How to get a Women's Soccer Scholarship in the USA

If you want a women’s soccer scholarship in America, it is up to you to take the initiative.   Even if you are soccer superstar, you can’t just sit back and expect American college coaches to find you and offer you a full scholarship.

Here are some of the ways you can go about getting a soccer scholarship in the USA:

Attend a Soccer Scholarship Trial - get an idea of your playing level, eligibility for playing at an American college, and the likelihood of you being successful.  Trials are held across the United Kingdom and are run by various organisations.  Players of all levels can attend and there will be presentations on 'Studying in the USA' available to participating players, parents and guardians. You can learn more about upcoming trials in your area here.

1. Contact Coaches Directly - this is completely free but requires your time, patience, and perseverance.  You are required to research the various colleges, degrees and soccer programs in the USA that you have an interest in, then identify who the college coach is and his or her email address.  Then, provide them with a Sporting & Academic CV, your highlight footage, exam results, and note describing yourself and why you have an interest in attending their university. 
   
   Although free, the process is not easy as there are hundreds of thousands of soccer prospects contacting coaches each year, in addition to several legislative and administrative hurdles to get over.  However, with plenty of patience and a bit of luck, it is possible to secure a soccer scholarship without the help of an expert or service provider.
   
   
2. Use a Sports Scholarship Agency - If you are serious about getting a soccer scholarship in the USA, then this is the best way to go. Sport scholarship agencies evaluate players. If they believe the player has a good chance of getting a scholarship at an American college or university, they will offer their services (for a fee). They will then get to work on creating a professional highlight video and help you with your academic profile, SAT test prep, & CV.
   
   
3. Sports Scholarship Agencies are the best way to get a soccer scholarship in the USA because college coaches rely on these third-party evaluations to help weed out unqualified players and find the best talent. A good soccer recruiting agency will not only understand the complex recruitment and scholarship application process but will know the details of the many soccer programs in the USA and which ones are right for you. They can also help with SAT prep, visas, and other aspects of getting a soccer scholarship in America. And, when you do get a soccer scholarship offer, the best scholarship agencies will negotiate provide pastoral support during your four years in America.

Securing a women's soccer scholarship is an incredible opportunity for a student-athlete to finance their education while continuing to play the sport they love. College soccer scholarships are given to elite athletes who have demonstrated that they have the potential to compete at the highest level, and they can cover a big part-or all-of a student-athlete's tuition. However, most scholarships are one-year agreements that must be renewed each year, and for NCAA universities, a scholarship offer does not become official until a student-athlete signs the National Letter of Intent (NLI).

NUMBER OF WOMEN’S SOCCER SCHOLARSHIPS BY DIVISION

In 2019, approximately 1,571 colleges sponsored women’s soccer teams. Here’s how the numbers look for the major division levels:

ARE SOCCER SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE FOR WOMEN?

Yes! There are athletic scholarships available for women's soccer at the NCAA DI and DII levels, as well as at NAIA schools and junior colleges.

AVERAGE WOMEN'S COLLEGE SOCCER SCHOLARSHIP AMOUNT

Many families ask how much the average women's college soccer scholarship is. Unfortunately, that's difficult to pinpoint. Women's soccer is an equivalency sport, meaning that coaches are not required to give out full scholarships to their athletes and can instead break them up however they want. So, for a D1 team with 28 roster spots, a coach could give out 14 full-ride scholarships, or 28 scholarships that cover half the tuition.

Additionally, the cost of tuition at each college and university is going to vary. An in-state student at a public university could pay close to $10,000 a year, while an out-of-state student at a private university could pay $60,000 a year. Trying to find an average women's college scholarship amount doesn't account for those differences in tuition. Furthermore, not all athletes receive scholarships all four years of their college women's soccer career. Instead of trying to determine what the average scholarship amount is, we recommend families first figure out how much they are willing to pay for four years of college. Then, while going through the recruiting process, student-athletes can compare offers based on their family's expected contribution-the amount they will pay out of pocket after factoring in all scholarship dollars.

 WHAT ARE MY CHANCES OF PLAYING WOMEN'S SOCCER IN COLLEGE AND GETTING A SCHOLARSHIP?

Only the top athletes make it to the level of playing women's soccer in college. During the 2016-2017 school year, there were about 388,339 high school women's soccer players and about 38,873 college women's soccer players. Of these college players, 1,155 were international recruits. This means that about 9.7% of U.S. high school women's soccer players ended up competing in college across the Division 1, Division 2, Division 3, NAIA and junior college levels. Only about 2.3% of high school women's soccer players went on to compete at the NCAA Division 1 level.

HOW MANY SCHOLARSHIPS DO DI WOMEN'S SOCCER TEAMS GIVE OUT?

DI women's programs can give out a maximum of 14 soccer scholarships a year. These can be a mix of full-ride scholarships and partial scholarships. Bear in mind that 14 represents the maximum number of scholarships, but some DI women's soccer programs might have a smaller number of scholarships available due to budget limits.

CAN DII UNIVERSITIES OFFER FULL-RIDE SOCCER SCHOLARSHIPS?

Yes, DII schools can offer full-ride soccer scholarships. However, because women's soccer is deemed an equivalency sport by the NCAA, colleges are not required to give out full rides. It's up to the coach to determine how much money they want to give to each athlete on the team.

CAN NCAA DIII ATHLETES GET COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIPS?

While DIII colleges don't offer athletic scholarships, most DIII athletes do receive other forms of financial aid. Student-athletes interested in competing at a DIII school shouldn't let the lack of soccer scholarships deter them. For those who have good grades and test scores, there's a good chance they'll qualify for an academic scholarship. Student-athletes who have been involved in extracurricular activities and their community may be able to find a merit-based scholarship. Families can also take advantage of need-based financial aid, which is awarded based on factors like household income.

The bottom line is that soccer scholarships aren't the only way to pay for college. There are many other forms of scholarships out there, and if a DIII program wants someone on their team, they can be extremely helpful in finding scholarship money from other sources.