Myths In Recruiting
The search for a college athletic scholarship can be confusing and overwhelming. It’s hard to find reliable information about scholarships and even harder to determine the right approach for you. Here are 3 common scholarship myths and a few helpful thoughts.
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Myth 1: Most college athletes receive full athletic scholarships.
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Reality: Full scholarships are few and far between, especially outside of headcount sports such as, football or basketball. Many schools don’t even allot as many athletic scholarships as the NCAA allows. Most Division I programs award very few full scholarships. Rather than give the entire scholarship to a few players, most programs break the total amount into smaller scholarships to distribute the money to many players. The situation in Division II and the NAIA schools is similar, except the dollar amount is less. Division III schools offer no athletic scholarships in any sport including men's and women's soccer.
Myth 2: Recruited soccer athletes are receiving near free educations.
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Reality: The average recipient of a soccer scholarship saves $5,090.50 annually. Compare that to an average annual price tag of $31,231 at a private college, $22,958 at a public four-year college (out of state) and $10,132 at a public four-year college, you begin to get a better picture! Athletic scholarships are also one-year renewable items. The fact is, you are not guaranteed an athletic scholarship from year to year. One injury can end your collegiate career and scholarship, leaving you with the decision to either pay for college without athletic financial aid or transfer to another school.
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*Average tuitions and fees for 2014-2015 school year, according to the College Board.
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Myth 3: I shouldn’t go to a Division III school if I need scholarship money.
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Reality: Many schools, including Division III colleges, offer attractive financial aid programs.
Don’t overlook a school just because the scholarship money is not designated as “athletic.” In many instances, the total financial package a school is willing to offer may be higher than you would receive at a college that has offered you an athletic scholarship. This may also be true with private schools, so make sure you do your homework before writing off a particular college.
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