How Many Athletic Scholarships Are There?
NCAA scholarship limits are a key consideration when looking at Division I colleges. NAIA Scholarships are a different matter. In a given year, a Division I college team is allowed a relatively small number of scholarships. For women’s soccer, for example, it’s currently fourteen. The coach can divide these scholarships among as many players as she wishes. So fourteen players may get full sports scholarships, or 28 players might get half scholarships. Coaches tend to choose the latter course, dividing scholarships among a number of players. As mentioned before, a college may offer athletic scholarships, but not fully fund the NCAA/NAIA allowance. So there are Division I women’s teams out there that only have, say, eight athletic scholarships. When you factor in the 30-person roster of a college team, the outlook for a full scholarship for the average player is rather bleak.
