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Tips for Winning an Athletic Scholarship


When you have a natural talent for a sport, it can open doors to advanced education in the form of winning an athletic scholarship to a university. Playing a game or engaging in an individual pursuit like track and field is not enough on its own to get you free money for college. Also, you must realize that only one to two percent of athletes get a full-ride athletic scholarship. These tips will help you leverage your physical ability and knowledge of the specific sport into opportunities that other people may not have.

1 – Start Early With an Athletic Scholarship Plan

It is impossible to get to your senior year of high school and then think about getting an athletic scholarship. By then, you will not have enough time left to fulfill all qualifications and impress scholarship committees and recruiters enough. If you show talent in any particular sport, work hard at it for all four years of high school so you can excel and impress people. Get involved in school-related and extracurricular sports. Attend sport camps and special training sessions.

2 – Check and Meet Eligibility Requirements

In order to get an NCAA scholarship or most private scholarships from individual schools, you need to work hard in your classes as much as on the field. Throughout your high school career, check to make sure you take all the necessary classes and get a high enough GPA. In many cases, you also need a high enough SAT or ACT score to qualify.

3 – Contact Coaches at Target Colleges

Unless you are one of the elite in high school sports, college coaches will not even notice you unless you make some sort of introduction. They have unique rules about how often or soon they can contact you themselves, but you can do so earlier if you want to get attention. Send them an email or make a phone call to their office with your statistics and contact information.

4 – Market Yourself as an Up and Coming Sports Star

This does not mean you need to become an Instagram model or social media influencer focused on your sport or event. You do need to offer evidence that you have the skills that colleges and universities are looking for. Have someone with a steady hand take videos of you competing or practicing and post them on YouTube. This gives you a simple link to share with the coaches you contact. Do not make long films because they will not sit down and watch four hours to decide if you are worth college money. Stick to approximately ten minutes.

While winning a full-ride scholarship to any college is a rare thing, it may be possible to get some money to help you advance your college career. By following these tips above, you increase your chances of getting attention from coaches and getting offers during your high school days.