OFFICIAL VISIT PROCEDURES

Items to complete prior to the official visit:
  • Official Visit Approval Form - The sponsoring sport coach/staff member acquires the Official Visit Approval Form from the Compliance Office and follows the procedure outlined in the form.
  • Academic Requirements (bylaw 13.6.2.2.2.2) -The sponsoring sport coach/staff member completes the Official Visit Approval Form attaching the appropriate academic documents and submits to the Compliance Office. Although not required, it is advisable that the coach receive an NCAA Core Evaluation and Preliminary Review prior to the occurrence of the Official Visit. Academic requirements for an Official Visit are as follows:
    • High school or secondary/preparatory school prospects: A high school academic transcript (bylaw 13.6.2.2.2.2), AND PSAT, SAT, PLAN or ACT scores (bylaw 13.6.2.2.2.1). OR, Per bylaw 13.6.2.2.2.3, this information can be certified by the NCAA Initial Eligibility Clearinghouse that allows institutional staff members to review the information required above via the web status report.
    • Prospects from a 2-year college or 4-year college or university: an academic transcript from the college or university attended including current enrollment (bylaw 13.6.2.2.2.2), and appropriate release information if attending a 4-year college or university (bylaw 13.6.2.3.2). Non-qualifiers must fulfill a 1-year residency requirement before making an official visit (bylaw 14.3.4).
  • Athletic Director's Letter/Official Visit Guidelines - It is the responsibility of the sponsoring sport coach/staff member to provide a letter from Athletic Director, Jim Weaver, and/or head coach outlining the expectations of the prospect during an Official Visit, along with a copy of the Virginia Tech Official Visit Guidelines , prior to the prospects arrival to campus for the purposes of an Official Visit. These materials can be provided by the Compliance Office at the request of the sport coach/staff member.
  • Travel Loan Request/Traveler's Check Request - A sport coach or staff member shall complete a Travel Loan Request Form or American Express Traveler's Check Request Form and submit to the Business Office prior to the Official Visit. It is necessary to do a travel loan for any mileage or travel reimbursement you plan on giving the PSA. Meals and lodging should be paid for with a credit card or direct billed to the Athletic Department. Receipts for items direct billed must be turned in at the time the loan is settled.
  • Transportation Receipt - If you want to reimburse mileage prior to the prospect departing campus please use the Travel Loan or Traveler's Check process. Only through that process can a prospect receive cash upon departure from campus (NO PERSONAL CHECKS OR OUT-OF-POCKET CASH!). Otherwise, use the travel voucher process having the prospect sign the form prior to departure.
  • Complimentary Admission Requests - Complimentary admissions are reserved through the Recruit Ticket website: www.hokiesports.com/ticketsrecruit. Log on using your PID and password and you will be able to hold tickets for official and unofficial visits, as well as, PSA Coaches/Teachers. Remember: Official Visits can get up to 3 tickets per prospect, plus a ticket for a Student Host; Unofficial Visits can receive up to 3 tickets per prospect, and 2 tickets can be reserved per PSA Coach/Teacher. As a reminder, current student-athletes may only by used as student host tickets.
  • Official Visit Guidelines/Student Host Form (13.6.6.5) - The student host must be a student-athlete and must be approved by the head coach to host a recruit. A maximum of $30/day is permissible to cover actual costs of entertaining the prospect and the prospect's parents, legal guardians or spouse and the entertainment of the student host(s). Institutional staff members who accompany a prospect during entertainment shall not be included in the entertainment allowance unless the staff member serves as the host (proposal 2005-160(a)). It is permissible to provide the student host with an additional $15 per day for each additional prospect the host entertains. It is the responsibility of each sport to review the rules with the student host(s), provide the student host(s) with a copy of the Virginia Tech Official Visit Guidelines , answer any questions the host may have and complete the Official Visit/Student Host Form . The amount of host money given to the student host must be documented on the Official Visit/Student Host Form . The student host will sign the Official Visit/Student Host Form acknowledging the amount of money given to them and that they understand the guidelines outlined in the form. Please make sure your student host is aware of the amount of money for which they have signed.
  • Other NCAA Legislation regarding Official Visits - All recruiting visits must be in compliance with NCAA, ACC Conference and Virginia Tech policies. All staff members and student-athletes involved in the entertainment of prospective student-athletes during a campus visit must adhere to the following guidelines.
      Bylaw 13.5.2.3 Air Transportation. If air transportation is provided, it must be commercial transportation at coach-class airfare with no upgrades. Charter flights are prohibited.

      Bylaw 13.5.2.4 Transportation from Airport. During the Official Visit, any member of the athletics department staff may provide ground transportation for a prospect between the campus and any airport.

