College preference filters allow you to search for prospective student-athletes based on their academic, athletic, geographic, and social preferences. These filters help you identify recruits who have explicitly expressed interest in your division-level, majors offered, and campus fit. When you discover student-athletes through preference filtering, you're connecting with recruits who want exactly what your program offers.

What Are College Preferences?

College preferences are the specific criteria that student-athletes define when searching for their ideal college experience. These preferences span four key areas that matter most to recruits:

• Academic: Intended major and academic interests
• Athletic: Division or athletic association preferences
• Social: Campus culture, student life, and institutional values
• Geographic: Location preferences, climate, and distance from home (coming soon)

When student-athletes complete their college preferences on SportsRecruits, they're telling you exactly what they're looking for in their college experience. This creates a powerful opportunity for coaches to connect with athletes who are genuinely interested in what their program offers.

How to Use College Preference Filters

First, log in to your college coach account using the steps below:

1. Head to the college coach login page
2. Enter your .edu email address, then click "Continue"
3. If you've already set a password, enter it here; otherwise, choose "Create an Account"
4. Upon logging in, you will be brought to the Explore section of your Discover Feed

From here, you can utilize the following section filters to search through student-athletes based on their preferences:

Athletic

Expand the Athletic filter on the left-hand side of your Explore Feed. Here you'll see an option to show only student-athletes who have indicated interest in competing at your program's division level. This helps you avoid reaching out to athletes who may not be interested in your competitive level.

Note: Other divisions in your sport will not appear as filter options - only your program's division will be available.

Academic

Expand the Academic filter on the left-hand side of your Explore Feed. Here you'll see options to filter by student-athletes who have expressed interest in majors offered at your institution. This is particularly valuable for specialized programs or schools with strong reputations in specific fields like engineering, nursing, or architecture, allowing you to focus your recruiting efforts on athletes who are genuinely interested in your academic offerings.

Note: Filter options will only show majors that are available at your institution, helping you connect with academically aligned recruits.

Social

Expand the Social filter on the left-hand side of your Explore Feed. Here you'll see options to filter student-athletes based on institutional characteristics that matter to them, such as faith-based education, historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), women's colleges, or other mission-driven attributes. This helps you identify recruits whose values and educational preferences align with your institution's culture and mission.

Once you've identified student-athletes who are looking for what your program offers, you can view their full profiles to evaluate them further, then Favorite or Skip based on your assessment. Favorited athletes will appear in your 'My Recruits' tab on the platform and are also accessible within the EventBeacon app for streamlined evaluation during tournaments and showcases.

In addition to discovering athletes through preference filtering, consider publishing your Roster Needs for more targeted recruiting. Roster Needs allow you to define specific positional and academic criteria, creating a customized feed of athletes who meet your exact program requirements. Learn more about creating and editing Roster Needs to further streamline your recruiting process.