I often encounter families who are banking on athletic scholarships to pay for college. In their mind, they imagine “full rides” resulting in a college diploma. But there are a lot of misconceptions about getting recruited.

Hard Facts About Athletic Recruiting:


• Only 2% of NCAA athletes receive any athletic scholarship money. (NCAA website)

• Of the nearly 8 million students currently participating in high school athletics in the U.S., only about 560,000 will compete at NCAA schools. (NCAA website)

• Division III schools recruit the most for men’s sports; for women’s sports, Divisions II and III are equal percentages. (NCAA website) 

• Division III schools do not offer athletic scholarships.

• 53% of Division I athletes get a scholarship. Coaches are limited in how much they can offer based on each sport. There is a maximum number of scholarships per team. (nfhs.org) 


• The average D1 scholarship is about $18,000/year (scholarshipstats.com)


• D2 average athletic scholarship is between $7,000/year  (scholarshipstats.com)


• NAIA average: $8,000 per year. (scholarshipstats.com)

• D1 athletes represent 6% of the student body, DII 14%, and DIII 21% (nfhs.org) 


• Athletic graduation rates DI= 81%, DII= 71%, DIII= 87% (nfhs.org)



It may surprise people to learn that getting recruited is not easy. Coaches do scout students, but they can’t be everywhere at once; it is a big country, and they often have limited (if any) budgets to travel, not to mention time.

Do not assume being good will be enough to get you noticed.

You may also find some DIII schools are more competitive than DII. Do your homework.

At some D1 schools, certain majors are not allowed. STEM majors that require significant lab time may not be possible due to scheduling conflicts. If you want the freedom to choose your major, ask.

Athletic scholarships are one-year renewable contracts. If an athlete is injured in a given year, the scholarship remains active, but the school may opt not to renew its scholarship for subsequent years. Then you have to figure out how to pay for college on your own.



Coaches are allowed to communicate with players after June 10 of the student’s sophomore year of high school. These are the minimum basics you need to do.

So, How DO You Get Recruited?

1. Research. Where are your times competitive, or where will your strengths fill a need? A school with three keepers may not need a fourth unless two are getting ready to graduate.

2. Create a spreadsheet and contact coaches. Start early. This takes consistency and persistence. Track every communication attempt and outcome. It will probably take four or more emails to get a response.&nbsp.

3. If your sport is not timed, get footage. You will need to create a highlights reel.&nbsp.

For an excellent primer on athletic recruiting, I highly recommend this podcast episode. 


For an excellent primer on athletic recruiting, I highly recommend this podcast episode. 


College questions? Yay! You can reach me at HLMcCordDuncan@gmail.com or SmartCollegeAdmission.com.