What are the chances of getting a tennis scholarship? There are more than 19,000 collegiate tennis players competing across all three NCAA division levels. Of these 19,000+ athletes, less than one percent of U.S. high school tennis players compete for an NCAA Division 1 program. Why is this percentage so small? This, in large part, can be attributed to international recruiting. College tennis has the highest percentage of international athletes competing in an NCAA sponsored sport. In 2017, 34.3 percent of men’s tennis players competing at the NCAA Division 1 level were international athletes.
What does this mean for recruits with their sights set on receiving an athletic scholarship? It means they need to be proactive during the college recruiting process and consistently communicate with coaches if they want to be noticed.
*Scholarships Limit Per Team: This is a maximum limit that the NCAA places on the number of full-ride equivalent scholarships that a team can award. When an NCAA Division 1 and Division 2 tennis program is fully funded, college coaches have a maximum of 4.5 full-ride equivalent scholarships to award. While it is not impossible to receive a full-ride tennis scholarship, these are generally reserved for international athletes. Division 3 and Ivy League schools do not offer athletic scholarships. Instead, recruits can look to academic scholarships for financial funding.
**Equivalency Scholarship: Equivalency scholarships allow college coaches the flexibility to divide up their scholarship budget however they see fit each year. This means fully funded NCAA Division 1 and 2 programs can take the 4.5 full-ride equivalent scholarships and divide the budget to award a partial scholarship to each athlete on the roster. College coaches can also choose to award larger scholarships to fewer roster holders, which would leave some athletes with no financial funding. Programs that aren’t fully funded have fewer than 4.5 equivalency scholarships.
The NCAA D1 Council adopted legislation that eased regulation regarding need-based aid and academic scholarships that are not tied to athletic ability. Starting August 1, 2020, teams in equivalency sports like men’s tennis will not have any athletes’ need- and academic-based aid count against a team’s maximum athletic scholarship limit. Before this rule change, athletes had to meet certain criteria for their additional aid to not be counted against the athletic scholarship limit.
Tennis teams will still have a maximum athletic scholarship cap, but student-athletes can seek to add as much need-based aid and academic scholarships as they can secure. This rule change should allow men’s tennis programs to extend more money to families and athletes that need it—especially at pricier schools with higher tuition.
In 2017, 34.3% of men’s tennis players competing at the NCAA Division 1 level were international athletes. Because collegiate tennis programs heavily recruit internationally, it’s no surprise that some college coaches reserve at least a portion of their scholarships budget for international recruits as an incentive to make the move to the U.S. But the reality is, regardless of whether a recruit is an international or American athlete, college coaches care most about playing level and academic record. College coaches want athletes who can immediately contribute to the team and can balance their athletic career while maintaining a strong academic record.
Want to know how to get a tennis scholarship? The reality is, not every recruit will receive a scholarship, but that doesn’t mean they can’t still make the roster. Below we’ve outlined the four types of offers that college coaches can extend to a recruit.
Fully funded Division 1 men’s college tennis programs have a maximum limit of 4.5 full-ride scholarships per team. To award aid, college coaches divide up their scholarship budget however they feel it is necessary each recruiting season. Tennis programs that are not fully funded are faced with the challenge of dividing up an even smaller scholarship budget across both recruits and current roster holders.
While men’s college tennis scholarships are available at the Division 1 level, international recruits, which made up 34.3% of men’s NCAA Division 1 tennis athletes in 2017, are most likely to receive these top dollar scholarships. Providing financial funding is one of the tools that college coaches use when recruiting international athletes as an incentive to move to the U.S. to continue their education and tennis career. View Division 1 tennis programs
NCAA Division 2 tennis programs are permitted to award a maximum of 4.5 full-ride equivalent scholarships per team. Division 2 tennis programs that are not fully funded face the same funding challenges as those at the Division 1 level, which makes it difficult to provide large Division 2 tennis scholarships to recruits.
NCAA Division 3 tennis programs are unable to offer athletic scholarships. To award recruits with financial funding, these schools award merit-based scholarships to student-athletes that meet the academic standards set in place by the institutions. It is not uncommon for a recruit to receive a Division 3 financial aid package that is larger than the athletic scholarships offered by Division 1 and 2 programs.
NAIA tennis programs can offer up to five full-ride equivalent scholarships per team, which is a slightly larger budget than NCAA Division 1 and 2 programs are given. Funding for tennis programs varies, which means some teams may have fewer than five NAIA tennis scholarships to offer.
Competing at an NJCAA institution provides student-athletes with the best chance of receiving an athletic scholarship. Fully funded NJCAA tennis programs generally have the budget to offer the entire tennis roster with financial funding to cover the cost of attending a junior college. If a recruit is planning to transfer to a four-year NCAA college, they need to keep in mind that the GPA and standardized test score requirement to transfer and tennis scholarships requirements might be stricter.
Division 1 women’s college tennis programs can offer scholarships to a maximum of eight athletes each season. The size of these scholarships is dependent on whether the program is fully funded or not. Fully funded programs will be able to offer full-ride scholarships to each of the eight athletes.
As an equivalency sport, Division 2 women’s tennis programs can award a maximum of six full-ride equivalent scholarships per team. When a program is fully funded, college coaches can award larger scholarship packages and provide more athletes with financial funding. Programs that aren’t fully funded face the challenge of dividing their scholarship budget in a way that benefits as many athletes as they can with an impactful amount of aid.
There are no athletic scholarships to award at the NCAA Division 3 level. Instead, recruits receive financial funding through merit-based scholarships if they meet the academic standards set in place by institutions. In some cases, Division 3 financial aid packages may be larger than the athletic scholarships offered by Division 1 and 2 programs.
The NAIA does not limit the number of scholarships a program can award. However, our experts have found through communication with the NAIA that scholarship opportunities at the NAIA level are similar to the NCAA level. Because funding is not consistent from program to program, each team has a different number of scholarships they can offer.
When an NCAA Division 1 and Division 2 tennis program is fully funded, college coaches have a maximum of 4.5 full-ride equivalent scholarships to award. While it is not impossible to receive a full-ride tennis scholarship, these are generally reserved for international athletes.
Having a high enough GPA or SAT/ACT score is the passport to obtaining an American football scholarship. Achievements on the football field will count for nothing if you do not have the right academic grades. ASM Scholarships team has the ability and the experience to steer you through the qualification process. It is an integral element of our approach to carefully evaluate and fulfill your personal potential by tailoring a college program to improve your grades if necessary.
The American Football season culminates with a series of final games known as the “Bowl Games”, which can best be described as the playoffs for college football. The participants in the Bowl Games are ratified by a select committee, who select the teams based on their record and the strength of their schedule. The four best regular-season teams are invited to take part in the newly formed college football semi-final games. The final of this tournament is the National Championship Game, the winner of which is crowned the NCAA Division 1 National Champion.
You can play D1 tennis for a decent D1 midmajor team if you have an 11.5 UTR, maybe even with an 11. If you want a partial athletic scholarship at a mid major, aim for 11.5-12+. If you want to be recruited by a Power ranked team, 12.5 is a minimum but you really should aim for 13+
Compete well and try to win as many games as possible; this is the best way to improve your UTR. Play Often – The more matches you play, the quicker your UTR will reflect your current form. It is also best to play against opponents who are close to your rating regardless of whether they are above or below you.
As most tennis scholarships are awarded by the student athletes’ intended colleges, they also require minimum GPAs to determine initial eligibility and continued high academic achievement even after you make the team. As the popularity of tennis grows, so does the competition for scholarships.
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