“Hey, Julie, have you figured out how you're going to pay for college?”
“Oh, I made Regional First Team this year. I'll definitely get a scholarship somewhere.”
Are you sure? You and many other students may make the assumption that because you excel in high school sports you are guaranteed a scholarship. You know you are good – you may even be the best on your high school team. But think of it this way: there are other students just like you, at all the high schools within your state, and within the entire country, who play and perhaps excel at sports. The competition is strong, and playing sports alone does not guarantee you the easy scholarship dollars of a college athletic scholarship.
The harsh reality is that there are limited athletic scholarship dollars available. The National College Athletic Association (NCAA) only awards athletic scholarships for Division-I and Division-II schools (i.e., usually those large, competitive schools you see playing sports on TV). However, only about 2% of all high school athletes receive these scholarships, and rarely are those scholarships full-ride awards that pay your tuition, room and board for all four years.
However, this is not meant to discourage you, especially if you believe you do have the skills to receive an athletic scholarship. But it is important to set realistic expectations about paying for college.
While the funding and guidelines of athletic scholarships are set by the NCAA (for example, there are guidelines on whether or not you can receive other scholarships or grants with an athletic scholarship), the colleges and universities are the ones who decide who is eligible to receive athletic scholarships and how much to award. Therefore, it is important that you contact the college you are interested in to determine their application process for an athletic scholarship.
As soon as you have narrowed your college choices, write to the head coach and express your interest in playing your sport at his/her college. Be sure to enclose your résumé of academic and athletic achievement, a short 10 minute video, letters of recommendation by your high school coach(es) and your season schedule.
If you are contacted to meet with the coach, ask direct questions. For example, ask what the level of interest is in you and the odds of receiving an athletic scholarship. And if you do receive a scholarship, what are the binding conditions? (For example, if you are injured, will the scholarship be revoked?)
Note: If you are asked to pay a fee for assistance finding a college scholarship, it is important to determine whether you are getting value for your money. You are able to contact colleges directly to see if you are eligible for an athletic scholarship. You can then follow their process to apply for an athletic scholarship.
Applying for an athletic scholarship should not take higher priority over the general application requirements of that college. Even if you have a good chance of receiving an athletic scholarship, you still have to apply and be admitted to the school. Also, you will want to make sure the college meets your needs on many other levels, such as your career goals, size of campus, the overall "vibe" (to ensure college success) and so on. While it isn't a pleasant thought, you will need to consider the possibility of an injury. Should your athletic career be cut short, you will still want to enjoy your academic career and social life at the campus you've selected. In the event one occurs, you will still want to enjoy your campus academically and socially, and finish in four years without having to transfer, saving you time and money.
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