NAIA Scholarships
NAIA scholarships are a great way to get athletic scholarships for both Division I and Division II. NAIA stands for the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. NAIA headquarters are located in Kansas City and it was founded in 1937. The goal was to ensure that sports could continue to be a big part of college life.
At the same time, the program was designed to ensure those involved with athletics would have the opportunity to get a good education. In 1970, NAIA was divided into two divisions, I and II, so that the distribution of the funds would be easier for processing. However, in 1997 the funds were once again consolidated into one single division.
There aren’t as many membership schools as for other sports scholarships so they can help with the expansion of spreading them out among the athletes that will be attending these schools.
The teams at the schools that accept NAIA scholarships for athletics are smaller so there will be fewer members on the team. There are approximately 300 colleges and universities out there in both the USA and Canada that accept them. There are NAIA athletic scholarships for both men and women.
Men NAIA Athletic Scholarships
- Cross country
- Soccer
- Football
- Track and field (both indoor and outdoor)
- Swimming
- Diving
- Wrestling
- Basketball
- Baseball
- Tennis
- Golf
Woman NAIAS Sports Scholarships
- Volleyball
- Soccer
- Cross Country
- Track and field (both indoor and outdoor)
- Swimming
- Diving
- Wrestling
- Basketball
- Baseball
- Tennis
- Golf
In order for any students to be eligible for an NAIA scholarship, students must have two of the following criteria:
- Minimum ACT of 18 or minimum SAT of 860
- Minimum GPA of 2.0 or graduated high school in the top 50% of the class
NAIA Scholarship for Athletic Protocol
It is important to understand that NAIA scholarships for athletics very seldom offer a full ride. They do offer numerous partial sports scholarships though that can significantly reduce the amount of money that any athlete wishing to attend college has to pay out of their own pocket. It is important for them to be able to have funds available to pay for college.
When a student is involved in athletics and academics, it can be very hard for them to work at the same time. Even if they are doing work study or have a part time job, the commitment of time is too much. They aren’t able to fully focus on their studies, athletic practice, game schedules, or their overall well being.
With the availability of NAIA scholarships though, it is very possible that they will be able to get the funds they need for school. Those funds, combined with other scholarship funds can reduce the amount of out of pocket they have to come up with. It can also reduce their dependency on student loans to get through their college curriculum successfully.
All recipients of NAIA athletic scholarships must be enrolled at least 12 credit hours at an accredited college. They also need to be playing on a team. Students are encouraged to contact the athletic department at their school to find it if there is funding through NAIA for that particular sport. What many people don’t know is that the schools get to decide if the NAIA sports scholarships offered will be used for which sports at their school.
Students that receive an NAIA scholarship have to remain in compliance. They must show up for practices and games as outlined by their coach. They must show good sportsmanship both on and off the playing time. They also have to comply with any drug testing regulations, and pass such testing successfully.
Students that receive NAIA scholarships for athletics also have to comply with their academic progress. They must maintain a 2.0 GPA or higher. They also have to maintain being enrolled in 12 credit hours or more throughout the college program or they can lose their scholarship. Renewals are very common with this type of athletic scholarship, but not if a student isn’t doing well in their sport or academics.