Hi - my daughter is a D3 basketball recruit shooting for high academic LACs. If she has the support of the coach, will admissions offices relax academic requirements a bit? She’s an A & B student (mostly AP or Honors) with 80th percentile test scores at a very rigorous, elite day school in Boston area.
Only the coach can answer that. At some point, if the coach is very interested, the coach will ask for the transcript and then send it on for an academic pre-read with admissions (along with test score, senior year course schedule, high school profile, some schools ask for a writing sample.)
NESCACs start doing pre-reads on July 1 of each year for rising senior recruits. Some NESCACs have more give on academics than others. Also, the higher the potential impact of the player, the more flexibility the coach and admissions have on stats as well (generally.)
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That is a conversation that only a coach can answer. Is your D on the RADAR of NESCAC coaches or are you trying to develop a list? What year is your D? Most NESCAC coaches are solidifying their plans for the 2026 class right now when it comes to first round offers. If your D is a junior she should be well long in the process at this point.
NESCAC coaches will gather the academic profile of those that they are interested in and submit them for a pre-read starting mid-June. They will receive results and can discuss “offers” starting July 1.
The academic requirements will vary significantly depending on the NESCAC school and how high kid is on the coaches list. For a superstar a top NESCAC coach might try to get someone with a 1200 through TO but it would be unlikely at Williams, Amherst, Bowdoin, or Midd to be honest. They would have to be a game changer for a coach to take the chance.
At Conn College it would likely be workable. It all starts with talking to the coaches, getting their interest, and then getting their feedback. We can help with questions but only they have definitive answers.
This depends on the coach and sport. There are many NESCAC coaches, especially spring sport coaches, who aren’t far along in recruiting at all. Some coaches very well might have some high potential recruits identified but there are months and months to go before things shake out. There’s no point in telling someone they may be late/behind, because we don’t know that’s the case.
Yes my D is a junior and talking to several coaches. I am just trying to get a sense of how much bend there is academically. I have a better sense of D1 and Ivy D1.
Yup, we are in the process now b/c my D is in 11th grade. I am trying to get a general sense of how much bend there is in D3 high academic. I have a better sense of D1 and D1 Ivy. I think there may be more bend for athletes in D1 Ivy than top of NESCAC.
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100%, at least at the relatively more selective NESCACs. But, I expect Conn College and Trinity have some TO, 3.0 student-athletes on campus who were high level recruits/impact players.
With that said, it’s hard to advise you without knowing your kid’s stats, sport, and relative athletic strength. But the coaches should be up front, most request a transcript very early in the process, because they know what GPA/rigor will ultimately pass the pre-read. Has your D received any feedback from NESCAC coaches yet?
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Thanks. Great feedback re: athletics. no feedback yet re: academics. Assuming that will come upon completion of 11th grade.
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D has mostly As/A-s and a couple of Bs in AP and Honors courses at very rigorous, well-regarded day school in Boston area. She has 80th percentile test scores. Strong basketball for the D3 level.
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That sounds like she would be academically competitive for even the top NESCACs. I’m sure they all know her school too. They may or may not want her to apply with the test score, it just depends….Admissions will tell the coach as part of the pre-read. Good luck as she continues to navigate the process. Keep us updated!!
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My dd was asked for her unofficial transcript the winter of her junior year at the NESCAC school she was interested in. At that time the coach was able to give her a very good idea if she was on track or not. She also submitted her SAT/ACT scores to the coach as she took them early in the fall of her junior year. The coach was able to provide some guidance with that, as well, even though her school was TO.
Obviously this was not for her academic pre-read which occurred in July after her junior year, but it was for the coach to be able to tell dd that they could continue the process with her.
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Thank you, such a sweet message!
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Thanks, good to know!
Competitive day school in Boston should be able to give you a sense (either through AD of CC) of other students with her stats and how it worked out for them at various schools.
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