Athletic Scholarships: What’s Changing in NCAA Scholarships Rules, and Everything You Need to Know

What is an athletic scholarship for college?

If you’re competing at a high level in high school athletics, you’ve probably already heard a bit about athletic scholarships. Maybe you were told about an older player getting a “full ride” to play college sports, or someone else invited to a program as a “preferred walk-on.” 

The scholarship landscape can be confusing, and important rules around NCAA scholarships changed with the House v NCAA settlement that impacts college sports starting in the 2025-26 school year.

But to put it simply, an athletic scholarship is a form of tuition reimbursement for playing college sports. 

While scholarships for elite athletes at big programs in popular sports may cover all their college expenses, most athletic scholarships pay less than the full cost of tuition, books, and room and board. 

Unlike academic scholarships and financial aid, athletic scholarships are typically one-year aid agreements, contingent on your participation in your sport.

Types of college scholarships for athletes

There are two types of scholarships for college athletes: full-rides and partial scholarships.

In the past, NCAA Division 1 programs in the so-called “head-count” sports – football and basketball for men, basketball, gymnastics, tennis and volleyball for women – could only offer a set number of full-ride scholarships, where coaches in the other sports – known as “equivalency” sports – could divide up scholarship money across their rosters. Under the expected rule changes, all Division 1 sports are equivalency sports, meaning coaches can decide how to distribute scholarship money across their roster. 

Here’s a look at different scholarship statuses, and what the changes could mean for them:

Full-ride

A full-ride athletic scholarship is one where the school covers the cost of your tuition and all related expenses. Though some NCAA Division 2 and NAIA programs occasionally offer athletes a full ride, the overwhelming majority of full-ride student-athletes play D1 NCAA sports. 

Until recently, D1 programs in the head-count sports were limited in how many scholarships they could offer. Moving forward, the NCAA Division 1 sports will have roster limits but remove restrictions on scholarship numbers. Where in the past, power-conference football programs could have 85 scholarship players on rosters of more than 120, they’re now allowed to field 105-player rosters and can offer full rides to every player. That does not mean that every program will do that - it is up to the funding available to each program.

For the former equivalency sports, the rule changes will mean more spots for athletes in a greater variety of sports. College baseball programs, for example, were previously limited to divvying up 11.7 scholarship shares among 35-player rosters. While rosters are expected to be limited to 34, programs with enough financial clout could give full scholarships to all 34 - though it depends on each program’s funding.

Partial Scholarship

Most college athletics scholarships are partial ones, meaning they cover something short of the full cost of college. They vary greatly in size – some might pay for half an athlete’s tuition, others might only pay for their books. 

D1, D2 and NAIA programs all offer partial scholarships. Now, for the first time, all NCAA D1 programs are able to offer partial scholarships, especially at schools without the resources to offer full rides to every player on a big roster. Coaches in the former D1 equivalency sports will likely continue offering partial ride scholarships. Division 3 schools do not offer athletic scholarships of any kind.

An athletic scholarship is not the only way to help pay for college, and many athletes supplement their partial scholarships with financial aid, academic scholarships, federal scholarships and grants.

Walk-on

Any D1, D2 or NAIA athlete who does not receive scholarship money is referred to as a “walk-on.” Though the name may imply that the player made the team through an open tryout, the majority of walk-ons in most sports were recruited in some way. 

The NCAA rule changes likely mean there will be far fewer opportunities for walk-ons at top programs in the former head-count sports. 

• Preferred walk-ons are players who are promised a roster spot without scholarship money. Athletes set on playing for certain programs sometimes turn down scholarship money elsewhere to be a preferred walk-on at a school they like. But preferred walk-on status is no guarantee, as players can still get cut if they fail to meet expectations. 

• Recruited walk-ons are players who have been invited to try out for a program without the promise of a roster spot. Coaches will likely expect recruited walk-ons to prove themselves at tryouts or training camp. 

• Un-recruited walk-ons are athletes who get admitted to a school independently of athletics and make the team in an open tryout. Players attempting to join teams as un-recruited walk-ons can and should still contact coaches before tryouts to ensure their eligibility and show their commitment.

How to get an athletic scholarship

The type of offers you can expect will depend on how coaches judge your performance and potential in your sport, and it’s important to set realistic goals about your target level. And student-athletes find more offers, and better offers, when they take the right steps in the recruitment process. 

1. Ensure eligibility: The NCAA, NAIA and NJCAA (JUCO) all have different sets of rules to determine eligibility. The NCAA and NAIA both have online Eligibility Centers where you can check your status, but the safest way to ensure eligibility for every college level is to maintain a good academic standing in high school and ensure you’re taking the courses required by each governing body. A strong GPA will show programs you’re disciplined and coachable. 

