Student athletes can find a number of basketball scholarships in the U.S.
A basketball career does not have to end after the senior year of high school. Thousands of student athletes play for college teams across the country. College scholarships are competitive, and those who seek these scholarships must stand out in some way from other players vying for the same awards. To find an available basketball scholarship, research various college and university programs and decide which type of program you would be interested in playing for that might also be interested in adding you to their team.
NCAA Scholarships
As the largest association of its kind in the U.S., the National Collegiate Athletic Association is in charge of funds for athletic scholarships in its member schools. Each Division 1 men's basketball team is allowed 13 head-count, or full ride, scholarships. Women's teams can offer 15 scholarships under Division 1 rules and regulations. For men and women's teams in Division 2, colleges can award 10 scholarships each year. Because NCAA colleges want to recruit players who have future potential, many of these scholarships are earmarked for the elite and most talented players in the country, and many programs actively recruit these players for their teams. If you are a talented high school player, shop carefully for the coach, team and school that will best suit your goals.
NAIA
Four-year colleges and universities are not the only higher education institutions reruiting new members for their teams. The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics offers basketball scholarships to men and women. Because the colleges in the NAIA are typically smaller than NCAA schools, the programs place more emphasis on academics as well as athletics. NAIA schools have strict grade point average requirements. By playing for an NAIA program, you are more likely to get a full scholarship than in an NCAA program, and more than 90 percent of NAIA college programs offer some form of athletic scholarships. More than 600 colleges are in the NAIA system, so there is plenty of variety. The NAIA also has fewer restrictions when it comes to interactions between student athletes and coaches than the NCAA. If you find that the program you choose is not right for you, you have the option to transfer to another NAIA institution and play the next season without being penalized for making the switch.
Community Colleges
Like schools in the NAIA, National Junior College Athletics Association schools award several college scholarships to basketball players every year. NJCAA permits each school to award basketball scholarships to 16 men and 16 women. These scholarships provide the student athletes a tuition-free education. Some community colleges even offer partial grants for other members of their teams. The amount of the scholarship often depends on how talented a player the student is. The NJCAA men's division consists of 209 Division 1 colleges and 123 Division 2 colleges. The women's program is slightly smaller, with 181 Division 1 and 126 Division 2 colleges that offer scholarships.
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