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Key Stats
Key Takeaways
- A generic auto-reply is not a response; separate it from human contact.
- Track the submission date and the follow-up window so the denominator is stable.
- Report nonresponse and missing confirmations rather than dropping them.
Families trade anecdotes about questionnaires: "we sent forty and heard from three." The number sounds precise, but it usually comes from memory, and the denominator changes depending on what counts as sent and what counts as a reply.
This note proposes a small measurement routine. Its value is not a benchmark; it is a stable local count that helps a family decide where to spend follow-up time.
Define the submission
A submission is a completed questionnaire on a program's official recruiting form, confirmed by a receipt page or email. Starting a form and abandoning it is not a submission.
Record the program, date, form URL, confirmation, and the athlete identifier used. A submission with no confirmation is an open question, not a data point.
Separate response states
Use four states:
- No response after the follow-up window
- Automated acknowledgment only
- Human reply with no next step
- Human reply with a next step, such as a film request, camp invitation, or call
The distinction matters. A generic "thank you for your interest" email can inflate a response rate without any coach having evaluated the athlete.
Set a fixed follow-up window
Choose a window before the count begins, such as thirty days from submission. At the end of the window, classify the submission even if the answer is "nothing yet."
A fixed window prevents the slow trickle of replies from changing the denominator after the report is written. It also makes successive months comparable.
Handle missing confirmations
Some forms fail silently. The family submits, sees a thank-you page, and never receives an email. Others send a confirmation that lands in spam.
Record the missing confirmation as its own state and check the program portal or contact the athletics office before counting it as sent. Do not assume delivery.
Report counts and rates together
A rate without counts hides small numbers. Report submissions, human replies, next-step replies, and nonresponse.
If the family sends twelve questionnaires and receives two human replies, the rate is not a verdict on the athlete. It may reflect timing, the program's roster needs, or a form that reached a general inbox.
Avoid causal claims
A higher response rate after a film update does not prove the film caused the replies. The update may coincide with a camp, a coaching change, or a recruiting period.
Record the sequence and describe it. "Replies increased after the film update" is supportable. "The film update doubled our response rate" needs a comparison the family probably does not have.
Limitations
Programs do not use a common questionnaire system, so response behavior is not comparable across schools.
The method measures administrative responsiveness, not recruiting interest. A program can be interested and still not reply through the form.
And the sample is small and self-selected. It is a planning tool, not research about college recruiting generally.
Sources
- NCAA, Recruiting resources: https://www.ncaa.org/student-athletes/future/recruiting
- NCAA, Eligibility Center: https://www.ncaa.org/student-athletes/future/eligibility-center
- National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS: https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/
- NCAA research: https://www.ncaa.org/sports/2018/8/8/research.aspx