Athletic scholarships are an incredible way for young athletes to finance their education while competing at a collegiate level. The level of scholarship granted can vary from 0-100%. A ‘full ride’ scholarship (100%) covers the costs of tuition, fees, board and textbooks.

Scholarships are offered to student athletes who can evidence they can perform at the highest level. Your scholarship is dependent on may factors, including your ability, academic results, playing history and match highlights as well as the college and coaches budget for the season.

U.S college soccer scholarships are an extremely popular option for many talented student athletes around the world. The competition is higher now than ever, in order to secure a scholarship, you need to showcase your talent and ability. Using a recruitment consultancy like NextUp will increase your chances of obtaining the best scholarship possible.

Typically, soccer scholarships are reviewed each year which is why you need to stay on your best form all year round.

Scholarships are available at the NCAA Division I and Division II levels, as well as at NAIA schools and junior colleges in the USA. The number of scholarships available are dependent on how many scholarships the coach has committed, if they are a fully funded program and how and where they like to use their scholarship money.

Athletic scholarships for D1 soccer are the most difficult to secure, as the level of performance and academics is extremely high. Due to budget limits some D1 soccer programs might have less scholarships available.

D2 schools can and do offer full-ride scholarships. However, because soccer is said to produce less revenue than other sports, schools are not required to give out ‘full rides.’ D2 schools have a max of nine scholarships per team, they can offer nine full-ride scholarships or choose to divide up the scholarships among the roster, which is an average of 31 players. It’s the coach’s choice how much money each athlete on the team receives.

While D3 schools don’t offer athletic scholarships, most D3 athletes do receive other forms of financial aid, meaning athletic scholarships aren’t the only option to pay for college. Those who have good grades have a good chance at qualifying for an academic scholarship. Merit-based scholarships might be available for some Student-athletes who have been involved in extracurricular activities and their community. Families can apply for need-based financial aid, dependent on factors like household income.

NAIA schools offer a similar scholarship program to D2 schools, and they can offer a maximum of 12 scholarships. They choose to offer 12 full-ride scholarships or choose to divide up the scholarships among the roster, which is an average of 30 players. It’s the coach’s choice how much money each athlete on the team receives. NAIA coaches can contact student-athletes anytime during high school making the system to securing a scholarship a little it easier.

Junior colleges have an average roster size of 19 players and a maximum of 18 scholarships allocated per team, they offer a very good chance of securing a full-ride scholarship. Junior colleges are often a route student-athletes take who are looking to transfer between schools or move up into a higher division while saving money on tuition fees.