Men's Soccer Scholarships

With stiff competition from players overseas, young American male soccer players must really stand out to obtain college scholarships. Moreover, most colleges spend scholarship money on their men's football and basketball teams, while Title 9 collegiate athletic regulations shift much of the remaining money to women's teams. According to collegesportsscholarships.com, college soccer is an "equivalency sport" where partial athletic scholarships in soccer are more common than full rides.

  1. NCAA Division I

    • According to collegesportsscholarships.com, NCAA Division I soccer teams are allowed 9.9 full scholarships in one year (compared to 12 for women's teams). However, most players on any given squad receive a partial scholarship so the money to obtain quality players is spread out. There are about 200 Division I men's programs in the United States, and many don't provide any scholarships for soccer. Young men seeking soccer scholarship are encouraged to play on selective Olympic Development program squads in their region or on elite summer travel teams; college coaches have little time to scout high school varsity games during the fall season.

    NCAA DIVISION II

    • In Division II, men's soccer teams are allowed only nine full scholarships per season (compared to 9.9 for women), according to collegesportsscholarships.com. There are about 180 men's Division II programs, and not all of them have money available for soccer scholarships.

    NAIA

    • There are less than 100 men's soccer teams in the NAIA. The organization is not part of the the NCAA, but it regulates league play, organizes season play by conferences and holds a tournament to determine a national champion. Men's and women's NAIA soccer teams are restricted to 12 full scholarships per season. According to Captain U, NAIA scholarship athletes, on average, receive about $7,000 worth of financial aid.