Understanding
Golf Scholarships
There are more than 1,000 colleges from Division 1 to NAIA that give student-athletes an opportunity to compete at the next level. Even though landing a roster spot is difficult, it’s not impossible. In fact, did you know that the best golf score 20 years ago is now the average score among top NCAA Division 1 players?
The impact of international players has grown steadily over the last few years. Of all current men’s and women’s NCAA Division 1 golfers, almost 25% come from outside of the US. It is also important to remember that there is more than one path to career success. You are not confined to only one division in order to pursue a professional career after college, in fact several PGA Tour players chose routes other than Division 1 to prepare themselves and enjoyed great success in their careers. All whom received golf scholarships.
College golf coaches are looking for athletes who have potential and strong fundamentals. Being a good golfer isn’t enough: you also have to show your potential by playing well and working hard at the game.
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.
LEVELS OF GOLF
HIGH
SCHOOLS
If you’re looking for a way to fund your education, a high school golf scholarship might be the answer. There are several different types of golf 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 playing golf 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.
PREP
ACADEMIES
Post-graduate golf programs afford players a chance to develop as both players and people before heading off to college. Rather than playing at a junior college and giving up a year of NCAA eligibility, these players can hone their skills and mature one more year at a prep school or golf academy. Academies are not associated with a school, but rather focus entirely on the development of players.
COLLEGE &
UNIVERSITIES
Junior college is not as simple when it comes to golf scholarships. First, there are three divisions within the NJCAA and only Division 1 and 2 can offer athletic scholarships to golfers 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 GOLF
PLAYING AT 5 LEVELS
There are two types of soccer scholarships: Headcount and Equivalency. On NCAA Division 1 schools award 6 full ride athletic scholarships to women’s teams and 4.5 scholarships to men’s teams. At NCAA Division 2 female players are awarded with 5.4 scholarships per team while male teams can award up to 3.6 scholarships. NAIA programs, offer 5 scholarships for each team no matter what gender. 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
SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
WOMEN’S GOLF
NCAA
Division 1
238 Teams
NCAA
Division 2
135 Teams
NCAA
Division 3
166 Teams
NAIA
123 Teams
NJCAA
113 Teams
MEN’S GOLF
NCAA
Division 1
294 Teams
NCAA
Division 2
200 Teams
NCAA
Division 3
277 Teams
NAIA
175 Teams
NJCAA
241 Teams
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.