<p>I am considering going on an official visit to a D2 school for volleyball. This OV would require travel by plane. Do me and my parent have to book the flight? Or does the coach do it for you? Has anyone else been in a similar situation?</p>
<p>ask the coach who invited you. They should have told you if they would book it or expect you to book and they pay–assuming they are funding the travel. OV doesn’t necessarily come with funded travel, though they should be explicit about that. Check out this link w/ drop downs:
[Becoming</a> Eligible - NCAA.org](<a href=“http://www.ncaa.org/wps/wcm/connect/public/NCAA/Eligibility/Becoming+Eligible/Recruiting]Becoming”>http://www.ncaa.org/wps/wcm/connect/public/NCAA/Eligibility/Becoming+Eligible/Recruiting)
What it says about official versus unofficial visits is that universities “CAN” pay for…that doesn’t mean they always do. That is a top limit.</p>
<p>Since your parents are traveling with you, chances are they will have you book the flight. The colleges can’t pay for a parent’s travel expenses. Call the coach and find out what they prefer.</p>
<p>I have been wondering the same thing. I was invited to visit in mid-January and I am so confused. I don’t know if it’s an official visit and they’re going to pay for it or if the coach expects my family to pay for it. I might not be able to afford to go if they don’t cover my expenses… Plane tickets are crazy expensive. I just hope it’s official because if not, I feel like that means I am not going to be offered a scholarship. :</p>
<p>my D had three OV when she was being recruited - she went to all three schools solo and I had to pay just the plane ticket for her on two. It was DIII. If you have to pay, it is likey more a function of the budget the school has and that may have to do with the division - III mostly doesn’t have the budget. Parents ALWAYS have to pay for their own no matter what the division.</p>
<p>Good news… My visit is supposed to be official. However, I don’t know if my dad can afford a plane ticket right now so it might have to be delayed a week. </p>
<p>One of my friends that visited the same school I am visiting had her parent’s plane ticket cost reimbursed after the trip…</p>
<p>maidenMom–while your DD’s visits were “official” they aren’t really “Official Visits” if you had to pay for her to get there. It’s a defined term by the NCAA about campus visits. Also, D3 has different recruiting rules since there is no money attached to the recruitment. If it is a DI or DII school that is offering scholarships and they invite you for an official visit, they pay your transportation, lodging and food costs while there. You can only stay for up to 48 hours as well.</p>
<p>all were DIII. I actually never asked for them to pay and just bought her ticket (I looked back at my spreadsheet and did actually buy her ticket to Swarthmore’s OV - they sounded like they were going to pay at the time, but goofy me just did it) - always wondered if I could have pushed the issue. They paid for her transfers and all expenses for the weekends. </p>
<p>They were written invitations for an official visit with waivers to sign for her time while there. The schools have two weekends in the fall set aside for OV’s and you pick one of the two weekends and are there with the other 6-8 “prospies” - she sure had a hectic fall HS term senior year! Anyway, that was our OV experience.</p>
<p>Friend whose D was a DI recruit and had officials at Stanford, JH, and Dartmouth - all the kid’s expenses paid but the parents, who went along, had to pay their own costs. She ended up at Stanford - Go Card!</p>
<p>It also may vary from sport to sport - this is women’s lacrosse.</p>
<p>Regarding paying for travel on official visits, the regulations are similar across the three levels.</p>
<p>Definition of “Official Visit” and “Unofficial Visit” from the NCAA Division III Manual -</p>
<p>“13.02.11 Visits by Prospective Student-Athletes.
13.02.11.1 Official Visit. An official visit to a member institution by a prospective student-athlete is a visit financed in whole or in part by the member institution (see Bylaw 13.6).
13.02.11.2 Unofficial Visit. An unofficial visit to a member institution by a prospective student-athlete is a visit made at the prospective student-athletes own expense (see Bylaw 13.7).”</p>
<p>The distinction, as noted in another post is that typically D3 budgets don’t have room for travel expenses. This also can be the case for D1 and D2 depending on the sport. While the NCAA recruiting regulations allow it, the institution and sport may not have the budget funds to fully pay travel expenses for the prospective student-athlete.</p>
<p>FYI, The 48 hour rule for official visits also applies to D3.</p>
<p>^ yes, 48 hours applied</p>
<p>Yes, I think part of the problem is the bad or misleading terminology used by the NCAA.</p>
<p>Basically, as posted above, to the NCAA, “official” means paid for. “Unofficial” means not paid for (by the college).</p>
<p>But let’s pretend that there was no such thing as the NCAA. If someone came to you and said:</p>
<p>”The [name of sport] head coach at Division III Wonderful College invited my son for a visit.
My son will get to spend the night in a dorm, visit with the team and attend classes.
Unfortunately, Wonderful doesn’t have a very big budget for transportation, so I’m going to drive him there next week.”</p>
<p>Again, if there was no such thing as the NCAA, we’d all think that was an “official” invitation and visit (as opposed to a family dropping in unannounced).</p>
<p>And, if it is an “official (paid) visit” (with the current definition) to a Division I school with a very big budget, but the school happens to be only 20 miles away, so there is no paid travel, is it still an “OV?” ;)</p>
<p>^ Golf, DIII will almost never pay for the airfare for an OV - they just don’t have the budget. Our experience was they will pay for everything else. </p>
<p>One example of OV we paid only airfare - from the coach “Oct. 22, 2011 / University of Rochester Lax Official Visit” was the subject of the letter with many instructions, rules and regulations. </p>
<p>OP just needs to ask the coach what they can/will pay for as it varies from sport to sport and school to school and maybe even year to year. Many DII’s will have $ to pay for your travel, OP.</p>
<p>NCAA has to distinguish (as I recall) between OV and unofficial b/c (and the numbers vary DI-DIII) b/c you are only allowed so many of each (forgotten now how many) - mostly keeping the OV regulated.</p>
<p>Maidenmom- athletic recruits are limited to 5 OV per NCAA regulations.</p>
<p>GolfFather- DI schools can and do pay for mileage if you drive to an OV.</p>
<p>The bylaw clearly says that the visit may be funded in whole or in part. My D’s had two OV’s and in neither case has transportation been paid (both were driving and no mileage offered). But they pay for food, put her up, and entertain (attend college sporting event.) It still meets the OV criteria.</p>
<p>In my D’s case, I assume the travel was not offered as part of the OV because she was/is not a top recruit. But still being recruited and a LL just recently promised.</p>
<p>Maidenmom is right–just ask what they will pay. And if the travel part is a deal breaker for your family, tell them. They may be able to find the funds if they really want you to visit.</p>
<p>The guiding principle is that on an Unofficial Visit - the school can’t provide anything to an athlete that it doesn’t provide to any (non-athlete) prospective student. In other words, if they put you up in a dorm on an Unofficial, they must have a policy that any visiting student who requests can be put up in a dorm, too.</p>