Myths and Facts of College Athletics

Maybe you're not Michael Jordan. Still, don't give up until you know the facts about getting and keeping an athletic scholarship.

• Some people think that in order to get an athletic scholarship for college, you have to be an all-star athlete in a major sport like football, basketball or baseball. But actually, there are scholarships for athletes who are good (not necessarily superstars) and who play sports like lacrosse, badminton, rowing, archery and volleyball. To make it happen, you need to plan ahead, research your options and pursue those scholarship dollars.
• Getting an athletic scholarship doesn't mean you'll cruise until you graduate. Athletic scholarships are awarded for one academic year at a time. While there are no guaranteed four-year athletic scholarships in NCAA Division I or II, one-year scholarships can be renewed annually for a maximum of five years within a six-year period.
• Don't think that if you're good enough to play in college, the colleges will contact you. There are 568,500 high school seniors playing football, men's basketball and women's basketball. Across those three sports there are roughly 24,800 positions available for college freshmen. So if you want to be eligible for an athletic scholarship, you have to show recruiters that you're the player they've been looking for.