How difficult will it be to get an athletic scholarship for college?

Kenneth,

I definitely understand being nervous about trying to earn an athletic scholarship for college. First, according to College Sports Scholarships (https://www.collegesportsscholarships.com/swimming.htm), there are over 460 men’s college swimming programs. There are 134 NCAA DI, 54 NCAA DII, 198 NCAA DIII, 20 NAIA and 56 NJCAA swimming programs across the country. Of which, Men’s swimming programs have a few scholarships available with 9.9 scholarships at the NCAA DI level, 8.1 at the NCAA DII, 8 for NAIA programs and 15 per team at the NJCAA level.

Next, have you researched any colleges? My daughter is doing this now, but for soccer. Although you want to swim and get an athletic scholarship to help pay for school (and this goes for any athletes; softball, football, tennis, golf, volleyball, basketball, etc), there are a few things to consider: you are going to college to get a degree, so choose a college that has your interest. Some colleges may not have the academic program you are interested in. Next, what about the location? Is this close to home or far from home? If it is far, how far is it? Although teenagers want to spread their wings and I am all for it, even with my kids, one Asst. Soccer Coach told us that everyone gets home sick and if you don't miss home - there may be some underlining issues at home. Not only do you need to determine location from home, but do you like the area? If something were to happen; you didn't make the team, you got hurt, you decided not to do it any longer 1+ years later, do you see yourself still liking the city & campus life?

Another key part in choosing the right college if you plan to swim or participate in any sport is to talk with the coach(es). Don't just research the coach, research the team. See if they will need swimmers/athletes for your (graduation) year (ie: 2019, 2020, etc.). Then email, text and call the coach. Tell them about yourself, school, and why you want to attend that college and swim/play for that team. Schedule campus tours and unofficial meetings with the coach(es). When you are there for the campus tour, make sure you drive around the city/county to see if you see yourself going there. Ask the campus liaison questions about the school, etc. Ask the coach questions about practice, meets/games, players, study hall, and specifically for your question if he/she has any athletic scholarships available. I have heard that if you have good grades and can get academic scholarships, then they can stack or don't have to use much with athletic scholarships - allowing more money to go to certain athletes that need help or they'd like to help. Also know that DI may demand more than a DIII coach based on if and when they have an off-season. To graduate with a Bachelor's degree, you need 120 credit hours, which equates to 15 credits per semester (or possibly 5 classes) and to swim or play any sport in NCAA, you must have no less than 12 credits per semester.

Finally, if you are looking for an athletic scholarship, I presume you are trying to not have a lot of student debt when you graduate, so look at the costs including room & board for each college. When participating in sports, most coaches want their athletes to stay on campus for 1+ years and schools require food/cafeteria paid programs. Then determine what your academic program is. For example if a school with room & board costs $50,000 and all of your financial assistance with athletic scholarships leaves you getting a loan for $10,000 per year and you are a teacher - that's $40K in loans. Now if you are going into nursing, criminal justice, etc that earns more than teachers then it will be easier to pay off that much vs. a teacher that is not necessarily paid a lot per year.

I know this is A LOT but wanted you and others to have as much information that I can contribute based on what I've learned as a coach and parent going through this process for my daughter. However if you or anyone have further questions on this, please let me know.

Thank and Good Luck!

Great question Kenneth. I'm sorry no one's answered it yet! I believe that it's not too difficult if you are looking for the right scholarships where you have a high chance of receiving or being selected. This all comes with the ability to have great applications and essays, so I encourage you to practice and dedicate quality time/effort into applying! I thought I'd share a few links to other relevant Q&A on CareerVillage.org that should be super helpful for you to read through in regards to scholarships. I've included tips in the "next steps" section below a list of trustworthy sites you should create accounts on if you haven't already (that has good scholarships!). Here are tips that could help you in your preparation of finding and submitting for scholarships:

1. Dedicate a minimum of 1 hour a day for a few weeks to applying for scholarships and it'll go a long way.
2. Be thoughtful about your entries, just doing the bare minimum isn't going to land you any scholarships. It's better to spend more time on each entry to ensure it's well thought out than to rush through to try to enter a bunch. Quality over quantity!!
3. I recommend writing one STELLAR essay. Chances are you'll use it for every scholarship application (potentially only having to make minor edits dependent on what the prompt is). Tell a story that clearly represents who you are and what's important to you. The goal of the essay should be to let the reader in to your life. If you can do that in a genuine and meaningful way you'll be considered, I promise! A couple of ideas: Write about the hardest thing you've had to go through in your life or what makes you so passionate about something. Be sure to include lessons you've learned and what you hope to do with that knowledge/experience later in life.
4. Spend more time finding scholarships that directly pertain to YOU so it cuts down the competition. Look for scholarships in your local community, or that are just for young women, for example. Know what career path you want to pursue? There are probably dozens of scholarship opportunities that are only for students aspiring to follow a specific career path (e.g. STEM, entertainment, sports, design, etc. etc.)

Relevant Q&A on CareerVillage.org you should read:

What financial support can I find to help me pay for college?

How to stand out when applying for scholarships?

What are the chances of winning scholarships?