College tennis recruiting attracts talent from all over the U.S. and internationally. Earning a roster spot at one of the 900+ colleges offering men’s tennis programs is no easy feat. Finding a men’s tennis program which fits the player’s skill level can be a bit daunting, but with proper research, student-athletes can find programs that meet their needs and match their level of play. The process doesn’t stop there. Recruits need to know how to market themselves to programs that they are most interested in. What exactly do we mean by marketing a recruit? Our guide to men’s college tennis recruiting walks recruits and their families through each step of the college recruiting process, from building a recruiting profile to receiving an athletic scholarship offer and everything in between.
Each year, the NCAA releases a set of recruiting rules and a calendar that establishes when and how college coaches and student-athletes can engage throughout the recruiting process. After a 2017 NCAA survey revealed college coaches across various sports had been contacting and extending verbal offers to athletes as early as freshman year, the association made significant changes to the recruiting rules. These new rules are meant to support and maintain a positive recruiting experience for all parties involved.
View the NCAA tennis recruiting rules and calendar.
NCAA and NAIA college coaches search for both American and international student-athletes during the recruiting process. As a result, the fight for a roster spot and an athletic scholarship package is extremely competitive. Recruits who are set on playing college tennis need to study up on what college coaches are searching for in potential recruits, including tennis rankings, competition experience and physical advantages. These criteria vary from division to division, so we’ve created a section that outlines what skills make a recruit stand out to college coaches at each level.
Discover what college coaches are looking for in men’s tennis recruits.
Fully funded Division 1 and Division 2 NCAA tennis programs have a maximum of 4.5 full-ride equivalent scholarships to award to recruits and current roster holders each year. But not all programs are fully funded, which means college coaches may have fewer scholarships to award. This makes it very unlikely for a recruit to receive a full-ride tennis scholarship unless the recruit is an international athlete, in which case college coaches may be willing to award a full-ride scholarship as an incentive to compete in the U.S. At the Division 3 level and Ivy League schools, athletic scholarships are not available; only merit-based scholarships are awarded to student-athletes with a strong GPA and test scores.
Learn about the different tennis scholarships available at each division level.
To make a college tennis roster, recruits must be proactive during the college recruiting process. The process starts with researching college tennis programs to identify a list of reach, target and safety schools. Then it’s time to build a recruiting profile and capture footage for a recruiting video. Starting June 15 of the recruit’s sophomore year when communication is permitted between coaches and athletes, recruits need to focus on building relationships with college coaches at their target schools. Throughout the entire process, recruits should be competing and ranking well in tournaments and keeping up with the NCAA academic eligibility requirements. Visit our section on how to get recruited by college tennis coaches for a more detailed look at each of these recruiting steps.
Learn how to get recruited by college tennis coaches.
Even if a college coach is unable to watch a recruit compete in person, they are still able to evaluate the athlete by watching a recruiting video. This video lives on the athlete’s recruiting profile where college coaches can easily access it while searching a recruiting database. For many athletes, this will be a college coach’s first introduction to their skillset, so it’s important to highlight what college coaches are looking for in an athlete. In this section, we provide tips on how to create a strong recruiting video that will catch college coaches’ attention.
Learn how to use video in your recruiting process.
Recruits can increase their exposure to college coaches by attending tennis tournaments and camps. These events offer recruits the opportunity to develop aspects of their game and interact with college coaches. It’s also important for recruits to compete in tournaments to work on improving their tennis ranking, which college coaches consider during the recruiting process. In this section, we include a list of college tennis camps and tournaments near you that will fit your needs.
Find men’s tennis camps and tournaments near you.
When it comes to being recruited to play collegiate tennis, having a strong support system along the way can make all the difference.
Boarding schools, like our partner IMG Academy, have some of the most dedicated and robust support systems in place from day one of enrollment. Inclusive of dedicated college placement advisors, experienced coaches, academic teachers, Athletic & Personal development trainers, mentors and counselors, IMG tennis student-athletes will have access to a wide array of support on campus. IMG student-athletes will also experience a schedule that mirrors that of a collegiate environment, preparing them and familiarizing them with what’s to come at the next level.
Within IMG’s college-preparatory environment for 6-12th graders, as well as gap year student-athletes, athletes will:
In addition to taking full advantage NCSA’s resources, we’ve seen that supplementing your family’s recruiting efforts with IMG Academy’s proven boarding school experience can help student-athletes get recruited for collegiate tennis.
Explore the opportunities available at IMG Academy.
What college tennis program is right for a recruit? It takes a great deal of research to identify a list of reach, target and safety schools that meet the athletic, academic, social and financial needs of a recruit and their family. With more than 900 colleges offering men’s tennis programs across the U.S., this task can be daunting, so we’ve created a section that allows recruits to search the complete list of colleges with men’s tennis programs.
View a comprehensive list of colleges with men’s tennis.
We aim to provide an extensive recruiting guide for men’s college tennis, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t additional resources that recruits can and should reference during the college recruiting process. Websites such as USTA.com and wearecollegetennis.com provide insight into collegiate tennis.
To find a list of top men’s college tennis teams, NCSA’s Power Rankings and the NCAA’s website are both great resources. We developed this best colleges list to help student-athletes find the right college fit. We analyzed schools based on size, cost, location, academics and more, using resources such as U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges, IPEDS graduation rates and IPEDS institutional net cost.