Understanding
Equestrian Scholarships
If you love horses and want to go to college, don’t let your passion go unfulfilled. You can use your equestrian skills to land access to some of the best academic universities in the country.
The equestrian sports industry is booming, with many universities offering scholarships to top riders. If you’re looking for an equestrian university team, it helps to know which programs offer your equestrian class: hunter seat (including flat and fences), western, eventing, and dressage, as well as statistics about each school’s equitation class and team size.
If you see yourself as part of a college equestrian team, contact our team and get more information about your opportunities.
OUR
SCHOLARSHIP
SERVICE
Athlete+ Scholarship Consulting is a service tailored for international Student-athletes who are seeking the best possible academic and athletic opportunities in the USA.
EQUESTRIAN LEVELS
HIGH SCHOOLS
If you’re looking for a way to fund your education, a high school equestrian scholarship might be the answer. There are several different types of athletic scholarships, and they come from different sources. Athletic scholarships are typically awarded to players who have a strong record of achievement on the court and also have good grades. If you’re interested in pursuing a college degree and equestrian career in college, then it’s important that you consider all of your options carefully before making any decisions about what kind of scholarship is right for you.
JUNIOR COLLEGE
Junior college is not as simple when it comes to equestrian scholarships. First, there are three divisions within the NJCAA and only Division 1 and 2 can offer athletic scholarships to track players while only Division 1 is allowed to offer a full ride. NJCAA Division 2 is allowed to cover tuition, fees, books and housing but not transportation costs. In addition to an athletic scholarship, both divisions will often pay for an athlete’s transportation costs by direct route once per year.
COLLEGE EQUESTRIAN
COMPETING AT HIGH LEVELS
TThe NCAA limits equestrian scholarships to 15 per college or university that operates programs according to the NCAA Emerging Sport of Equestrian Women’s protocols. Eligibility requirements vary across individual schools, so interested applicants are encouraged to contact individual programs for the most current information. As an NCAA Equivalency Sport, equestrian programs are allowed to divide scholarship dollars among greater numbers of players. NCAA Division 3 programs can’t offer athletic scholarships but college coaches tend to work with the admissions department to create appealing financial aid packages made up of merit-based scholarships, need-based aid and grants. It’s important for student-athletes to understand the financial aid opportunities at each division level and be proactive in their recruiting so they can get evaluated early on.
YOU CAN GET TO YOUR DESTINATIONBY FOLLOWING THESE 10 STEPS
6
Student-athlete
promotion
7
Gathering &
presenting offers
8
Making a
decision
9
Admission process &
Visa procedures
10
Flying out to
your Dream School
ACADEMIC
REQUIREMENTS
If you are a student-athlete and are interested in attending a 4 year college, you will need to meet the same academic requirements as any other admitted student. The following information is provided to help guide you through the process of applying for admission as a student athlete.
HIGH SCHOOL GPA
When you are applying for college admission, your GPA is one of the most important factors that admissions officers consider. But if you’re a student athlete, there are lots of other factors that matter too. Different schools require different GPAs. In addition to having a good GPA, some schools may also ask you to write an essay about your athletic experience and why it’s important for you.
SAT / TOEFL
As an international athlete, you’ll want to make sure that you take the right standardized tests. 4 year institutions require certain SAT or ACT scores while your TOEFL requirements will depend on a school and your US high school / prep / junior college experience. Before you take the test, check out the minimum score needed for the universities you’re hoping to be recruited to. If your score isn’t quite there yet, don’t worry! It’s never too late to take another test and improve your score.
ELIGIBILITY CENTER
As part of the academic certification process for both NCAA and NAIA, all prospective student-athletes must submit their academic information to organzation’s eligibility center. Academic records include documents such as transcripts, yearly grade reports, mark sheets or official exam results. If English is not the primary language of instruction at the school you attended, you must submit complete, line-by-line certified English translations for all your documents in the same format as the native language documents.
NCAA PROOF
OF AMATEURISM
Initial-eligibility standards help ensure you are prepared to succeed in college. The eligibility process also protects the fairness and integrity of college sports by ensuring student-athletes are amateurs.
If you want to practice, compete and receive an athletics scholarship during your first year at a Division I or II school, the NCAA Eligibility Center must certify you as eligible. International college-bound student-athletes planning to enroll at a Division III school must also receive an amateurism-only certification from the Eligibility Center. Throughout the process, Eligibility Center staff members partner with students and their families, as well as high school administrators and coaches, to guide you on your journey.