Frequently Asked Questions

The NCAA Division I is the largest and, all in all, the strongest division. There are however, teams in the NAIA and NCAA Division II that can be on the same level as teams from the NCAA Division I.
Whether a team plays in Division I or Division II, doesn’t directly depend on the level or performance of the teams. The size of the universities and the number of sports offered usually decide what division a university is in.

In some sports the official competitions only take place one of the two semesters of the academic year. At the end of the season, the regional and national tournaments are held, where champions are determined.
If your team does well in Conference (about 10 teams per conference) or has a good ranking, you can qualify for the “Regional Championships” and from there you can make it to the “National Championships”. The championships are very popular and are often televised. Depending on which sport you play, competition can be about once a week or in 2-week intervals. Soccer teams will play against other university teams about 1-2 times a week while a golf team might travel every other week.

A normal day as an athlete at an American university might look like this: Get up, depending on when your first class starts (on some days it can be as late as 12 o’clock). Some days you might have early morning workouts with your team. After your lectures you go eat lunch in the “Dining Hall” for which you usually have 30-60 minutes. You schedule will have team practice for about 2 hours each afternoon. The training is generally constructed very professionally with endurance training, strength training, and if necessary, sport-specific coordination training (depending on the sport, this can vary). By providing professional training, many players improve a lot and often reach a higher level, which also allows some to pursue a professional sports career after completing their college career. The training usually lasts 2 hours per day, 5-6 days a week. One day a week you will always have no training. In the evening you’ll have dinner with your friends or your teammates. In most cases, the mood in the “Dining Hall” is very special because now only students come together. After dinner you are free to do what you want. Either you’ll find yourself in the library to prepare for the next day, enjoy the evening program on campus, where many activities are offered, or go to the city with other students. Since everything is centered on campus, you meet new people very quickly.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a non-profit association that organizes the sports programs of many colleges and universities in the US and Canada. The NCAA regulates more than 1200 institutions, organizations and individuals who are committed and interested in optimizing the training conditions of student athletes.The headquarters of the NCAA is located in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Due to the large audience, the popularity and the corresponding marketing through the media, university sports in the United States plays a bigger role than in any other country in the world.
The NCAA checks the eligibility of each athlete in the NCAA divisions. The NCAA will provide the athlete with a player’s license as without which they cannot compete in the NCAA division I or II. The factors that determine whether a player gets this permission or not, are their SAT test results and academic results. In addition, the Clearinghouse checks whether an athlete meets the “amateur” status according to American standards. The fee for registration is currently $120. For the eligibility of an athlete, the NCAA Clearinghouse is the final authority.

Some of today’s top athletes were former college athletes. For example: Tyson Gay (University of Akransas), Tiger Woods (Stanford), Borlee brothers (Florida), Kisty Coventry (Auburn), Jason Kidd (California) and Michael Phelps (University of Michigan).
The table below demonstrates the number of participants in the Olympics per University, it shows that after your studies, all doors are open. Stanford University alone brought 46 Olympic competitors to Beijing.
The University of Florida alone represented 19 swimmers from 15 countries and the athletes from the University of Southern California alone won 21 medals in Beijing.
On the one hand, you get all the help you need to prepare your career as a professional after college. On the other hand, if things do not go as planned, for example, a serious injury occurs and you receive no professional contract, then at least you have completed an excellent education and you must look forward to a successful career in your field of interest.

Due to a large audience that love sports and detailed media coverage, university sports in the United States plays a far more important role than is the case in most other countries of the world. The revenue from televising and ticket revenue ensures the excellent financial base of the college teams. The television channel CBS paid $10 trillion for the television rights of NCAA in 2010 for golf, track and field, swimming, soccer, tennis and basketball. These funds are, among others, used to award scholarships to sports.

American universities have a long tradition in terms of university sports. The teams of the universities are the flagships and with the success of the teams at the University not only do they get ticket and advertising revenues but also many new students. For young Americans the strength of the college teams plays an important role when choosing a college, as fans they cheer for the team. In this context, the sports teams also serve as a marketing tool for the universities to recruit new students. For this reason, the university coaches budget for the support of talented athletes from home and abroad. The athletes can thereby (fully or partially) cover the tuition fees and living expenses.

You must have completed high school to obtain approval/eligibility for playing in the college leagues. If you are already studying at a university, it is possible to transfer your credits. To be eligible for a scholarship you have to pay attention to the special regulations regarding maximum age and the number of completed semesters. In Division 1, there is a maximum age of 25 years. In Division 2 and NAIA there is no maximum age. In all leagues, you must study a total of 8 full-time semesters. So if one studies, for example, 4 full-time semesters, whether in Europe or in the US, you still have 4 semesters to study and compete for a college or university. The NCAA reviews the eligibility of each athlete in the NCAA divisions. It will provide the athletes with a license, without which they are not allowed to compete in the NCAA I or II. The factors that determine whether a player gets eligible or not, are SAT and TOEFL results as well as the final grades in high school. In addition, the NCAA checks whether an athlete has “amateur” status in accordance with its regulations. For deciding eligibility of an athlete, the NCAA Clearinghouse is the final authority.

For athletes outside the United States, it is difficult to obtain an athletic scholarship in the USA without professional help and excellent contacts. There are many rules and regulations of the organizations that regulate the protection of athletes to college sports. This makes the process complicated. Scholarbook provides talented athletes the necessary expertise and network to help to receive excellent offers from the US. We support you throughout the entire process. You can find the sport requirements on our home page, specific to each sport.

A scholarship depends mainly on your athletic skills. The coach has a specific budget, he can distribute it however he wants each year. Depending on how interested he is in you, he will send you an offer, covering for example 60%, 80% or even 100% of the costs. In addition, American universities encourage good school performance with academic scholarships, which are awarded in addition to athletic scholarship. These depend primarily on the SAT, the TOEFL score and grades from school.

It depends on your athletic and academic achievements. Through our contacts with coaches and regular trips to the US, your chances of getting a high scholarship are very good when you have already gotten a positive opportunity assessment. Costs for tuition, food and living on campus are currently on average about $25,000 a year. If a coach offers you a “Full Scholarship” (100% scholarship), as 80% to 90% of our customers get,it means that the university pays all of these costs for you.

In the beginning your athletic scholarship is guaranteed for one year. After each year you can renegotiate with the coach and if you have performed well increase the percentage of your sports scholarship. Generally it is the rule that once you have received an athletic scholarship, it is valid for four years. You can end your studies at any time.

You cannot lose your scholarship because of poor performance or injury. The coach knows that injuries and poor shape occur in sports and is prepared for it. You can lose your scholarship, however, if you cheat on an exam at school, your grade point average drops below a minimum requirement, you’re unfair playing sports, or if you don’t follow the rules of the college.