How to Get Athletic Scholarships for College

For students who have an eye out for athletic scholarships for college in hopes of landing a sport scholarship for their unique talents, the competition might seem tough. However, although the competiveness is at a high rate for an athletic college scholarship, there are numerous scholarships available for those who are passionate about sports. Moreover, chances of getting a sport scholarship actually increase if you’re competing for them in universities or colleges that aren’t so popular, renowned or large. It goes without saying that a student who wants to get an athletic scholarship needs not only to have a serious athletic drive, but also good academic results.

Talent Scale of Athletic Grants and Scholarships

Seeing as many students wonder how talented an athlete must be in order to get a college sport scholarship, the air needs to be cleared out by saying that talent isn’t as important as having a true passion for your favorite sport. Coaches generally look for students who are driven and who believe in themselves as athletes, regardless of their talent or level of play for many universities and colleges. On the other hand, the amount for athletic scholarships for college varies depending on the type of sport scholarship one is awarded.

Amount of Athletic Scholarship

Depending on the sports scholarship, full or partial, the type of educational institution a student wishes to attend and the sport of their choice, the amount of each scholarship for athlete students varies widely. According to NCAA’s data for year 2008, the average amount per year of a full athletic scholarship at an in-state public school was less than $14,000. On the other hand, sports scholarships for out-of-state public schools amounted, on a yearly average, $24,000, while athletes who got full athletic scholarships at private schools received over $32,000 per year, on the average.

Categories of Student Athletic Scholarships by NCAA

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) splits financial aid given by each institution, according to sports, into two categories, the head-count sports and the equivalency sports. Sports scholarships that fall into the first category offer full cost of attendance, which is determined by each institution, and that includes the overall cost of fees and tuition, board and room, supplies and books for the student, transportation and any other expenses the student will require in order to attend. On the other hand, scholarships for equivalency sports are allocated by coaches, in combinations, and can be given for tuition, fees, room and other housing costs, meals and books.

Keeping an Eye on Athletic Organizations for a Sport Scholarship

The three major, national organizations that offer scholarships for athletes are the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Out of the three organizations mentioned above, NCAA scholarships are the most popular, even though some schools associated with the other two organizations have fewer restrictions with regard to the contact a coach and student athlete are allowed to make.

Undergraduate Athlete Scholarships Offered by NCAA

Each year, the NCAA awards partial and full athletic college scholarships to more than 125,000 students, amounting approximately $1 billion. However, the organization does not administer or award the sport scholarships directly, as each institution handles this. Undergraduate student athletes looking for scholarships can receive them only at Division I and II schools, whereas Division III schools only offer academic scholarships. Each school’s division is determined by the institution’s size and the athletic programs it offers.

Special Interest Scholarships for Athletics

Since not all students who are passionate about sports are athletes, the NCAA also offers special scholarships for non-athletic students. The Freedom Forum NCAA Sports Journalism Scholarship program is awarded to students who want to pursue sports journalism, without actually being athletes. Another unique athletic postgraduate scholarship is the NCAA Ethnic Minority and Women’s Enhancement Postgraduate Scholarship Program which is offered to students from ethnic minorities who are interested in coaching and sports administration and who want to pursue postgraduate studies.

Getting an Athlete Scholarship for the Sport of Your Choice

A Sport scholarship offered by athletic organizations are numerous and for a wide variety of sports. The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) offers scholarships for male students who are passionate about basketball, baseball, soccer, tennis, golf, whereas the sports open to women are volleyball, soccer, tennis, cross country, basketball, outdoor track and field, and fast-pitch softball. On the other hand, there are scholarships for sports that are less popular such as hokey, rodeo, archery, bowling and rifling.

Athletic scholarships for college can make many dreams come true for students and facilitate studies that might have been out of their reach without such a sport scholarship. In order to determine what athlete scholarship suits you best and which school would be the perfect choice for you go to athletic scholarships for college.