Can My Child Get an Athletic Scholarship?
There are 774 collegiate football programs. There are over 800 collegiate basketball programs. Over 400 college baseball programs and over 1600 college softball programs.
There are plenty of chances to play in college, but what are the chances of your rising student athlete getting a full ride to play for one of these programs? Here at Bodies by Mahmood, we specialize in helping Central Florida student athletes play in college. Between Division I, II and III and between NCAA and NAIA schools, there is most likely a program that your child can be competitive in.
And while playing in college is one goal, gaining scholarship money is an entirely different thing. Yes, there is money for sure. But, the chances of your child getting a "full ride" are slim. Why? It's a numbers game.
1. There are a lot of athletes but not a lot of athletic scholarships.
More than 1 million boys play high school football, but there are only about 19,500 football scholarships. Nearly 603,000 girls compete in track and field in high school, but they're competing for around 4,500 collegiate scholarships.
2. The money is limited.
The average value of an athletic scholarship is about $10,400. Only four sports offer full rides to all athletes who receive scholarships: football, men's and women's basketball, and women's volleyball.
Excluding the "money sports" of football and basketball, the average NCAA scholarship is around $8,707. Dropping even further for sports like baseball or track and field, the number is often as low as $2,000. When tuition and room and board for college often costs between $20,000 and $50,000 a year, that scholarship money doesn't go far.
3. Scholarships are often divided.
Since the NCAA limits how many athletic scholarships each sport can offer in Division I and Division II, coaches often split up these awards. For instance, a Division I soccer coach is allowed up to 10 scholarships, but he or she can dole out this money into smaller scholarships stipends to lure more athletes to their campuses.
The New York Times recently gave a breakdown of what college scholarships often look like:
4. Help can come in from other sources.
Fortunately, college coaches are not just limited to athletic grants-in-aid. Many coaches routinely look for help from other funds, such as scholarships for grades, merit-based awards, and other scholarships that the general student body has access to. This is why, in addition to training your child to be ready athletically for college, we also emphasize the whole student -- get your grades up and be involved as a student leader doing plenty of activities and volunteer work.
So, to answer the original question: Can my child get an athletic scholarship? Yes, he or she can, but it may not be quite what you are expecting.
Are You Ready to Play?
Does your student athlete want to compete on the college level? Do you want to increase their chances of receiving scholarship money? Make a consultation with Mahmood to get begin working on achieving this collegiate dream. Fill out the form below to get started.