How Student-Athletes Should Build Their College List – Choosing Reach, Fit, and Safety Schools

Choosing the right college involves more than just focusing on sports – it’s about finding a school that offers the right college fit in many ways. You want a school that supports your athletic goals while also offering a strong academic environment.

A smart strategy is to build a diverse list of schools that include a mix of reach schools, best-fit schools, and safety schools. Reach schools are those where you might be a long shot; best-fit schools align well with your academic and athletic strengths; and safety schools are where you feel confident you will be accepted. This balanced approach helps you explore the best opportunities while ensuring that the overall college fit meets your needs.

Choosing a college involves many factors, and it’s important to recognize that a great overall college fit might not check every box on your list. Before committing, make sure that the school meets your top priorities so that – even if your athletic plans change – you’ll still be in an environment that sets you up for success in getting an education.

When evaluating a college’s overall fit, consider these key factors:

• Financial Cost: Can you afford the tuition and fees?
• Campus Life and Culture: Does the campus feel welcoming? Do the clubs, activities, and social scene match your personality?
• Career Goals: Are there helpful resources to access your future career?
• Course of Study: Are the classes and majors offered a good match for what you want to study?

Remember, choosing a college is about more than just the sports program. If you find a school that meets your most important needs, it’s a win – even if it doesn’t check every single box.

What is a Reach School?

Academic Reach

An academic reach school is one where your high school academic record (i.e. school GPA, test scores, and rigor of high school courses) is significantly below the average admitted student. An academic reach does not mean that a school is an impossible option, but it is very unlikely that you would be admitted solely based on the standard application. In many competitive admissions scenarios, a school is a reach for everyone, even if your academic record is a perfect match.

At an academic reach school, you will need to enter college with a new mindset and approach to your academics. Go in with confidence and a positive mindset. Some students can feel intimidated or overshadowed at an academic reach school. It’s all about how you approach your experience. If you are admitted, the school believes you can succeed, so believe in yourself and your academic abilities!

For student-athletes who are heavily recruited (athletic best fit or athletic safety), an academic reach can become a more likely opportunity. You’ll need confirmation from the college coach in the form of a “likely letter” from admissions and nothing is guaranteed until you’ve been officially admitted.

If a school is an academic reach, ensure you are also tracking your academic eligibility and that you will be an initial qualifier depending on the program’s division (ie. NCAA DI, DII, or NAIA).

Athletic Reach

An athletic reach school is a program that tends to recruit student-athletes competing and succeeding at a much higher level than you’re currently competing at – or will be competing at in the near future. Perhaps, you compete only regionally and the top recruits for the school are nationally ranked, or your current times, stats, or rankings are well below those for the team’s roster of student-athletes.

Keep in mind that at an athletic reach school, you are unlikely to be recruited, and if they take walk-ons, you are unlikely to get much playing time.

How to gauge whether a school is an athletic reach? First, Realistically compare yourself to their current student-athlete roster and the high school students who have recently committed.

Be sure to ask yourself… are you getting seen live by coaches at that level? If you’re not getting seen, are you sending videos, connecting over social media, sending emails, and filling out questionnaires?

Second, after completing outreach to the college coaches, an athletic reach school may be non-responsive and may send a polite “no thanks,” or even a generic “thanks for your interest, come to our camps or keep us posted.” Also, keep in mind that each sport in college has a different set of rules regarding when a college coach can communicate with recruits.

Student experiences can be difficult at athletic reach programs. Lack of playing time and being consistently overlooked can eventually result in transfer or quitting the team.

What is a Best-Fit School?

Academic Best Fit

At an academic best-fit school, typical admission statistics match well with your academic profile and your school GPA, course rigor, and test scores. If you have 30 – 40 schools on your initial list of schools, strive to have at least 10 of those programs classified as an academic best fit option. Academic best fit schools are not a guarantee for admission, so don’t assume admission is a slam dunk.

Even if a school is on your academic best fit list, don’t assume you have your NCAA or NAIA academic eligibility in the bag either!

Athletic Best Fit

An athletic best-fit school is where you are considered among the top three to five recruits for your class at that particular college program. You are likely to get a good amount of playing time off the bat (depending on the sport). The coach may offer athletic financial aid if it is available, and you have been personally invited by the coaches for an on-campus visit.

If there are a few recruits ahead of you on the coach’s list, stay in consistent communication and ensure the coach knows of your strong interest. Coaches will be very upfront about their interest if you are a good fit athletically for their program. In this scenario, the coach would likely advocate for your application in the admissions process.

Student-athletes tend to have a very positive experience when they choose to attend a school that falls within their athletic best-fit category. Oftentimes, they might feel their peers are on the same competitive level and are inspired to improve, and the competition level and schedule are where they had imagined when looking to play sports at the college level.

What is a Safety School?

Academic Safety

Schools that you would consider an academic safety are ones where your grades and test scores (where applicable) are well above the academic requirements for admission. You may even get merit financial aid offered upon admission at an academic safety school. Be sure to look at program admissions websites when researching schools – many publicly list the academic standards required to get automatic merit financial aid.

At an academic safety school, you will likely be surrounded by students at your same level of academic rigor and you will have the opportunity to shine!

Honest Insight – Even at an academic safety school, your application must be complete and carefully reviewed before submission.

