The scholarship size depends on the current soccer and academic standard. The better grades the student athlete has, the more quality a coach will see in them as a player, and the bigger the scholarship can be. Other factors are the position the student athlete plays and how much a coach wants to spend for a new player. The scholarships vary from university to university. We will try to help you find the best scholarship possible regarding your priorities.
FAQ’s
Parents
When does my son/daughter come back for vacation?
Every university has different vacation dates, and they vary from year to year. At a typical US college, a student will have the following breaks:
Summer break: Beginning May until beginning of August.
Winter break: Beginning December until mid-January
Also, student athletes will have on week off during spring break in the spring and one week off for Thanksgiving break in the fall.
What if my son/daughter does not like the institution?
If a student athlete does not like the college/university, they always have the option to return back to their home country. The contract is only binding for the university. Before the athlete starts his adventure in the US, we try to ensure there is a really good understanding of the environment/lifestyle and that the student athlete has had enough contact with his future coach. Also, every athlete has the opportunity to transfer from the institution after one year and continue his studies and soccer program at another institution.
What if my son/daughter gets injured?
If your son/daughter should get injured, US colleges and universities have the facilities and the infrastructure to properly treat your son/daughter. With your home insurance or with the American insurance, which is obligated at a US college, your son/daughter has the right to be treated properly.
Are student athletes drug-tested?
The NCAA/NAIA and some institutions drug-test their athletes on a regular basis. It is usual for teams to have between 10 and 15 drug tests in a calendar year
What are my son’s/daughter’s obligations?
Every student athlete is obligated to visit the school and attend practice and competitions. The student athlete will be representing their school, and in return they will obtain a sports scholarship from the school.
Why do universities give sports scholarships?
The US universities and colleges have a different schooling system than the rest of the world. Universities and colleges in the USA can be compared with small cities, and each school has its own school sport teams. Those sport teams compete with other teams to find out who is the best in each sport. Each university has scholarships available to finance a student athlete and in return, he will represent the school in competitions.
What can my son/daughter study at a US college?
The scholarship will help cover costs at a US college. Every university has different fields of study. That means, if you would like to study marketing and business, the university you would like to play for must have this field of study in their academic study portfolio. Most universities cover many fields of study, and you should not have any problems finding the right school, both soccer- and academic-wise.
Where does my son/daughter live?
Every student athlete will be a resident on the university campus. The rooms can either be single, double or triple. It is also common for there to be buildings that only house campus athletes only. If a student athlete would like to live off campus and not on campus, this will need to be discussed with the coach
Where and does my son/daughter get food?
Every college or university has many possibilities for obtaining food on campus. Most likely, your son/daughter will get a meal card for up to 3 meals a day. Every university handles their meal plan differently, and it can be part of the scholarship.
Is it possible for my son/daughter to lose their scholarship?
A scholarship will not be taken away immediately due to bad performance or injury. There might be a decrease of the scholarship if the athlete’s performance is not what the coaches were expecting. Although, if the athlete performs better than expected, the student may receive an increase in the scholarship. Losing a scholarship can happen if a student athlete gets caught cheating on tests or abuses alcohol or drugs on campus.
What time period is the soccer scholarship valid?
A soccer scholarship is a contract for one year. Normally, the contract is extended each year. A coach can increase the scholarship during that time or decrease it if the performance is not as expected.
Financials
How much does a soccer scholarship cover?
An athletic scholarship may not necessarily cover all the costs of attending a university. It is quite common for coaches to award partial scholarships and to spread their budget across more players. This means that a student athlete may receive an offer ranging from 20% to 90% of the costs. Although requirements and expectations are extremely high, it is also possible to obtain a “full-ride,” which is a scholarship that fully covers the cost of tuition, room, and board. Thus, it is important to understand how the costs are accumulated and which other costs might need to be covered.
What are the costs that we will be facing?
College Scouting focuses on informing its athletes on all occurring costs that can arise while studying in the United States. To this extent, we provide our clients with the option of engaging between two different payment plans that are sent in a separate document to the potential College Scouting athletes. Furthermore, we want to show you some expenses that will arise before and during your stay in the United States.
Items that can be covered by a soccer scholarship:
- Tuition and Fees
- Housing
- Food & Meal
- Books
- Health Insurance
Items that are NOT covered by a soccer scholarship:
- Flights
- Leisure Time/Weekend Trips/Restaurants
- Application Costs
What are the earning opportunities?
Soccer Scholarship
The biggest and easiest way to reduce the cost of college is with a soccer scholarship. This scholarship will cover 50 – 100% of the university’s tuition and fees, and room and board costs.
Academic Scholarship
Next to a soccer scholarship, universities give their students the opportunity to get other scholarships. Those scholarships are awarded from the university or from private persons who want to support students. Information towards those scholarships is given out from the financial office or from the admissions office at each school.
Jobs on Campus
International students with an F1 student visa have to follow certain regulations. One of those regulations allows a student to work 20h on campus a week. This can be a good opportunity to make some extra money. However, College Scouting recommends players do not neglect their responsibilities as a student and soccer player.
Financial Aid
Every school has its own financial aid department, which has the purpose of helping students with difficult financial backgrounds. The cost of university varies from state to state.
NCAA & NAIA
What is the NCAA?
The NCAA is divided into three sub-divisions: NCAA I, NCAA II, and NCAA II. While division I and II universities provide athletic scholarships, division III only provides academic scholarships.
The NCAA D1 is home to all the bigger universities and colleges. That means D1 comprises universities with more than 10,000 students. Next to the university’s size, the athletic level is also very competitive.
What is the NAIA?
Compared to the NCAA, the NAIA comprises smaller institutions all over the US. Another big difference to the NCAA is that the NAIA has more full scholarships available to spread under the athletes. That means that most universities have the chance to get more international students by providing higher scholarship values.
The NAIA has its own Clearinghouse, comprising the same structured regulations as the NCAA. Since every player has a different case and background, it is up to College Scouting and the client to discuss which division is the most suitable for the player.
What is a junior college?
Besides the NCAA/NAIA, there is also the possibility to play for a junior college, which is a 2-year institution. Junior colleges provide athletes or students who were not accepted at NCAA or NAIA institutions due to their academics with the possibility to bridge their first 2 years of college and then transfer to another university.
MLS
Is MLS a possible goal for me?
Despite offering the opportunity to get superior education at the most prestigious universities while playing soccer on a high and professional level, collegiate soccer provides athletes with the opportunity to follow their dream of becoming a professional soccer player after their college career. In fact, the MLS engages in a draft every year that allows the teams to pick the best college soccer players. Every player can apply to the MLS drafts. The past has shown that there have been many international players already drafted by the top teams in the US. Although, it is hard to get drafted and to find a spot in an MLS team. There are few players who have made it to the MLS.
