Getting evaluated

ID Camps & College Camps

What to know before you pay for a college ID camp. Rules checked Oct 22, 2026. Rules change, so confirm details on the linked sources and with each school's compliance office. This is general guidance, not legal or eligibility advice.

What an ID camp is

An identification (ID) camp is a camp run by a college program, usually on its campus, where coaches evaluate players. Many include coaches from other schools as guest staff. They're open to anyone who registers.

What the NCAA rules allow

D1 coaches can coach you at their own camp at any grade, but in soccer they can't have recruiting conversations with you at the camp before Aug. 1 before your junior year (Division I Bylaw 13.12.1.5.1).
Apart from those conversations, staff working a camp can't recruit you while it's running, and they can't give you a written aid offer at camp (Bylaw 13.12.1.5).
D1 schools can't hold camps during dead periods. See the timeline for 2026-27 dates.

How to pick camps

Choose schools where you could realistically play, based on the roster at your position and the level of the program.
Before you pay, ask which coaches (and which schools) will be on the guest staff.
Email the head coach ahead of time so they know to watch for you, and send a thank-you afterward.

Don't overspend

A few targeted camps at the right schools beat a summer of random camps. Track what each one cost and what came of it.

Sources (checked Oct 22, 2026)

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