Mar 082011
 
University-Athletic-Scholarship

University Athletic Scholarships

For many years, colleges have been offering university athletic scholarships to students who have shown excellence in a particular sport. The idea of offering a scholarship to someone just because of their athletic ability isn’t new, however the idea is certainly gaining momentum, especially in the realm of college football and basketball.

University athletic scholarships for sport is very common in and around the United States, but in other parts of the world they are rare or altogether nonexistent. Before you continue any further, you should note that getting an athletic scholarship requires dedication, determination, and some amazing athletic ability that most people simply don’t possess.

Before learning about how to obtain a university athletic scholarship, we first need to learn what it actually is. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) governs these sport scholarships. The NCAA is divided into three divisions, with the large schools competing in division I and II and the small schools competing by themselves in division III. Under NCAA rules, only division I and II schools are allowed to offer athletic scholarships to prospective students, division III schools are barred from doing so. Schools that are in division I are allowed to divvy out 85 scholarships each year. These can either be full or partial scholarships, depending on the athlete’s talent and achievements.

Getting an athletic scholarship for college isn’t easy with the odds being against it. One must display incredible athletic poise and skill to even stand a slight chance of receiving a sport scholarship on athletic merit alone. There are over 30,000 high school football programs in the country, with only a few hundred Division I colleges that are able to give out scholarships. When you think about it, there is about 1 scholarship available for every 300 high school students, so the competition is stiff.

Almost everyone that receives a sport scholarship to play in college has received it because of their outstanding performance in high school. This means that they started every game, were one of the best players on their team, exhibited discipline and obedience, and displayed outstanding athletic ability. Colleges seek these players so they can further along their own football programs in hope of winning the ultimate prize: the BCS title game.

If you display outstanding performance throughout all four years of high school, and college scouts visit your school often, then you have a chance of receiving a university athletic scholarship. On the days you know a college scout will be in attendance, you need to play your absolute best and put forth 100% effort. They are going to be looking for the players who play through adversity and can show exceptional athletic ability.

If you get selected for an athletic scholarship in your sport, you will be called by the colleges recruiting staff and asked to sign a contract. Sometimes, prospective students are offered more than 1 contract, in which case they must make the decision of which college to attend. Beware though that this is rare and only happens to the best of players. Depending on your sport scholarship type, you may not have to pay anything to attend college, or you may have only gotten a partial athletic scholarship; in which case you will still have to pay some out of pocket money to attend.

Once you get into college, remember to keep your grades up and attend class always! Your college athletic scholarship can be revoked if you perform poorly in school, even if you’re the star player on the field. Coaches can also make discretionary decisions whether to allow certain people to play or not. Often, a poor attitude can be the difference of paying for college yourself or getting it free via an athletic scholarship.