Women's Sports Scholarships

In 2007, the Women's Sports Foundation awarded over $700,000 in grant money and scholarships to 139 organizations and 14,224 individuals across 30 states. Their programs provide girls and women with several sport-oriented scholarship opportunities. Full or partial scholarship opportunities also exist for women who want to play sports or pursue sports-type career options, while attending college.

  1. GoGirlGo! Grants

    • The Women's Sports Foundation encourages women to stay active.

      More than 3,000 women and girls benefited from the GoGirlGo! grant program in 2007. The main goal of the program is to get and keep females active. A total of $155,000 was distributed to 27 organizations and schools nationwide that implemented the GoGirlGo! educational program. The curriculum provides opportunities for girls to play sports and engage in physical activity. The program is one of the main initiatives behind the Women's Sports Foundation.

    NCAA Scholarships

    • Academics matter when it comes to qualifying for sports scholarships.

      The best of the best women athletes are wooed by the National Collegiate Athletic Association, (NCAA). The NCAA is the largest college athletic association in the United States with well over 1,000 schools in the association. If you are interested in applying for an NCAA scholarship at either a Division I, II or III school, there is protocol you must follow. You must first make certain you are eligible academically in order to quality for an athletic scholarship. Then you must register in the Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse. Specific eligibility details for prospective student-athletes can be found at the official NCAA website.

    Minority Options

    • Minority women can have an advantage when looking to pursue their sporting dreams via a scholarship.

      The NCAA also offers the Ethnic Minority and Women's Enhancement Postgraduate Scholarship Program. The program is open to students heading into post-grad studies and who are interested in options like sports administration, coaching or other closely related sports careers. You must be an ethnic minority woman to apply.

    NAIA Scholarships

    • A women's soccer scholarship is an option at an NAIA school.

      The NAIA or National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, represents a smaller contingent of schools in the United States and Canada. Only about a dozen sports are played at these schools. It is best to check with the NAIA directly to find out if your sport is offered as a scholarship option before you pursue entrance requirements.

    NJCAA Scholarships

    • Track and field tops the list of scholarship eligible sports for women in the NJCAA.

      The National Junior College Athletic Association is a group of two-year colleges that offer certain grant-in-aid scholarships for women in basketball, cross-county running, fast-pitch softball, outdoor track and field, soccer, tennis and volleyball. There are over 525 colleges in the NJCAA union.

    Emerging Sports Options

    • Lesser-known sports can offer scholarship rewards.

      Women athletes also have a better chance of attaining partial scholarship money in new and emerging sports. According to the website College Scholarships, little-known sports like archery, bowling, rifling and rodeo are gaining ground. For instance, the NAA or National Archery Association awards eight $500 scholarships as part of its NAA Foundation College Scholarship program. Candidates must maintain a minimum 2.0 GPA, submit scores from their three most recent tournaments and be enrolled in a college archery program for at least one year.