2. Develop your game and your profile: Working hard on the field and in the weight room will help improve your game and your recruiting stock. Working hard off the field can help raise awareness of your profile and guide you toward the places where you’ll fit best. Build and maintain sport-focused social media accounts, create a highlight video, attend recruitment events, and research schools and programs to know which ones to target.

3. Contact coaches: NCAA rules restrict how and when coaches can contact you, but student-athletes can reach out to coaches and programs at any point in the recruiting process. Email coaches to show your interest, engage with them on social media, and fill out recruiting questionnaires to put yourself on their radars. Important to know: For Division I, June 15 or September 1 after sophomore year is the day when college coaches can reach out directly to recruits.

How many athletics scholarships are available in college sports?

The House v. NCAA lawsuit settlement completely overhauled the scholarship system at the NCAA D1 level. Where programs were once limited by the number of scholarships they could offer, they are now limited only by roster size – meaning that starting in the 2025-26 academic year, D1 programs will be able to grant scholarships to every player on their rosters. 

All sports will be treated as equivalency sports, so athletes in the former “headcount” sports will now be able to receive partial scholarships. Programs will still be restricted by their individual budgets, but well-funded schools can opt-in to sharing up to $20.5 million in revenue with athletes, divided up however the school sees fit. This model will allow top-tier programs in popular sports to pay athletes beyond their tuition reimbursement. 

The settlement ultimately means that there are now far more D1 scholarships available in most sports than there were in the past.

Can you lose your college athletic scholarship?

Unfortunately, college athletes can and do sometimes lose their athletic scholarships. The most common way it happens is that they never really had the scholarships to begin with – verbal offers and commitments from coaches are non-binding. Nothing is official until you sign your financial aid agreement. 

That doesn’t mean coaches take verbal offers lightly – they’ll risk their reputation if they renege on their promises. You shouldn’t take verbal offers lightly, either: Coaches talk, and they move on to new programs, and backing out of an agreement without a good reason could cost you future opportunities. 

Most college athletics scholarships are one-year contracts. That means a school can choose not to renew your scholarship if you become academically ineligible or have disciplinary issues. But a school cannot revoke your scholarship due to an athletics reason while you have eligibility remaining (you can read more about that here). 

Conclusion

Changing NCAA rules about scholarship limits will likely mean more full-ride offers for elite D1 athletes, but the majority of college sports scholarships are partial scholarships. High school athletes looking for athletics scholarships should be proactive in the recruiting process, and understand when a commitment becomes official. Get started on earning a college sports scholarship today by creating a free NCSA profile! 

Frequently Asked Questions

Does every D1 athlete get a scholarship? 

While the new NCAA rules are expected to give colleges more flexibility to direct scholarship money toward a greater variety of athletes, not every D1 athlete is on full or even partial scholarship. A school’s ability to finance scholarships depends on its funding, its portion of revenue sharing, and its priorities. Many programs in smaller conferences and less lucrative sports rely on athletes on partial scholarships, and even walk-ons. 

Do all D1 programs offer full-ride athletics scholarships?

No. Some schools do not award any athletics scholarships at all. Most notably, the prestigious Ivy League universities – Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, University of Pennsylvania, and Yale – do not offer sports scholarships of any kind. 

Do Ivy League athletes have to pay their own way?

Though Ivy League schools do not award sports scholarships, they all offer need-based financial aid via loans and grants. For some student-athletes, the opportunity to earn a degree at an Ivy League institution is worth more than the tuition reimbursement they might receive elsewhere. 

Do D3 schools offer athletics scholarships?

No, NCAA Division 3 schools do not offer athletics scholarships. However, as with Ivy League schools, there’s a variety of options to offset the costs, and coaches motivated to have you in their programs can help you find grants, loans, or work-study opportunities that do not conflict with your training schedule. 

Do D2 schools offer athletics scholarships?

Yes, D2 schools offer athletics scholarships. D2 schools use a partial scholarship model that allows student-athletes to combine academic scholarships or grants with their athletics scholarships as part of their full financial-aid package. D2 scholarships can vary greatly in size, as can the amount of scholarship money a program has to offer. 

Do NAIA schools offer athletics scholarships?

Yes, NAIA schools offer athletic scholarships in conjunction with other forms of tuition assistance. NAIA athletes receive $1.3 billion in aid money annually under an equivalency model, which sets an upper limit for the number of scholarships a program can grant and allows teams to divide the equivalent scholarship money among its roster however it sees fit.