An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university awarded to an individual based mainly on his or her ability to play in a sport. Individual institutions, specifically Division I and II schools, award athletic scholarships based on their membership to the NCAA. NCAA members give more than $1.5 billion in athletics scholarships annually. Conversely, Division III schools offer academic scholarships only. When it comes to athletic scholarships and college sports recruiting, it is important to become familiar with the rules and regulations surrounding the various college associations, conferences, and divisions. Thus, this paper discusses rules, regulations, and ...view middle of the document...
An example is the Ivy League and the three service academies (Army, Navy, and Air Force). The service academies are exempt from NCAA scholarship limits because all students at those schools, whether or not they are varsity athletes, receive full scholarships from the service branch that operates the academy. The breakdown of these divisions is important in understanding what options are available for student-athletes.
Student-athletes wishing to pursue athletic scholarships in these divisions must adhere to academic guidelines set by the NCAA. Standards exist for the individuals being awarded the scholarships. Students must graduate high school and complete the following courses:
DIVISION I
16 Core-Course Rule
16 Core Courses:
4 years of English.
3 years of mathematics (Algebra I or higher).
2 years of natural/physical science (1 year of lab if offered by high school).
1 year of additional English, mathematics or natural/physical science.
2 years of social science.
4 years of additional courses (from any area above, foreign language or nondoctrinal religion/philosophy).
DIVISION II
14 Core-Course Rule
14 Core Courses:
3 years of English.
2 years of mathematics (Algebra I or higher).
2 years of natural/physical science (1 year of lab if offered by high school).
2 years of additional English, mathematics or natural/physical science.
2 years of social science.
3 years of additional courses (from any area above, foreign language or nondoctrinal religion/philosophy)
GPA requirements for Division I is on a sliding scale and a 2.5 core GPA requires a 820 SAT score, a higher core GPA of 2.75 GPA would need a 720 SAT score, a 3.0 core GPA would only require a 620 SAT score and a 3.55 core GPA would require a 400 SAT score. (Athletic Scholarships) Division II is not on a sliding scale and only minimum 2.0 GPA is required. Students also need to complete the amateurism questionnaire for amateurism certification.
Once students qualify academically for the specific school, there are a myriad of scholarships available at their institution of choice. However, most outside the NCAA environment have fallacies of athletes’ opportunities for scholarship and the rules by which they must abide. One of the most common is the “full ride” scholarship. Full scholarships are uncommon in many college sports: for every 100 high school athletes, there is one full athletic scholarship available. The NCAA also regulates how many full scholarships can be awarded per team. Most coaches will try and split up that money amongst the whole team to give each player some money for playing. This makes it very difficult to award any full scholarships to any one player It is also reported from the Star Tribune that:
“More than 60 percent of all NCAA athletes receive no athletic scholarship aid. This includes Division III, which does not give out athletic aid. The average NCAA athlete on scholarship gets, per year,...
