Understanding the NCAA Institutional Request List (IRL)
At POLARIS Student Athlete Consulting, we believe that informed families make confident decisions and when it comes to college athletics, understanding key parts of the recruiting process is essential. One term we often get questions about is the Institutional Request List (IRL). If you're a college-bound student athlete or the parent of one, this blog is for you.
What Is the Institutional Request List?
The Institutional Request List (IRL) is a tool used by NCAA Division I, II, and III schools to identify student-athletes they are actively recruiting. When a school places a student-athlete on their IRL, they are signaling to the NCAA Eligibility Center that they are interested in pursuing that athlete, and that they’d like the NCAA to begin the academic (for DI and DII) and amateurism certification process.
This step is initiated by the compliance office at the college or university—often after a coach has indicated genuine recruiting interest. Keep in mind, not every school will activate your NCAA profile, but being added to a school’s IRL is a clear sign that things are getting serious.
What Does It Mean for You?
In Divisions I and II, being placed on a school's IRL typically means:
The school is beyond the exploratory phase of recruitment.
They want to ensure you meet the NCAA’s academic eligibility standards.
They are seeking confirmation that you have maintained amateur status.
This usually happens in your junior or senior year of high school, depending on how far along you are in the recruiting process. While there's no exact grade requirement, we generally see student athletes added to a school’s IRL in 11th or 12th grade. That said, the process can vary by sport, school, and your specific academic profile.
For Division III student athletes, it’s important to know that only international recruits are added to an IRL. Domestic DIII student athletes are not required to go through the NCAA Eligibility Center’s academic certification, so the IRL plays a more limited role at this level.
Being placed on a school’s IRL does not guarantee a scholarship or a roster spot, but it is an important milestone. It tells you that the school is investing time and effort into evaluating you as a potential member of their athletic program.
Why This Matters & How POLARIS Can Help
At POLARIS, we encourage families to track these types of recruiting milestones. Knowing whether (and when) you’ve been placed on an IRL helps provide context for where you are in the process. It also opens the door for productive conversations with college coaches and can guide important decisions around official visits, applications, and eligibility documentation.
Navigating the recruiting process can be complex, but you don’t have to do it alone. At POLARIS Student Athlete Consulting, we support student athletes and their families at every stage of the journey. From building a recruiting strategy to managing NCAA requirements, we help you stay informed, organized, and confident. If you’d like help understanding where you stand in the recruiting process or what your next step should be, reach out.