Student Athlete - Athletic Scholarships

Athletic Scholarships

In the United States, athletic scholarships are largely regulated by either the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) or the National Collegiate Athletic Association. These bodies govern the eligibility of student athletes to receive scholarships as well as stipulate scholarship rules once the scholarship has been given. The type and amount of scholarship money received depends on which one of these governing bodies a school is affiliated with.

For athletes, wanting to enter a Division I university, participate in a varsity sport and receive scholarship money, they will have to be cleared by the NCAA clearing house. The NCAA Eligibility Center certifies whether prospective college athletes are eligible to play sports at NCAA Division I or II institutions. It does this by reviewing the student-athlete's academic record, SAT or ACT scores, and amateur status to ensure conformity with NCAA rules. In order to be eligible for an athletic scholarship there are four main requirements by the NCAA. These requirements are: 1)Graduate from high school, 2)Complete the required number of core high school courses i.e. for Division 1 four years of English,three years of math (Algebra I or higher),two years of natural or physical science (including one year of lab science if offered by your high school),one additional year of English, math, or natural or physical science,two years of social science,four years of extra core courses (from any category listed here, a foreign language, or non-doctrinal religion or philosophy) and Division 2 three years of English,two years of math (Algebra I or higher),two years of natural or physical science (including one year of lab science if offered by your high school),two additional years of English, math, or natural or physical science,two years of social science,three years of additional core courses from any category listed here, a foreign language, or non-doctrinal religion or philosophy. 3)Earn a minimum GPA on a 4.0 scale in required core academic courses. For Division I, the GPA you must earn depends upon your SAT or ACT score, and is specified in a GPA/test score index published by the NCAA. For Division II, the minimum required GPA is 2.0. 4)Achieve a minimum SAT or ACT score. For the SAT, the NCAA looks at your combined best scores on the SAT critical reading and mathematics sections. For the ACT, it's the sum of your best scores on the English, mathematics, reading, and science sections. For Division I, the score you must meet or exceed depends upon your GPA, and is specified in a GPA/test score index published by the NCAA. For Division II, the minimum SAT score is 820 and the minimum ACT score is 68.

Athletic scholarships help athletes to participate for their institutions athletically and academically without the burden of trying to finance their own education. Without athletic scholarships student athletes would not have this opportunity. Scholarships give many student athletes the opportunity to use their athletic talents and get an education. This may or may not put additional pressures on student athletes to perform because coaches have invested so much money into them. Scholarship athletes do not have the luxury of quitting their sports teams without consequence of losing the money that had been previously given to them and so they may have to carry the burden of pressure for longer than they would want and this can possibly become unbearable. These athletes also have to perform because their scholarship isn’t guaranteed for 4 years. Athletic scholarships must be renewed each year and that's at the coach's discretion. The pressure to maintain athletic scholarships can distract stressed students from what should be their main goal—earning a college degree.