How Much Does a College Recruiting Service Cost?

Why pricing is so hard to pin down

Recruiting help ranges from free athlete profiles to low-cost self-serve tools to full-service advisors who work with a family for years. Many providers don't publish their prices at all, and quote them on a sales call. Some charge per year, some per package and some for multiple years at once. That makes comparing options genuinely difficult, especially under time pressure.

What drives the cost of recruiting help

• How hands-on it is. Self-serve tools cost less than a person who evaluates your athlete, builds the list and talks to coaches.
• Who's doing the work. Advisors with real college coaching and recruiting backgrounds bring experience and relationships you can't get from software.
• Contract length. Multi-year agreements can make a price look smaller per year and larger in total. Always ask for the total.
• Whether anything depends on results. Most services are paid regardless of outcome. A few, like ours, tie part of the fee to your athlete succeeding.

Our price, in plain numbers

The Athlete Market's college recruiting service costs $6,000 total per family. Not per year. Total. The price is the same in baseball, softball, football, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's lacrosse, and men's and women's basketball.

• $3,000 upfront to begin.
• $3,000 only when your athlete signs with a school or earns a college roster spot.

And two guarantees protect that investment: if your athlete doesn't get a college roster spot, you get your money back; if your athlete suffers a career-ending injury, you get your money back. Your family is protected either way.

Putting $6,000 in context

Every family's budget is different, and $6,000 is real money. Compare it against what recruiting often costs without a plan: club dues, showcase fees, travel, hotels, camps and tournaments, sometimes repeated for several years at events that never put your athlete in front of the programs that fit. Part of what we do is help families spend less on the events that don't matter.

It's also worth thinking about the other side of the ledger. Athletic aid, academic aid, playing time and the right school can shape your athlete's next four years and beyond. Our job is to help you find the right fit, and to compare any offers clearly when they arrive.

What the fee covers

Working with Chase Grant, a former Division I player who spent six years as the recruiting coordinator at Palomar College, your family gets an honest evaluation of your athlete's level, a target school list, help with film and coach communication, introductions through a network of current and former college coaches and mentors, and guidance through visits, offers, admissions and signing. We'll walk you through exactly what's included on a free call.

The hidden cost of waiting

The most expensive recruiting decision is often the one families put off. Each high school season and summer that passes without a plan is a recruiting window that doesn't come back. Programs fill their classes, coaches move on to the next grad year, and an athlete who could have had several options ends up with few or none.

That doesn't mean you need to hire anyone today. It means you deserve an honest answer about where your athlete stands, as early as possible. That's what our free 30-minute call is for: we'll tell you what we see, what we'd do next, and whether we think paid help is worth it for your family right now.

Questions to ask about any recruiting service's cost

1. What's the total price, in writing?
2. Is it per year, per package, or total?
3. How long is the contract, and can we cancel?
4. Does any of the fee depend on results?
5. What happens if my athlete doesn't make a roster, or gets injured?

Our answers: $6,000 total, half deferred until your athlete signs or earns a roster spot, with money back if your athlete doesn't get one or suffers a career-ending injury.