      Bylaw 13.6.6.7 Meals. Virginia Tech must provide a prospect (and the prospect's parents or legal guardians) standard meals comparable to meals provided to student-athletes during the academic year. The institution shall not make special arrangements (exclusive table, access to exclusive restaurants or membership only establishments). Dining off-campus is limited to one entrée per person per meal. Further, a reasonable snack (e.g., pizza, hamburger) may be provided in addition to the three permissible meals. Itemized meal receipts must be provided with official visit paperwork. For all meals, the members of the party present at the meal must be listed on the paperwork. Permissible guests include: Virginia Tech coaches and their immediate family members (spouse and children), student host, prospects and parents/guardians/spouse, athletics department staff members, spouse of athletics department staff members. Permissible guests who must pay for their own meals include prospect's family members (e.g., siblings, grandparents) and student-athletes not designated as the student host. Boosters, VT athletic department coaches or staff's extended family (e.g., parents, sister, uncle), significant others or friends and guests of student-athletes CANNOT attend the meal.

      Bylaw 13.6.5 Lodging. Any hotel within a 30-mile radius of campus may by used to lodge the prospect and their parents (that includes Blacksburg and Christiansburg). However, the rooms must be the standard rooms containing no special accessories (e.g., Jacuzzis, suites) and no special decorations (special sheets or towels).

      Bylaw 13.5.2.2.4 Transportation. Vehicles used to transport prospective student-athletes around campus must be either the coaching staff or student hosts personal vehicle or an institutional vehicle normally used to transport prospective students while visiting the campus. It is permissible to use a standard rental vehicle with no special amenities in lieu of a coach's personal vehicle.

      Bylaw 13.6.6.9 Personalized Recruiting Aides. Virginia Tech cannot arrange miscellaneous, personalized recruiting aides (e.g., personalized jerseys, personalized audio/video scoreboard presentations). Further, prospects cannot engage in any game-day simulations during their official or unofficial visit.

      Bylaw 13.10.1 Publicity. Virginia Tech shall not publicize (or arrange for publicity of) a prospect's visit to campus. Further, a prospect may not participate in team activities that would make the public or media aware of the prospect's visit to the institution (e.g., running out of the tunnel with team, celebratory walks to or around the stadium/arena on-field pre-game celebrations).

      Bylaw 13.14.1 Funds - Institutional Control. All funds for the recruiting of prospects shall be deposited with the member institution, which shall be exclusively and entirely responsible for the manner in which such funds are expended.

Items to complete after the official visit:
Following an official visit, a Travel and Meal Expense Voucher must be completed for a coach to be reimbursed for those items associated with an official visit. The following are the items that will be necessary to be reimbursed efficiently:

  • Official Visit/Student Host Form - Student host's, prospect's, and recruiting coaches signature must all be included on this two-sided form, as well as, the total dollar amount given the student host for purposes of entertainment. The original must be forwarded to the Controller's Office with a copy being sent to the Compliance Office.
  • Meals - Itemized receipts must accompany any reimbursement request, along with a listing of all those present at the meal. An Occasional Meal Form must be filled out in the event the whole team is supplied a meal in conjunction with an Official Visit.
  • Transportation - Complete the appropriate information pertaining to the prospect's travel to/from campus.
    • Airplane - If the prospect flew via commercial air travel, and we are requesting reimbursement via the Travel and Meal Expense Voucher , you must attach all receipts and boarding passes in order to be reimbursed.
    • Car - Enter the origin and destination information, number of miles the prospect is being reimbursed for, and at what rate (maximum allowable rate is $0.445/mile) he/she is being paid for those miles on the Transportation Receipt Form . Have the prospect sign the form and forward the original along with the Travel and Meal Expense Voucher to the Controller's Office and make a copy for the Compliance Office.
  • Lodging - Attach a copy of the itemized hotel receipt to the Travel and Meal Expense Voucher , unless PSA stayed on-campus with student host.
  • Please make a note of any unusual circumstances that occurred during the official visit and contact the compliance office with those circumstances as they occur.

    Items to be submitted with the Travel and Meal Expense Voucher - The following items must be submitted to the Business Office and a complete copy must also be submitted to the Compliance Office.
    • Signed Official Visit/Student Host Form .
    • Original Itemized Meal and Hotel Receipts (with lists of names attached).
    • Original Airline Itinerary (with arrival and departure times and ticket cost).
    • Boarding Passes (where applicable)
    • Transportation Receipt Form (if applicable). Prospect must sign form.

    Official Visit Approval/Business Office Reimbursement - The Compliance Office will review the Official Visit paperwork. Additional information may be requested to clarify areas of concern. The compliance office will approve the official visit and forward the approval of the Travel and Meal Expense Voucher to the Business Office for their approval. Upon receipt of this approval, the sport coach will be reimbursed and/or the official visit will be settled. The Business Office and Compliance Office will keep all Official Visit records on file.