Athletic scholarships for student-athletes: everything you need to know

Introduction

One of the ultimate dreams of a student athlete is to get a full scholarship to compete at the college level. Being a student athlete is not cheap, so many athletes greatly benefit from the financial support they can get from training institutions.

What is a student athlete scholarship?

A student-athlete scholarship is a form of financial support awarded to individuals who participate in collegiate-level sports during their studies. Scholarships are offered by colleges and universities to recruit talented, outstanding athletes to play on their sports teams. The main goal of a scholarship is to support student athletes to progress in their sports and studies and promote student athlete balance.

Student athlete scholarships can be accessed for many sports including football, basketball, soccer, baseball, track and field, tennis, and many others. According to the NCAA, over 150,000 Division I and Division II student-athletes receive $2.9 billion in scholarships each year (Division III schools don't offer athletic scholarships). However, the average athletic scholarship is roughly $18,000. Only about 1% of student-athletes receive a full scholarship.”

To get a scholarship, student athletes may need to meet certain criteria, such as a specific GPA, and demonstrate athletic talent, academic excellence, and personal values. They also need to comply with the rules set by the governing body for college sports (such as NCAA or NAIA). Scholarships can be offered at various levels, including NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) Division I, Division II, and Division III, as well as at the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) level. Bear in mind that each division and association has its own rules and regulations regarding scholarships.

What is the role of a scholarship?

Successful student athletes have several characteristics: besides their grit, ambition, and drive, they also secure the best training programs and have access to athlete scholarships. Supporting student athletes should be the main goal of any school offering athletic programs, and this is often manifested in financial benefits.

 As a student-athlete, you should be eligible to receive a scholarship from your institution, which you can use to partly cover your expenses such as tuition, books, fees, room, and board, and possibly even living costs. The ultimate amount that you can receive from your scholarship depends on your school and your athletic abilities. Some colleges also take into account the student-athlete’s academic performance, but you should not take this as a general rule, and instead check with your institution.

Also, keep in mind that you do not necessarily need a scholarship to become a student-athlete. Even if you don’t qualify for one when you enter college, you can still look for other ways to finance your career in athletics. For example, you can obtain a scholarship based on your academic performance, financial need, or personal characteristics such as being an international student. If you need more information about your eligibility for a scholarship, try doing some research into student-athletes scholarship options. Or ask your academic institution to help you with more specific information.

How can you get a scholarship as a student athlete?

There are a few important things you need to keep in mind if you want to apply for a scholarship:

  1. Decide what division level best matches your skills. You can do this by getting evaluated by a third party or attending camps that attract other college-bound athletes to see how you compare. Once you have a clear idea of which division level you are best suited for, start researching some schools you’re interested in. Consider factors such as location, academics, athletics, and culture when doing the research.
  2. Find all the information you need. Before reaching out to colleges to apply for their scholarships, compile a list of essential information such as athletic stats, academic transcripts, ACT & SAT scores, and skills video (if needed). Once you have this information, put together the email addresses of of the head coaches, assistant coaches, and recruiting coordinators on your initial list of best fit schools.
  3. Get in touch with college coaches. Use the previously gathered information to actually start communicating with those involved in the recruitment process.
  4. Assess and compare your scholarship offers. Once you start receiving some offers from the schools you’ve applied for, start negotiating your scholarship amount. To do that, compare the packages available at each school, bearing in mind the merit-based, academic, or other types of scholarships that may available.

Also, keep in mind that you do not necessarily need a scholarship to become a student-athlete. Even if you don’t qualify for one when you enter college, you can still look for other ways to finance your career in athletics. For example, you can obtain a scholarship based on your academic performance, financial need, or personal characteristics such as being an international student. If you need more information about your eligibility for a scholarship, try researching student-athletes scholarship options. Or ask your academic institution to help you with more specific information.

How much scholarship money can you get?

Student athletes sports programs can offer different levels of financial support. Unfortunately, only 2% of student athletes get athletic scholarships, most of which rarely full rides. The amount of money you can get depends on your sport and whether it is a head count or equivalency sport. 

Head counts are the most sought-after types of scholarships. They always offer full rides, but only include D1 basketball and D1-A football for men and D1 basketball, tennis, volleyball and gymnastics for women. On the other hand, equivalency sports usually offer partial scholarships, which are divided among athletes.

Can I lose my athletic scholarship?

As difficult as it is to get an athletic scholarship, the reality is that you can easily lose it if you don’t apply with the rules and regulations of your academic institution. Here are a few instances in which this could happen:

  1. Your agreement with the school did not include a scholarship in the first place. Perhaps you only had a verbal agreement, in which case, you didn’t secure a spot on the roaster.
  2. If you get injured, especially when it happens outside of games or practice — in which case the school can decline its scholarship offer.
  3. Your scholarship does not renew in the following academic year. This can be a surprise for some student athletes and can happen for various reasons, such as a new coach joining the program, getting into trouble on or off the field, poor performance, etc.
  4. You fail to demonstrate eligibility criteria to compete because of poor academics, not complying with the regulations of the school, etc.

As you can see, obtaining an athletic scholarship is great — but only the first part of the effort. You have to maintain a good student athlete balance and demonstrate your commitment to sports and academics throughout your course.

Of course, keeping up with sports, studies, and looking after yourself isn’t always easy! Stress and mental health struggles are very common among student athletes. If you feel that you are about to lose your hard-earned scholarship because of not keeping up with all commitments, access your local student athlete services or mental health support.

Final Thoughts

Student athlete development depends on many factors: their drive and motivation, their natural skills, but also on the support they get from families and training institutions. Student athletes are more successful when they can devote their entire focus to their sports and academic studies, without having to worry about financial matters. For this reasons, an athlete scholarship is a tremendous source of support that can keep the student athlete motivated to excel in their careers. However, maintaining high performance and appropriate conduct is one of the student athlete’s responsibilities to keep their financial support going from their schools.

Therefore, although getting a scholarship is not easy, it is worth pursuing. To become eligible, do your research, check out the division level that matches your skills, and start getting in touch with schools that are a good fit for you. And, lastly, maintain a high commitment to excellence in sports and schools. This is key to standing out amongst other successful and hard-working athletes like you!