Out of the millions of students who play sports in high school, only several hundred thousand will move on to compete at the collegiate level. Many students play NCAA — or National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics –governed amateur competitive sports at U.S. universities and colleges.
While basketball, football and baseball are popular college sports, especially in Division I, and offer great scholarships for top athletes, less popularized, legitimate sports in the college arena can also earn students similar hefty scholarships.
[Check out more scholarships for student-athletes.]
Sports such as billiards, bowling and surfing may not receive the same attention or have the same large applicant pool as traditional sports, but schools still recruit and award young talent in these sports with scholarships. Even e-sports or video games — which are not yet NCAA-sanctioned, much less will they appear in the Olympics — have picked up fire with schools such as Columbia College in Missouri and Robert Morris University in Illinois, and players are getting paid to play.
Just because the NCAA or NAIA doesn’t sanction a sport doesn’t mean scholarships aren’t available. Smaller nonprofit organizations and sport-specific associations provide funding to deserving student athletes.
Because these sports are less popular than others, parents and students need to research schools that offer these unique sports and contact the schools’ athletic directors for more information on possible scholarships.
[Check out these offbeat sports scholarships that offer college cash.]
Here are some less-traditional sports that award scholarships for unique athletic talent.
Students don’t have to be the next Muhamm a d Ali to apply for the Ira Mitzner Collegiate Boxing Scholarship, which offers $10,000 for passionate boxers pursuing an undergraduate degree. Competitive boxers who are currently enrolled in college and competing for the United States Intercollegiate Boxing Association or high school seniors accepted to college who will compete for the boxing association may apply for the scholarship. The selection committee will also consider applicants’ GPA, commitment to academics and financial need.
Competitive bowlers can strike a solid scholarship like the USBC Chuck Hall Star of Tomorrow, worth $6,000. Male high school seniors or college students who have achieved distinguished performance on the local, regional, state and national levels are welcome to apply, the United States Bowling Congress website states. Applications are due by Dec. 1.
Outstanding male and female collegiate bowlers can compete for The Billy Welu Bowling Scholarship from the Professional Bowlers Association. In addition to strong bowling performance, they must maintain at least a 2.5 GPA. Amateur bowlers must mail their applications by June 15.
Surf’s up and college tuition could be down for young surfers through the ISA Scholarship Program. Surfers under 18 years of age who can demonstrate financial need and are outstanding role models in their community are eligible to apply for the up to $1,000 scholarship. The scholarship can be used towards tuition, books, uniforms, transportation, contests, surfing equipment and more.
[Find college scholarships that reward a variety of hobbies.]
Having good aim could increase a student’s shot at winning a scholarship, especially when it comes to the Civilian Marksmanship Program. This $1,000 scholarship is offered to graduating seniors with a minimum 3.0 GPA who have good moral character and demonstrated rifle or pistol marksmanship competition experience — the deadline is mid-March.
Shooters with an impeccable shooting average of 90 percent or higher can apply for the Academics Integrity Marksmanship Scholarship Program. Applicants can apply for an academic, integrity or marksmanship scholarship, each of which has differing application requirements, including being a current member of AIM or the Amateur Trapshooting Association and shooting a specified number of registered targets. Students with shooting experience can land up to $2,500 in scholarship money for their unusual talent.
From the bowling alley to the boxing ring, talented students in less-than-popular sports can score money to pay for college and continue playing at the collegiate level.
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College Scholarships for Lesser-Known Sports originally appeared on usnews.com
