Do Grades Matter For Sports Scholarships?
If you want to play sports in college, you probably know that most players receive a scholarship offer to attend the school. Coaches extend sports scholarships for several reasons, mainly because they think a student-athlete would be an excellent addition to their team because of their athletic skills. So do grades matter for sports scholarships?
Grades don’t technically matter for sports scholarships. Sports scholarships are offered because of your athletics and give you a spot on the coach’s roster. But your chances at receiving a scholarship are much better if you have good grades. Good grades can show the coach that you are well-rounded and coachable, which can make you stand out from other recruits.
As an athlete, your main focus is probably your athletics, especially if you’re targeting competitive sports programs. But earning good grades can boost your opportunities and help you secure a better sports scholarship and other financial aid. Working hard on and off the field is one of the surest ways to get an offer from your dream school.
Why Do Grades Matter For Sports Scholarships?
So, it’s clear that grades do matter, even for sports scholarships. But how exactly do grades impact your ability to receive a sports scholarship?
Eligibility: The NCAA has academic requirements for student-athletes to play college sports. You’ll need a minimum 2.3 GPA, 16 core courses, and a standardized test score that corresponds with your GPA. The NCAA has a sliding scale for SAT and ACT scores, so the higher your GPA is, the lower your test score is required to be.
Impression On The Coach: You want to make the best first impression possible with coaches, and good grades can show them that you’re well-rounded. Coaches will check your SAT and ACT scores, grades and the classes you’ve taken to get a picture of who you are as a student-athlete. As much work as you put into your athletics, you should also focus on your academics to have the best possible chance to play sports in college.
Qualify For Academic Scholarships: If you reach a certain level with your academics, you can qualify for academic scholarships. Coaches often have a set budget’s worth of sports scholarships that they can give out to incoming players. If you receive an academic scholarship, you won’t need to get as much money from the coach through a sports scholarship to cover most of your tuition. Coaches tend to be more inclined to offer scholarships to players that also qualify for academic scholarships because they can get more players for less cost.
Admission To School: Schools usually have higher requirements for admission than the NCAA eligibility requirement. Even if you have above a 2.3 GPA, you aren’t guaranteed to be admitted to any school. For example, most colleges require above a 3.0 GPA to be accepted. Even if you connect with the coach and would be an excellent fit for their team, the coach can’t offer you a sports scholarship.
Keeping up with your academics now will help you develop the habit of balancing your athletics and academics. College is all about time management, so learning to prioritize academics and athletics now can help you transition from high school to college. College classes are often more challenging than high school classes, so doing your best now can set you up for success later on.
What Types Of Scholarships Are Available?
Sports scholarships aren’t the only type of scholarship available. There are academic scholarships, need-based financial aid and other grants offered to students for many reasons. Below are some of the most common types of financial assistance.
Sports: A sports scholarship is a scholarship offer covering a player’s full tuition or part of their tuition. The offer is contingent upon the student-athlete’s playing on the team, and it’s considered an offer for a spot on the coach’s roster. However, if a player quits the team, they will no longer receive the scholarship. Sometimes, schools may not renew a scholarship because the student-athlete’s grades fell, and they are no longer academically eligible.
Academic: Academic scholarships are awarded based on your grades, standardized test scores, courses taken and place in your overall class. They are usually granted for the entire four years and can often be combined with sports scholarships. Division III schools don’t offer sports scholarships because of the less competitive nature of the division. Most Division III student-athletes receive sizable academic scholarships that make tuition affordable for them.
Needs-Based Funding: Needs-based financial aid is given out by the admissions department based on the personal financial data that you provide to the college. This financial aid can take the form of grants, loans or a work-study program.
There are a lot of outside sources beyond the college you want to attend that offer scholarships. Many businesses and nonprofit organizations extend scholarship offers to students who apply and meet specific requirements. Research your parent’s employer and nearby community organizations to see if they offer any scholarships or grants to students.
How To Get A Scholarship
Understanding what kind of scholarships are available is essential and can help you tailor your recruiting efforts to get the best offer from a coach. But because recruiting can be competitive, there are a few things you can do to stand out from other recruits.
Research Schools: Start by researching schools that you would be interested in playing at, focusing on the division, location and competition level that you’re looking for. You should focus on the schools that most closely match your athletic and academic abilities, being realistic in your assessment of your skills. It’s in your best interest to target schools that would be a good fit for you, as you’ll get more responses from the coaches.
Reach Out To Coaches: After you’ve developed a list of schools that you want to target, start emailing and calling the coaches. Depending on when you contact a coach, you may or may not get a response. For Division I and II, college coaches have to wait until after June 15 of your sophomore year or September 1 of your junior year to respond to your emails, depending on your sport. If you are contacting a coach after these dates, be sure to personalize your email to each coach and give a specific reason why you’re interested in the school.
Focus On Academics: Focusing on your academics, especially early on in high school, can help catch a coach’s attention and earn you a better financial aid package. In general, to receive an academic scholarship, you will have to be in the top 10 percent of the class, have at least a 3.0 GPA and be in the top percentile for standardized test scores. Having a strong academic record shows the coach that you’re willing to work hard.
Develop Your Athletic Skills: Continuing to improve your game as you get closer to college is the most obvious way to get a sports scholarship. Honing in on the skills you need to improve or putting in more time at practice will help you reach your goals.
Not every student-athlete gets a full ride to college. You will probably be required to pay for at least some of the tuition and fees. It can be stressful to think about paying for a portion of your education or taking out loans during college, so put in the extra time to earn better grades and reach out to coaches in high school to save some stress.
Things To Keep In Mind
Head-Count Sports: Most student-athletes who receive full rides to college play a head-count sport. These sports are only allowed to give out full scholarships to each athlete. Head-count sports include men’s football and basketball, women’s basketball, tennis, volleyball and gymnastics. All other sports are equivalency sports, and these coaches have a scholarship budget that they can divide however they would like.
Walk-On: If you don’t receive a sports scholarship, there may still be a spot for you on the team. College coaches often have other spots on their roster, but run out of scholarship money. If you’re willing to play for a team without a sports scholarship, you can walk on to the team.