What is college athletics in the US?
When people think of college sports in the US, they often picture a jam-packed football stadium and a crowd going wild when the star quarterback scores a touchdown. Collegiate sports in the US covers so much more than that. College athletics include a wide variety of sports played on different levels across schools all over the United States.
The various sports are sanctioned by collegiate sports governing bodies and each university is a “member” of one of these organizations.
Collegiate Sports Organisations and their divisions in USA:
National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)
- Division I (350 schools)
- Division II (300+ schools)
- Division III (446 schools)
Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA)
- Division I (240 members)
- Division II (80 members)
National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA)
Junior colleges are 2-year institutions
- Division I (221 schools)
- Division II (117 schools)
- Division III (98 schools)
Scholarships
Athletic scholarships are grants covered by the school’s athletics department. Universities want to attract top athletes and contingent on the budget and level of the athlete the institution offers a certain amount of money to cover the cost of school and board. To contrary belief, these scholarships exist for all kinds of sports and not just for basketball and football. Receiving athletic aid in form of a scholarship is not easy and student-athletes must not only meet the athletic standards of the school but also academic requirements such as specified minimum GPA or test score to receive entrance.
Once you are amongst one of the chosen ones receiving an athletic scholarship, you are expected to perform on the field and stay on track in school. If you fail to live up to the standards and expectations from the coach and academic department, you could potentially lose part of your scholarship.
Some student-athletes also benefit from academic scholarships, financial aid programs and need-based aid. If you are unable to get a full-ride athletic scholarship you still have the opportunity to have all of your costs covered by other scholarships.
What about full-ride scholarship?
Receiving some amount of scholarship, let alone a full-ride scholarship can be a difficult task. First you need to make sure your performance as an athlete aligns with what is expected in a full-ride college recruit on the particular program you’re aiming for. Sometimes it can be useful to reach out to someone who knows
By registering with Collegesport.us you get access to a database full of all the schools in collegiate athletics and info that will help you determine where your skills align. More importantly, through Collegesport.us you can connect directly with coaches as well as agents who will be able to help you through the process and even negotiate your scholarship - improving your chance of receiving a full-ride scholarship.
