scores for track and field recruiting
For the academic pre-read, which is pretty typical, or for admissions? I know your student athlete committed elsewhere.
Unfortunately I donāt have first hand experience at those particular schools, though we did check out one Patriot school with coach but did not pursue, though a few thoughts or input for what it may be worth.
-as far as wondering if TO differs for top recruits. I assume that you mean vs. other recruits, or those applying to the school as a non-recruited athlete. I imagine it may differ a bit for top recruits depending on the school and sport, though part of what makes an athlete a top recruit is along with being a top athlete, they also have the academic criteria to get admitted even without the coaches support. The coach will still support but if the athlete has the academics to get easily approved by admissions, that is what often puts them in the top recruit category at the higher academic schools.
To that end, you probably have a sense on where you kid would fit in academically right now. Do you feel that your kid has the academics to get admitted to the referenced schools on grades and academic rigor/courses alone, or might they need a boost from high test scores?
-Also, as a top recruit, you should get good guidance from the coach on if it would help to take the tests. Has there been any dialogue?
Good luck!
pre-read
My childās experience with two different schools in Patriot League as a non helmet sport recruit: the coach wanted the score and then advised us as to whether or not to submit it. School 1: We had already submitted everything for a pre read prior to an overnight recruiting event and then at the individual coach and athlete meeting at the end of the weekend event we were told whether to submit score or not. School 2: told child over a recruiting call whether or not they should submit score but child had already done an overnight visit and met coach. Both schools told us at that point what type of support would be given with admissions. So it is TO from our experience but coaches wanted to know the score. This is for the fall of 2024 recruiting cycle. To echo a lot of the other responses you have here, it is best to ask the coach. They know the target scores they want/need and they know what wiggle room they have with GPA and athletics factored in. Our experience was that the coaches are very honest and will answer when you ask for more information, especially when your child is being actively recruited. Hope that helps.
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The Patriot League used to have an Academic Index requirement similar to the Ivy League. The Ivy League has been reinstating testing for incoming athletes but I am not sure where the Patriot League is on this.