7 Best Sports Scholarships For International Students In USA

If you were wondering whether there are sports scholarships for international students in USA the answer is Yes and this blog post demystifies the process.

Getting an athletic scholarship in the US is a dream come true for many student-athletes. The United States is the highest provider of sports scholarships in the world and it is sought after both by citizens and students from other parts of the world. It is a highly competitive and selective process as colleges and universities select promising student-athletes into their teams to win scholarships.

College sports is a big deal in the US because it is the second-highest level of competition one can play and many aspiring student-athletes dream of getting into varsity teams. This is because of the numerous opportunities that come with being on an American college varsity team. Aside from financial compensation like scholarships, student-athletes may catch the eye of big teams and go pro after college.

Sports scholarship for international students in USA means that student-athletes from other countries get to study at one of the top institutions in the US and have their education paid for whilst they play the sports they love.

The scholarships are awarded based on excellent academic performance and outstanding athletic performance in their sport. In most cases, the scholarships are renewed each year, and if that is the case you do not have to worry about the cost of tuition for the entire duration of your studies.

Universities and colleges in the US act as the farming ground for student-athletes to transition into professional sports teams. And the scholarships they offer to student-athletes help to train, grow, and support them in their chosen sport. These sports scholarships are also awarded to international students but they can be difficult to find and hard to get because the schools will prefer to settle their scholars first.

Sports scholarships in the US are provided by the NCAA, NAIA, Ivy League, and NJCAA. These are different sports organizations and your preferred school must fall under one of them. The organization which your school falls under is where you will compete and also where scholarships will come from.

Depending on which organization your school belongs to you may get a full-ride, full-tuition, or partly-funded sport scholarship. A full-ride sports scholarship in the US covers tuition, housing, feeding, and living expenses of student-athlete for the entire duration of their studies. Full-tuition sports scholarship in the US covers only tuition for the entire duration of the recipients’ studies. Partly-funded sports scholarship in the US covers part of the tuition for one academic year to help reduce the financial burden.

Receiving a sports scholarship in US comes with numerous perks as well aside from the financial funding. If you are an international student, you can receive a sports scholarship in the US but you have to provide/possess the following:

  • Official transcript from the previously attended institution
  • Student visa
  • Outstanding academic achievement, GPA of 3.0 or higher.
  • Portfolio of your athletic achievement
  • Letter of recommendation from your previous coach and teachers/lecturers
  • Pass standardized tests and meet the required score aggregate

These are some of the basic/general requirements, there could be more and it may vary from school to school.

sports scholarships for international students in USA

List of Sports Scholarships for International Students in USA

The following are sports scholarships in the US awarded to international students:

  • Wake Forest Men’s Soccer Scholarship
  • Alabama Football Scholarship
  • Kentucky Men’s Basketball Scholarship
  • The University of Florida Softball Scholarship
  • Notre Dame Football Scholarship
  • Stanford University Women’s Volleyball Scholarship
  • St. Cloud State Ice Hockey Scholarship

1.     Wake Forest Men’s Soccer Scholarship

This scholarship is one of the best soccer-based scholarships in the US for international and domestic students offering a hefty sum of over $49,000. As you may have already guessed, it is a highly competitive and selective scholarship and even more so for international students.

To be eligible for this award, you must be a high school graduate with an intent to study at Wake Forest University or newly accepted into the institution to pursue a degree program and play soccer with the varsity team.

2.     Alabama Football Scholarship

Football is the most popular sport in the US and also the most played sport both at the professional and collegiate levels. There are numerous scholarships in football in the US, so, if you are considering which sports you should play in the US that has bigger opportunities then you should consider football.

Among all football scholarships in the US, none comes close to the Alabama Football Scholarship offered by the Alabama Crimson Tide’s football organization. The team that this organization hosts competes for national championships, so receiving a scholarship from such an organization would surely bring you more than just financial funding for your education and do a lot of good for your career.

However, this scholarship falls under the NCAA Division I, scholarships, sports teams, and colleges under this division are highly competitive and have a rigorous selection process.

3.     Kentucky Men’s Basketball Scholarship

Kentucky Men’s Basketball Scholarship is one of the sports scholarships for international students in the USA to look out for. If you compete in basketball in high school and want to continue in college then you should consider applying for the Kentucky Men’s Basketball Scholarship to get financial funding that may cover the entire cost of your education in the US.

This is a scholarship that you do not want to miss out on because the basketball program is among the best and most sought-after in the country offering over $20,000 per semester to cover tuition and other necessary expenses. They recruit student-athletes all around the year.

There are only a handful of such scholarships in the US for international students so you already know that is highly competitive.

4.     The University of Florida Softball Scholarship

Here is an opportunity for softball players to get free funding for their education at one of the top-tier universities in the US while they play their favorite sports. To get this scholarship, you must have actively participated in competitions at your high school and have an intent to study at the University of Florida while playing softball on the varsity team.

5.     Notre Dame Football Scholarship

Here is another prestigious football scholarship for international students in the US, it is a full-ride sports scholarship and highly competitive. Joining the varsity team, Notre Dame Fighting Irish is already competitive enough to talk more about getting the full-ride scholarship. You must excel both in sports and academics to qualify for this award.

6.     Stanford University Women’s Volleyball Scholarship

We all know Stanford University as one of the best universities in the world and are often confused as one of the Ivy Leagues, no, it isn’t one. This is an institution that stands at the center of quality academics and sports. Stanford University excels so well in sports that it has won over 130 NCAA team national championships in 20 different sports, the most of any Division I school in the NCAA.

Getting into Stanford as an international student is highly competitive to begin with as you need at least a GPA of 3.5 and even higher to qualify for the varsity team. There are numerous sports scholarships offered at Stanford and among them is the Women’s Volleyball Scholarship which comes with not just financial aid but also prestige as the women’s volleyball ranks in the top division.

7.     St. Cloud State Ice Hockey Scholarship

Last but not least one sports scholarship for international students in the USA is the St. Cloud State Ice Hockey Scholarship. The school, St. Cloud State University, holds the mantle of one of the prestigious hockey schools in the US and is the dream school of every hockey player. To recognize its players, the university offers multiple scholarships annually to hockey players enrolled in the institution.

The hockey scholarships at St. Cloud are not so competitive because an abundance of scholarships is provided yearly and it goes around but it is awarded based on ACT score and overall GPA. So, the higher your score, the higher amount of funding you will get.

Conclusion

To recap, sports scholarship for international students in the USA exists but they may be rare to find especially online which is why you must speak with your coach concerning your decision to get a sports scholarship to study in the US. Sports scholarships in the US are awarded based on excellent grades and outstanding athletic performance, you must excel at both to be considered for any award.

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