1. Who is considered to be a prospective student-athlete?

You become a "prospective student-athlete" when you start ninth-grade classes or when USP gives you (or your relatives or friends) any financial aid or other benefits, such as free camp admission, that the University does not provide to prospective students generally.

2. Who is considered to be a recruited prospective student-athlete?

You become a "recruited prospective student-athlete" if any coach or representative of USP's athletics interests (booster or representative) approaches you (or any member of your family) about enrolling and participating in athletics at that college. Activities by coaches or boosters that cause you to become a recruited prospective student-athlete are:

Providing you with an official visit;

Placing more than one telephone call to you or any other member of your family; or

Visiting you or any other member of your family anywhere other than the college campus.

3. Who can be involved in the recruiting process?

Only USP coaches and staff members may be involved in recruiting you. No alumni, boosters or representatives of USP's athletics interests can be involved in your recruiting. There can be no phone calls or letters from boosters.

4. How do I register for the Clearinghouse?

Your high school guidance office should have the NCAA Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete. Fill out the form inside the booklet and send the top copy, along with the payment to the Clearinghouse and give the other two forms to your guidance counselor.

5. When can a coach write to me?

Letters from coaches, faculty members and students (but not boosters) are not permitted until September 1 at the beginning of your junior year.

6. When can a coach call me?

In all sports other than football and basketball, phone calls from faculty members and coaches (but not boosters) are not permitted until July 1 after completion of your junior year. After this, a college coach or faculty member is limited to one telephone call per week to you (or your parents or legal guardians).

Coaches also may accept collect calls from you and may use a toll-free (1-800) number to receive telephone calls from you on or after July 1 after completion of your junior year.

6. When can I meet with a coach off campus?

A college coach may contact you in person off the college campus only on or after July 1 after completion of your junior year. Any face-to-face meeting between a college coach and you or your parents, during which any of you say more than "hello" is a contact. Also, any face-to-face meeting that is prearranged or that occurs at your high school or competition or practice site is a contact, regardless of the conversation.

7. What is an evaluation?

An evaluation is any off-campus activity used to assess your academic qualifications athletics ability, including a visit to your high school (during which no contact occurs) or watching you practice or compete at any site.

8. What is an official visit and what can happen on that visit?

During your senior year, you can have one expense-paid (official) visit to a particular campus. You may receive no more than five such visits. This restriction applies even if you are being recruited in more than one sport. You can't have an official visit unless you have given the college your high-school (or college) academic transcript and a score from a PSAT, an SAT, a PACT Plus or an ACT taken on a national test date under national testing conditions. Your academic transcript may be a photocopy of your official high-school (or college) transcript.

During your official visit (which may not exceed 48 hours), you may receive round-trip transportation between your home (or high school) and the campus, and you (and your parents) may receive meals, lodging and complimentary admissions to campus athletics events. A coach may only accompany you on your official visit when the transportation occurs by automobile and all transportation occurs within the 48-hour period. Meals provided to you (and/or your parents) on an official visit may be provided either on or off the institution's campus.

The complimentary admissions you receive may provide you seating only in the facility's general seating area. You may not be given special seating (e.g., press box, bench area). In addition, a student host may help you (and your family) become acquainted with campus life. The host may spend $30 per day to cover all costs of entertaining you (and your parents, legal guardians or spouse); however, the money can't be used to purchase souvenirs such as T-shirts or other college mementos. Additionally, during a campus visit, the school may provide you with a student-athlete handbook.