The NIL Forum Research Poll

Proprietary intelligence from the largest ongoing athlete survey in NIL.

The NIL Forum Research Poll provides ongoing intelligence into how college and high school athletes are thinking, behaving, and participating in the evolving NIL economy. Each month, more than 5,000 college athletes and 1,000 high school prospects contribute data across topics shaping the future of college sports.

The result is one of the largest ongoing athlete intelligence initiatives in the country.

A chart showing survey results from the NIL Forum Research Poll Issue #1. The first bar indicates 48% of respondents felt financially confident and were actually prepared, with the text below mentioning the 33-point gap between how prepared NIL athletes feel and their actual preparedness.
Results from NIL forum research poll, issue number 2, showing 58% of participants had three or more promises broken, compared to 19% who got everything they were promised, with additional text explaining how NIL promises compare with athletes' actual experiences.

Why This Matters

Most NIL decisions are still being made with:

  • Incomplete information

  • Assumptions

  • Or fragmented anecdotes

The NIL Forum Research Poll provides direct market visibility into what athletes are thinking, doing, and prioritizing right now.

These are not just survey results. They are decision signals.

The data provides direct visibility into:

  • Athlete priorities

  • Deal participation

  • Financial preparedness

  • Platform usage

  • Brand perceptions

  • Recruiting influence

  • Representation trends

  • Compensation expectations

  • And emerging behavior shifts across the market

For professionals operating in NIL, these are not just survey results. They are market signals.

Methodology

Who we survey. Every month, more than 5,000 college athletes and 1,000 high school prospects across NCAA Divisions I, II, and III.

How we sample. Stratified sampling across sport, conference tier, gender, and class year. Each wave draws roughly 1,050 college athletes and 350 high school prospects.

How reliable it is. Individual revenue sports (FBS football, men's basketball, women's basketball) hold a ±5% confidence interval at roughly 375 responses per sport.

Privacy. Full participant privacy protection. No athlete is ever identified in published data.

Frequency. Continuous monthly tracking — not a one-time snapshot. The Forum's data shows how athlete sentiment and behavior move over time.

Next Report Available on August 7th. Past Reports Available to Members in Forum Archive.

The Confidence Trap (April); NIL athletes feel more financially prepared than they are. That gap — not income, not deal size — is the variable that predicts poor outcomes.

The Trust Deficit in NIL (May); We asked student-athletes what has been promised to them by NIL professionals and then how those promises have compared with their actual NIL experience. The result: NIL has a trust deficit.

The Two Portals (June); We surveyed Division I transfers across every reason and every sport — and found two different markets: most athletes still move for playing time and fit, while football and basketball now move for the money.

The Recruiting Issue (July); Recruiting hasn't become the bidding war everyone assumes — new data on what really drives school choice in the NIL and revenue-sharing era.

Start Free — No Credit Card Required

Get full member access for 30 days. Attend any expert briefing, read any data report, access the community, or take a course. No card required — if you don't sign up, access simply ends. Nothing to cancel.

Request Free Trial

Ready to become a member? Click here for monthly membership ($39/month) or click here to save $50 on a yearly membership ($415/year.)