Scholarship Qualifications

Scholarship Qualifications

Getting a scholarship to play NCAA soccer is not exactly a walk in the park. (It's more like a mile sprint while dribbling a soccer ball, avoiding defenders, and ending with a bicycle-kick that results in an epic game-winning goal.) There are about 27–28 players on an average NCAA roster, and only 14 scholarships are awarded for Div-I women's teams, while 9.9 are given to Div-I men's teams. For Division II, there are 9.9 scholarships for women and 9 for men. There are no scholarships for Division III (source).

This doesn't necessarily mean that only half or less than half of the team members receive scholarship money—soccer is an equivalency sport, so partial scholarships are possible. What it does mean is that an NCAA Division-I school could award 21 women soccer players a two-thirds scholarship and still meet the limit of 14 per team (source). That means that if you meet the following qualifications, you've got a shot at scholarship money.

For men's and women's soccer at the D-II level, you'll need ODP experience, All-State, All-League/District, two or three years as a varsity starter, a lot of club team experience, and participation in tournaments and showcases. For Division I, you'll need to up your game and include All-American and three to four years as a varsity starter (source).