There are millions of young kids playing sports who hope someday they will get an athletic scholarship. Do you know there are approximately 8 million high school student-athletes in the US and about 7% make it to play in college and only 2% will receive an athletic scholarship? We need to stop emphasizing athletic scholarships as some holy grail to these kids and focus on what is important, the experience and opportunities that college sports can offer.
When you set your sights on playing college sports, your goal should not be to get an athletic scholarship but to find a school that will help you become a better student, a great athlete, and an extraordinary person.
Approximately 160,000 college student-athletes are awarded athletic scholarships. So for the graduating class of 2020 40,000 High School graduates will earn an athletic scholarship for the fall. And if we want to discuss Full Athletic Scholarships that number is even smaller. Less than 1% of high school student-athletes will receive a "full athletic scholarship." To paint you a picture there are one million high school football players and less than 2% will receive a full athletic scholarship.
In order to better understand athletic scholarships you should know there are two types of sports
- Head Count Sport - means the stated scholarship limit is absolute, and the number of student-athletes receiving awards cannot exceed this number. For example, NCAA Division I Basketball is a head count sport and can offer 13 Full Scholarships, which means only 13 players can receive athletic aid. Head count sports are only found in NCAA Division I.
- Men's Basketball (13)
- Women's Basketball (15)
- Football; FBS (85)
- Football; FCS (65)
- Women's Gymnastics (12)
- Women's Tennis (8)
- Women's Volleyball (12)
- Equivalency Sport - means financial aid awards can be split into partial scholarships in any proportion up to the maximum allowed. For example, NCAA Division I Women's Soccer is allowed to offer a maximum of 14 Scholarships. A coach could divide those scholarships any way they would like. All other Division I Sports, NCAA DII, NAIA, and NJCAA are equivalency sports.
If you are only playing for the scholarship then you are in it for the wrong reasons. There has to be passion, joy, and excitement to play. So, lets stop talking athletic scholarships and talk about finding the right college fit, academically, athletically, and personally or socially. For most sports and programs the "scholarship" talk doesn't come for a while in the recruiting process anyway. A coach wants to know who you are as a student, athlete, and as a person before he considers talking money with the student-athlete and the parents. The scholarship talk typically will come after at least one phone call, coach evaluates you, and a campus visit so the scholarship should be the last thing on your mind when you begin the college recruiting process. And one of the biggest mistakes you can make is bringing up scholarships too early. Make sure you keep an open mind early on in the process and explore all of your options and opportunities. There are a lot of factors that go into selecting the right school.
When the time comes and you are fortunate enough to be offered an athletic scholarship, congrats that is an unbelievable accomplishment, just go back and look at the numbers. Remember all of the time, energy, sacrifices, and commitment that went into that moment.
Until then focus on your academics, focus on becoming a better athlete, and focus on finding a school that will satisfy all of your needs.
Until then focus on your academics, focus on becoming a better athlete, and focus on finding a school that will satisfy all of your needs.
ARE YOU READY TO START DESIGNING YOUR PATHWAY TO COLLEGE SPORTS?
Do you have aspirations of continuing your academic and soccer career at the next level? The recruiting process can be difficult to navigate if you don’t have a clear road map to guide you. If you have the burning desire to play in college than there is a school out there that will provide you with the best college experience, academically, athletically, and personally. Designing Your Pathway to College Sports workbook will educate you on what it takes to play at the next level, how the college recruiting process works, and how to be a successful student-athlete who excels in the classroom, on the field, and in their personal lives. The goal is to get you engaged in the recruiting process and to empower you to do the work and find the best college fit.
Visit www.GuidingFutureStarsAcademy.com to learn more about GFS or to purchase your copy of Designing Your Pathway to College Sports workbook to start planning for your academic and athletic future.
Come be a part of GFS and maximize your potential, your experiences, and your community.
Join the GFS Tribe and download the Guiding Future Stars App in the Apple or Android stores, or save the web app to your home screen.
LEARN THE #GFSWAY
Christopher J. Stack is the founder and CEO of Guiding Future Stars, a student-athlete development company that is committed to educate prospective student-athletes, parents, and coaches about what it takes to play at the next level, how the college recruiting process works, and how to be a successful student-athlete who excels in the classroom, on the field, and in the community.
A former Division I soccer player and coach at Mount St. Mary's University, he holds a degree in Business Management with a concentration in Sports Management and an MBA in Marketing. He worked in intercollegiate athletics for over 12 years. He started his career in college administration in rec sports and eventually transitioned into student-athlete academic support. He has the unique experience of being a collegiate coach as well as working closely with student-athletes on the academic and personal development side.
Stack now enjoys using his higher education experience to help high school students achieve their dreams of playing college sports while also gaining a first rate education.
Do you have aspirations of continuing your academic and soccer career at the next level? The recruiting process can be difficult to navigate if you don’t have a clear road map to guide you. If you have the burning desire to play in college than there is a school out there that will provide you with the best college experience, academically, athletically, and personally. Designing Your Pathway to College Sports workbook will educate you on what it takes to play at the next level, how the college recruiting process works, and how to be a successful student-athlete who excels in the classroom, on the field, and in their personal lives. The goal is to get you engaged in the recruiting process and to empower you to do the work and find the best college fit.
Visit www.GuidingFutureStarsAcademy.com to learn more about GFS or to purchase your copy of Designing Your Pathway to College Sports workbook to start planning for your academic and athletic future.
Come be a part of GFS and maximize your potential, your experiences, and your community.
Join the GFS Tribe and download the Guiding Future Stars App in the Apple or Android stores, or save the web app to your home screen.
LEARN THE #GFSWAY
Christopher J. Stack is the founder and CEO of Guiding Future Stars, a student-athlete development company that is committed to educate prospective student-athletes, parents, and coaches about what it takes to play at the next level, how the college recruiting process works, and how to be a successful student-athlete who excels in the classroom, on the field, and in the community.
A former Division I soccer player and coach at Mount St. Mary's University, he holds a degree in Business Management with a concentration in Sports Management and an MBA in Marketing. He worked in intercollegiate athletics for over 12 years. He started his career in college administration in rec sports and eventually transitioned into student-athlete academic support. He has the unique experience of being a collegiate coach as well as working closely with student-athletes on the academic and personal development side.
Stack now enjoys using his higher education experience to help high school students achieve their dreams of playing college sports while also gaining a first rate education.
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