College Athletic Scholarships – What Scholarships Are Available?

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The NCAA or National Collegiate Athletic Association is the main athletic conference in the country. They offer college athletic scholarships at the Division I and Division II level. Division III does not offer direct athletic aid, but will give recruited athletes aid disguised as “grants” and “performance based financial aid” that will often cover 50% of tuition.

Sports in NCAA DI and DII are either categorized as “headcount” or “equivalency” sports. Headcount sports are given a set number of full-ride scholarships that cover tuition, room and board and fees. For instance, DI Football has 85 scholarships. They are only allowed to award 85 players these scholarships, no more. Most schools will not award their full number at a given time and will reserve spots for transfers and walk-ons.

Equivalency sports have a set number of full-ride scholarships but can divide these up into as many players as they wish. As an example, DII baseball has 9 scholarships. If they give you a 50% partial scholarship, then they have 8.5 more scholarships to award.

NCAA Division I teams have more scholarships per team than DII schools do. Also the Ivy and Patriot leagues in NCAA DI, do not offer athletic scholarships, but will provide grants to recruited athletes that average over 50% of tuition.

The NAIA or National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics and the NJCAA or National Junior College Athletic Association both offer athletic scholarships. They use a headcount and equivalency designation between sports and offer fewer sports than the NCAA does.

Too many athletes get a narrow focus during the recruiting season. The only focus their efforts on NCAA DI schools when there are many other great options to getting an offer to play in college.

If you want a college athletic scholarship then don’t wait any longer. You must start today. Learn how to choose the right athletic conference for your talents and have a successful recruiting season ending with a scholarship offer.

CLICK HERE to see the college athletic scholarship recruiting guide that will show you how to earn the athletic scholarship you deserve.