How to Get a Scholarship Deadline Extended

Contributor, Rick Paine, is an expert on the college recruiting process. He is also the Director of Swimming at American College Connection (ACC).

When college coaches offer a scholarship to a student-athlete, it usually comes with a deadline. If a coach does not put a deadline on an offer, DON’T ask for one! It is in your best interest to have as much time as possible to decide on an offer. If a coach makes an offer and says, “we will need an answer soon”, don’t ask for a deadline. Leave it as open as the coach will allow.

How to approach the coach

The following scenario happens most frequently. Coach Smith makes you an offer and gives you one week to decide. You are waiting for a couple of other offers from coaches, but you don’t know if they will arrive within a week. What do you do?

The first thing to do is to let the other coaches know that you have an offer on the table with a deadline and you need to know their offers right away.
The second thing to do is to talk with Coach Smith and let him know that his school and program is your number one choice or one of your top choices and you would love to accept his offer; however your parents insist that you explore a couple of other schools for their sake. Tell Coach Smith that you are in a real dilemma; you want to go to his school, but you have to honor your parents’ wishes, and would he please help you by giving you a little more time to decide.

Don’t lead them on.

We recommend student-athletes tell college coaches right away if they are not interested in their school. Do not make them think you are interested in their school if you are not sincerely interested.