Most families don't think about cancellation when they sign up for NCSA. They're on a sales call, their teenager is on the line, and the conversation is about opportunity — not exit terms. By the time they want out, they discover that NCSA's cancellation policy is one of the most restrictive in the recruiting industry: a 3-day window to cancel, binding contracts after that, and refunds limited to career-ending injuries. If you're considering signing with NCSA — or already have — here's what the policy actually says.
What NCSA's cancellation policy actually says
When you agree to an NCSA premium tier, you're signing a binding fixed-term contract. This isn't a month-to-month subscription you can cancel when the service feels flat. The contract typically covers the remainder of your athlete's high school career — in some cases spanning years — with the total cost paid in monthly installments. For a full explanation of why NCSA's monthly payments aren't a subscription and how the installment model works, see our NCSA contract explainer.
NCSA gives you a cancellation window of 3 business days after signing to receive a full refund. To cancel within this window, you must call NCSA's Finance Department at (866) 495-5176. Email doesn't count. The cancellation only becomes official when NCSA sends written confirmation back to you.
The 3-day clock starts immediately. Saturdays count as business days; Sundays and federal holidays don't. If you sign on a Thursday, your window closes at midnight Monday. If you sign on a Friday, it closes Tuesday. Miss it by a day and you're locked in.
After the cooling-off period, there is no general cancellation option. Deciding the service isn't delivering value, losing interest in the sport, or realizing your family can't afford the payments — none of these qualify. The contract also includes a mandatory arbitration clause and a class action waiver. Unless you opt out of arbitration within 30 days of signing (a separate deadline from the cancellation window), you waive your right to resolve disputes in court.
The refund math: what you get back (and what you don't)
NCSA offers two hardship guarantees. Neither is a general satisfaction guarantee.
Recruit Protect Guarantee.
This covers career-ending injuries only. To qualify, the athlete's physician must submit a signed letter to NCSA within 90 days of the injury confirming the athlete can no longer compete at the collegiate level. The injury must occur before the athlete graduates from high school. If the athlete has already graduated, the guarantee expires — regardless of when the injury happened.
Refunds under Recruit Protect are prorated on a sliding scale that drops fast:
| Time since signing | Approximate refund | What NCSA keeps |
|---|
| 0–120 days | ~90% | ~10% |
| 121–240 days | ~60% | ~40% |
| 241–360 days | ~30% | ~70% |
| 361+ days | ~5% | ~95% |
After one year, even a career-ending injury gets you back roughly 5% of what you paid. For a family that signed a $3,500 MVP package, that's about $175 — and administrative fees are deducted from all refunds. Refund requests can take 2–4 weeks to process.
Parent Protect Guarantee.
This covers involuntary job loss or Chapter 7 bankruptcy. The event must occur within one year of signing, and you must provide documentation: a termination letter, your supervisor's contact information, and proof of eligibility for state unemployment benefits. NCSA determines eligibility "at its sole discretion." Self-employed parents or independent contractors may find this harder to qualify for.
Parent Protect doesn't typically refund past payments. It reduces or forgives future payments for a three-month period. After that, the original payment schedule resumes.
What families report when they try to cancel
The gap between what families expect and what the cancellation process delivers is where most frustration lives.
Multiple BBB complaints describe families who were told verbally — during the sales call — that they could cancel easily if things didn't work out. When they actually tried to cancel, the reality was different. One parent reported being told she could "cancel anytime if things didn't work out," only to discover the window was 3 days. NCSA's best offer was reducing her monthly payment to $10 — but the full contract balance remained.
Another parent found that "cancellation was impossible unless my child was injured, which was not disclosed at signup." NCSA offered a temporary payment reduction — but, as another complaint put it, "they expect me to still keep the contract and eventually pay the full amount."
The mechanics create additional friction. NCSA requires a phone call to cancel within the 3-day window. Families report difficulty reaching the finance department in time. One family tried emailing to cancel and was told they "couldn't just get a refund" and needed to schedule a video call to discuss their options. Some families report that after requesting stop-payments through their bank, charges continued under different billing names.
These aren't isolated incidents. They're a pattern consistent across years of BBB filings and parent forums.
How NCSA's cancellation compares to other recruiting services
NCSA's contract structure is an outlier in the recruiting platform space. Most alternatives operate on month-to-month billing or charge a single annual fee with no long-term commitment.
| Service | Contract type | Cancellation | What this means for families |
|---|
| NCSA (premium) | Binding fixed-term | 3-day window; injury-only after | You're locked in once the window closes |
| SportsRecruits | Annual subscription | Cancel anytime; no partial refund | Max exposure is one year's fee ($399) |
| FieldLevel | Monthly or free | Cancel anytime | No commitment beyond the current month |
| Stack Athlete | Monthly subscription | Cancel anytime | No long-term obligation |
| Direct outreach | No contract | N/A | Free — email coaches directly at any time |
The practical difference: if you pay $399 for SportsRecruits and decide it's not working, you lose $399. If you sign a $3,500 NCSA contract and decide it's not working after a week, you owe $3,500.
What to do if you're already locked in
If you signed an NCSA contract and want out, your options are limited — but they're not zero.
Review your specific contract.
Contract terms may vary by state and signing date. Look for the exact cancellation window, any state-specific disclosures, and whether the arbitration opt-out period has passed. Some states have consumer protection laws that may apply — California and Minnesota, for example, have statutes governing subscription cancellation and contract disclosure requirements. Your state attorney general's office or a consumer protection attorney can tell you whether your state's laws provide additional rights beyond NCSA's standard contract terms.
Document everything.
If you were told something different verbally than what the contract says — a longer cancellation window, an easy refund promise — that discrepancy matters. Save emails, take notes during calls, and keep every written communication from NCSA.
File a complaint.
The Better Business Bureau and your state attorney general's office accept consumer complaints about contract disputes. Filing doesn't guarantee a resolution, but companies often respond more flexibly to formal complaints than to individual phone calls.
Talk to your bank or credit card company.
Some families have disputed charges, particularly when they believe the service was misrepresented during the sales call. This is a conversation with your financial institution, not with NCSA.
None of this is legal advice. If you're locked into a contract you can't afford or believe was misrepresented, consulting a consumer protection attorney in your state is worth the conversation.
The bottom line
NCSA's cancellation policy is built to keep you in, not to let you out. A 3-day window, injury-only refunds that decline to 5% after a year, and mandatory arbitration — these aren't terms designed for families who might change their minds. They're terms designed for revenue predictability.
None of this makes NCSA a scam. But it does make the signing decision one you should take seriously. Read the contract in full before the sales call ends. Confirm the cancellation window in writing. Take the full 3 days to decide — any legitimate service will still be there on day 4.
For a full evaluation of what NCSA delivers at each price point, read our complete NCSA review. If the contract structure concerns you, our guide to NCSA alternatives covers platforms with no long-term commitments. For a breakdown of exactly how much NCSA costs across all four premium tiers, we've documented the numbers NCSA won't publish on its website. And if you'd rather skip the middleman entirely, emailing coaches directly costs nothing and is the single most effective recruiting action any family can take.