Probability of Getting a Full Athletic Scholarship

The NCAA reports that approximately 2% of high school athletes go on to compete at the Division I level, and only about 1% of all high school athletes receive a full athletic scholarship. Of the roughly 8 million high school student-athletes in the US, about 180,000 receive some form of athletic scholarship, but only a fraction of these are "full rides."

The availability of full scholarships varies dramatically by sport. Full scholarships are available in "headcount" sports (football, men's and women's basketball, women's volleyball, tennis, and gymnastics), where each scholarship covers the full cost of attendance. In "equivalency" sports (most other sports), scholarships are divided among athletes, with most receiving partial scholarships averaging 30-50% of the full cost.

The financial value of a full athletic scholarship at a Division I school is approximately $25,000-$65,000 per year (depending on in-state vs. out-of-state and public vs. private institutions). However, the time commitment is enormous: college athletes spend an average of 30-40 hours per week on their sport. Only about 2% of college athletes go on to play professionally. Academic performance is important: about 86% of Division I athletes graduate, slightly above the general student body rate.