When a high school athlete thinks of being recruited, the first thought most usually have is, “I get a full-ride to college!” However, more times than not, high schoolers who are recruited to play their sport in college are not recruited on a “full-ride,” if on a scholarship, at all. Broadly speaking, there are two main types of athletic scholarships: full and partial rides.
A Full Ride
When a person hears of an athlete playing a sport at the college level, they likely think they are going to college for free. With this type of scholarship, that mantra holds true–college athletes who earn a full scholarship are able to partake in an all-expenses paid college career. From housing and tuition costs to textbooks, these expenses are accounted for and declared paid, usually by the college that has recruited the athlete. But these scholarships are very rare, so don't expect to be handed one during your recruiting process.
Related: Athletic Scholarships by Division
A Partial Ride
Some divisions and colleges offer partial scholarships. A partial scholarship consists of partial expenses being paid, like a percentage of tuition costs. Equivalency sports are usually the type of sports that offer partial scholarships, opposed to head count sports that offer full scholarships. Football, men's and women's basketball, women's tennis, women's gymnastics, and women's volleyball (all at the NCAA DI level) are headcount sports, whereas all other sports are equivalency sports (except for NCAA DIII sports). NCAA DIII schools do not offer partial scholarships but often put together packages for their athletes that are similar to a partial scholarship offer, where athletes get tuition, meals, housing , OR books paid for, but typically not all of these things.
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But Wait, There's More!
Additionally, scholarships are usually renewed every year, meaning that an athlete must maintain their health and performances to continue earning their funding year after year. Moreover, with improvement of skill and abilities on the field, court, etc. partial scholarship earners may be granted more money each year and athletes who did not have a scholarship one year may be granted one for the next. Coaching changes can also affect scholarships year-to-year, so it is important to study the coaching staff before committing to a school and becoming a possible earner of a scholarship. Elements outside of your control, like athletic budget cuts, can also impact scholarships. It is important to apply for academic aid through your school, as well, in case your scholarship is impacted negatively in any way. Plus, academic aid can not be revoked as easily.
Related: Understanding Athletic Scholarships
Even though most athletes think when they are first recruited that they will be attending college for free, that is usually not the case, but various scholarship opportunities provide athletes with some of the resources to attend college. While college may be costless for a number of college athletes, others, even sometimes on the same team, may be required to pay all of the required expenses to attend college and play their respective sport. Scholarships are a privilege that can easily be taken away, so they should be taken very seriously.
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* Originally published on August 11, 2022, by Caleb Myers