During a recruiting visit, are institutions allowed to cover travel expenses for prospective student-athletes traveling more than 30 miles?

The NCAA rules stipulate that institutions cannot provide transportation expenses to prospective student-athletes traveling more than 30 miles for recruiting visits. This regulation is in place to maintain a level playing field among colleges in the recruiting process and to prevent the potential for undue influence on the decision-making of prospective student-athletes based on financial incentives.

The reasoning behind this rule is to ensure that the recruitment process is fair and focused on the athletic and academic merits of the prospective student-athletes rather than the financial support that institutions could provide. It helps to keep the recruiting process accessible to all prospective athletes regardless of their economic background, promoting integrity within college athletics.

Options suggesting that travel expenses can be covered under certain conditions, such as sponsorship or overnight stays, do not align with these rules, reinforcing the notion that covering travel expenses is generally not permissible beyond the specified distance.