Rachel Scott knew back in middle school that she wanted to play softball for a top team in college and get a scholarship to do so. So as an eighth-grader, she drew up a list of universities whose teams she admired and started emailing the coaches.
“I’d say, ‘My name is Rachel Scott. I’ve attached my resume, and I’m playing at this tournament near you,'” Scott says. “I did that through 10th grade.”
Whether or not anyone ever showed up to watch her, Scott definitely got noticed. After her junior year playing for Plano East Senior High School in Texas, her coach started hearing from colleges she had targeted. She settled on the University of Texas–Austin, where she earned a partial sports scholarship to play for the Longhorns, a Division I team.
[Check out these scholarships for student-athletes.]
Scott, who earned her bachelor’s in business in 2015 and stayed on to get a master’s in advertising, supplemented the award with a handful of other financial awards, including academic scholarships from the university and from her hometown church.
The competition for athletic scholarships can be as fierce as any encountered on the playing field, so winning a grant requires starting early. The probability of high school athletes competing on an NCAA Division I or II team ranges from 1 percent to 5 percent for men and 1 percent to 9 percent for women depending on the sport, according to the NCAA. The probability of making a Division III team is higher, but those teams don’t offer athletic scholarships.
The 250-plus colleges and universities that participate in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics also offer some $500 million in scholarships. The NAIA has added a variety of scholarship-eligible sports to the usual roster in recent years, including competitive cheer and lacrosse.
So what’s the best strategy? While NCAA coaches are not allowed to start recruiting high school students until the summer after junior year, they are certainly paying attention earlier. Coaches attend high school tournaments, check out player stats online, and start making lists of potential future recruits. So it’s important to get on the radar.
[Read four tips before you pursue athletic scholarships.]
Make sure any email you send is tailored to the school and coach, advises Julianne Soviero, who played Division I softball and is now a sports consultant and author of “Empowered Recruiting: A Student-Athlete’s College Selection Guide.”
You could say “something like ‘Congratulations on your recent win against UCLA. I was particularly excited to see Hofstra beat such a highly ranked school and advance in the playoffs.'” After that, she says, you should list your recent athletic accomplishments and academic achievements.
Don’t be afraid to brag about your grades and SAT scores. “We want to make sure our prospective student athletes are able to do well in college and that they have the foundation to succeed and to graduate,” says David Schnase, vice president of academic and membership affairs for the NCAA.
Towards that end, the NCAA has tightened its eligibility rules, mandating as of 2016 that all Division I recruits, for example, maintain a GPA of 2.3 throughout high school — vs. the old standard of 2.0 — and that they complete 10 of 16 required core courses in English, math and science, for example, before the start of senior year.
The rules vary by division. All student athletes are required to maintain certain academic standards in college for their scholarships to renew.
Most athletes don’t get a full ride; the average award ranges from $12,359 to $17,529 per student per year for NCAA players and $12,537 in the NAIA, according to ScholarshipStats.com. But coaches often work with the financial aid office to add to the package.
[Explore tips and resources about paying for college.]
Even if you’re not offered enough at the outset, the coach might entertain an appeal. “If a coach offers $10,000 every year, and Mom and Dad really need $15,000, it’s OK to ask,” says Tiffany Christian, assistant athletic director of compliance at the College of William and Mary, a Division I school. That’s especially true if you have a better offer from another school.
But be honest, advises Christian, who herself played soccer at Washington State University and Boston University. “It’s a small business. Coaches will call each other” to check on reported offers, she says.
Is it smart to post an online resume and video of yourself in action at one of the many sites that offer this service? It’s not a bad idea, says NAIA spokesman Lynn Meredith.
But he recommends including more than just the highlights. “If you’re a football player, coaches want to see how quickly you get to the huddle,” he says. “Put a whole game out there.” The idea is to allow anyone you’d like to impress to see you giving it your all.
This story is excerpted from the U.S. News “Best Colleges 2017” guidebook, which features in-depth articles, rankings and data.
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