Athletic Safety

An athletic safety is a program where you are well above the statistics, size, ability, times, and/or ratings of all current players on the roster. You would be the college coach’s number-one recruit by far and the coach will make it clear during conversations that they have a very high level of interest in you joining their program.

At an athletic safety school, you often have the ability to change the trajectory of a program. If your ability continues to improve, you may end up being a four-year starter and team leader.

If you are heavily sought after, you will likely receive financial aid (depending on the program/division) and coach advocacy in the admissions process.

Student-athletes who choose to attend an athletic safety school often have a very positive college athletic experience. They receive a ton of support resources, athletic department and coach attention, and potential career networking in the future. Leadership opportunities abound, as do campus-wide recognition.

Combining Academic and Athletic Fit: Real-Life Scenarios

Sometimes your academic and athletic profiles might not match perfectly, and that can affect your options. Here are some real-life scenarios:

• • Athletic Reach + Academic Reach School
    • An athletic reach candidate applying to an academic reach school is the least desirable option. This is a situation where most student-athletes won’t receive athletic financial, merit aid, or admissions assistance – and they have the least probability to compete. If a student-athlete ends up at one of these schools, it is best to look for club sports and intramural options to ensure they can balance their academic requirements.
  • Athletic Reach + Academic Best-Fit School
    • An athletic reach candidate applying to an academic best fit school is an interesting possibility, where they can be admitted to the school based on their academic accomplishments and have the opportunity to join the team as a walk-on or try out for the varsity team. This is a common situation where very few candidates in this category make the varsity team. There is a slim possibility of walking on. Most students choose to engage in the club or intramural sports experience. 2 million college students participate in club or intramural sports every year.
  • Athletic Reach + Academic Safety School
    • An athletic reach candidate applying to an academic safety school is another option where one would likely be admitted to the school on their own, and would contact the coach to inquire about tryouts or walk-on options. This is a common situation where very few will make the varsity team, and most end up enjoying the club sport or intramural experience.
  • Athletic Best Fit + Academic Reach School
    • An athletic best fit candidate applying to an academic reach school may have a better chance of being accepted to the school with the help of the college coach and their advocacy through the admission process. This opportunity will depend on each college, as some competitive admission offices will not weigh athletics much in their admissions decisions, while other programs will weigh athletics heavily in the admissions process. Some athletic best fit students may struggle with the academic rigor at an academic reach school, however, programs will usually have support services for students to ensure academic success.
  • Athletic Best-Fit + Academic Best Fit School
    • An athletic best fit candidate applying to an academic best fit school will be a bonus for the coach, who will not have much difficulty advocating for them during the admissions process. Student-athletes in this position will likely have a very positive experience with balanced academic rigor and a positive athletic experience.
  • Athletic Best-Fit + Academic Safety School
    • An athletic best fit candidate applying to an academic safety school will also be a bonus for the coach, who will receive praise from admissions for recruiting academically strong candidates. In certain conferences like the Ivy League, coaches are required to find student-athletes who meet very high academic standards. Students in this scenario will shine both academically and athletically and will likely have a well-balanced college student experience.
  • Athletic Safety + Academic Reach School
    • An athletic safety student applying to an academic reach school will have the most likelihood of admission as an academic reach applicant. The coach may strongly advocate to the admissions department for acceptance to the school and athletic financial aid is definite possibility depending on what’s available or allowed. Student-athletes at an academic reach school will need to ensure they are prepared for the academic rigor and expectations and should take advantage of the academic support provided to student-athletes. There may also be high expectations for their athletic performance, so they should be prepared for the added pressure.
  • Athletic Safety + Academic Best-Fit School
    • An athletic safety candidate applying to an academic best fit school will have a high likelihood of admission. The coach will often advocate for this applicant with the admissions department as someone who already matches the academic requirements – and athletic aid is a strong possibility, depending on the program. Students in this scenario have the strong possibility to shine both academically and athletically, and will likely have a well-balanced college student experience. There may also be high expectations for athletic performance, so they should prepare for the extra pressure.
  • Athletic Safety + Academic Safety School
    • An athletic safety candidate applying to an academic safety school will be as close as it gets to a slam dunk in admissions. This student is at the top of the coach’s recruit list and would have likely been admitted even without their athletic resume. Academic and athletic aid could both be options depending on the school, but they should be prepared to ask the correct questions when it comes to financial aid and taking scholarship funds.

Whether the goal is to earn an athletic scholarship to your best athletic fit school or gain entrance into an academic fit school, narrowing down the list of schools to find the best college fit will help you make the best-informed choice as you navigate the process. Ultimately, this careful attention will help to make sure you are 100% confident in your school choice when committing to a school!

Key Points When Building a List of Target Schools:

• Start Broad: Cast a wide net with different types of schools.
• Be Realistic: Match your academic and athletic profiles to each school.
• Stay Informed: Keep in touch with coaches and check admission requirements.
• Prepare: Work hard on your application and be ready for the academic and athletic challenges ahead.

Have more questions about the college commitment process? Honest Game counselors are available to provide one-on-one assistance to support student-athletes in navigating post-secondary opportunities athletically and academically. Schedule a time to meet virtually with our experts.

By Joyce Anderson, Honest Game Co-founder and COO
Having served on the NCAA Eligibility Center High School Advisory Board and as the College Bound Student-Athlete Advisor at Evanston Township High School (Evanston, IL), Joyce has advised more than 2,000 high school student-athletes and families on academic eligibility and recruiting.