Frequently Asked Questions

There are no minimum criteria for consideration. Coaches like to look at the athlete as a whole, rather than just focusing on athletic performances. This holistic assessment means they are looking for strong athletic performances, solid grades and a good attitude, amongst other things. They ultimately want to find a student-athlete who is the right fit for their team and will contribute to the campus community. Have a think about what you could contribute beyond your athletics.

A conference is a cluster of universities (generally between 8 and 16), typically grouped by region. Much of the competition in a season is focused around meets and matches with the other schools in your conference. All of one university’s sports teams will be in the same conference. There are no official “tiers” of conferences, but some people might like to argue that some are stronger than others..!

This is generally sport-dependent. Even with a sport such as track and field, the best conferences may differ depending on which event you do.

“Power Five” schools are typically considered the strongest conferences across a majority of sports nationwide. These are the ACC, Big12, Pac12, Big10 and SEC. Schools in these conferences generally have the best football and basketball teams, which drive the athletic revenue. But remember, it doesn’t necessarily mean they are the right schools for you!

Athletic departments at universities have huge financial budgets, allowing them to provide world class resources for their athletes. The majority of universities have outdoor tracks (many have indoor facilities, too), extensive strength and conditioning departments, football, soccer and baseball stadiums, basketball gyms, indoor and outdoor tennis courts, swimming pools, astroturfs, squash courts, and some even have their own golf courses. Many of these facilities are accompanied by seating for tens of thousands of spectators.

Student-athletes also have access to medical personnel, including team doctors, physios, nutritionists, psychologists and massage therapists, and facilities, including training rooms, hot/cold tubs, rehabilitation rooms, underwater/anti-gravity treadmills, X-ray/MRI machines and many more.

As well as this, student-athletes are comprehensively kitted out in the latest university sportswear. Major sports brands such as Nike, Adidas, Under Armour and New Balance provide teams with the latest performance gear. Student-athletes are expected to wear this kit to practice at all times, and for travel/competitions.

It is possible, but it does not happen very often. At this age and level of sport, coaches will want you to focus on one sport in order to reach your potential. This focus will allow you to fully commit to their team and training schedule, and give you adequate recovery between training sessions and competitions. Given the intensity of training and competition schedules in the NCAA, it is practically and logistically almost impossible to be a student-athlete on two different teams.

Students are able to go home whenever they want, as long as any missed practices are agreed with the coach. In general, students head home at Thanksgiving, during winter break, which is typically mid December through to early January, and again in the summer break, which is typically from early June until mid August. There may be further opportunities to go home depending on season schedules.

Your friends and family can visit at any point during the year. You will still need to attend all your classes, practices and competitions. Some universities have designated weekends for visitors, where special activities and events are put on for friends and families.

Athletic scholarships can range from 1-100%. How much a university offers a student-athlete depends on how valuable they consider you to be to their team. Some of the characteristics coaches are looking for when making this decision are your athletic performances, academic achievements and personal attributes.

Most universities publish a “cost of attendance,” which is an itemised list of all the costs of being a student [at that particular university] per year. These include tuition fees, room and board, books, personal expenses, and travel. Scholarships can cover any/all of these components. In some cases, universities will also offer spending money on top of these costs.

Note: being a member of an athletic team on any size scholarship entitles student-athletes to equal athletic financial support: access to resources/facilities/coaching, kit, competition expenses including per diem, therapists, medical staff and athletic travel expenses. You do not have to pay to be a member of an athletic team.

Across the US, there is a very diverse mix of private and state-funded universities, so costs vary dramatically.

The average cost of attendance for university in America is approximately $35,000/year. This is an average of top private colleges, which charge as much as $75,000/year, and community colleges where costs are as little as $5,000/year.

“Cost of attendance” at a given university is the estimated cost of being a student [at that particular university] per year. This is all inclusive, including tuition fees, room and board, books, personal expenses, and travel.

Injured athletes are extremely well supported in their recovery, with access to therapists, medical staff and private medical facilities. During this time, athletes still receive their financial support, so long as they are responsibly following the rehabilitation guidance from the team.

Most universities will continue to honour an athlete’s scholarship if they sustain a career ending injury and are no longer able to compete for the university. Each university’s athletic department has a different policy, so this should be checked.

All universities require students to have appropriate health insurance before officially registering as a student. For those who aren’t already insured, universities offer health insurance plans. Student-athletes registered on an athletic team have additional health insurance through the athletic department. This insurance covers athletic-related illness and injury beyond the general illness covered by the general university policy.

Ivy League schools do not offer athletic scholarships. Rather than awarding merit-based scholarships, these private institutions award needs-based financial aid. This financial support works in a similar way to a bursary or grant: a comprehensive financial assessment of the student’s family is made, and the university decides how much additional financial support that student requires to make attending their college financially feasible. Every applicant is eligible to apply for financial aid. Financial aid works on an ability to pay, not willingness to pay basis. Needs-based support means the amount of money you receive is not correlated with your athletic ability.

No. Only Division 1 and Division 2 universities offer sports scholarships for student-athletes.
Division 3 and Ivy League (D1) schools do not offer athletic scholarships. Rather than awarding merit-based scholarships, these universities award needs-based financial aid. This financial support works in a similar way to a bursary: a comprehensive financial assessment of the student’s family is made, and the university decides how much additional financial support that student requires to make attending their college financially feasible. Every applicant is eligible to apply for financial aid. Financial aid works on an ability to pay, not willingness to pay basis. Needs-based support means the amount of money you receive is not correlated with your athletic ability.

There are many ways students can finance their college education. Students can apply for grants from state/federal or private institutions. Grants do not need to be repaid. Students might also choose to apply for private loans. Many students also sign up to work-study jobs to increase their income; colleges have excellent programmes for student employment, and can be particularly flexible for student-athletes.

Yes, lots of universities award part academic/part athletic scholarships. Coaches who cannot offer you the financial support you need given your athletic performance, may be able to supplement this with academic scholarship. This can greatly increase your range of target universities. For this reason, performing well in the classroom is a very important part of your recruiting process, and makes you even more attractive to coaches.

In accordance with NCAA rules, we cannot guarantee athletes a place at any university, or promise any scholarship money.

We work very hard to make university in America a financially feasible opportunity for all our students. To date, nearly 90% of our students have received scholarships.

Students will typically receive a scholarship in their last year of high school and will begin university after they graduate high school. However, the recruiting process should ideally begin in a student’s sophomore year, as that is when coaches start recruiting athletes for their teams.

There are strict rules governing who can be a student-athlete in the NCAA. To be eligible, you must meet certain academic and athletic criteria. There is also a limit for how long you can be eligible for.
To be athletically eligible, you must be an amateur athlete. Being amateur means you cannot receive any financial reward through your sport. You cannot receive any payments, sponsorship, kit, or other benefits from non-charitable organisations.

To be academically eligible, you must meet minimum combined criteria in your school exams and your admissions test (SAT/ACT).
As you can see, there are lots of variables regarding eligibility. Please speak with us if you have any questions regarding your eligibility. We can offer you guidance and support you in your application, but please note we cannot confirm your eligibility. This can only be achieved through a complete application to the NCAA Eligibility Center.

To be athletically eligible, you must be an amateur athlete. Being amateur means you cannot receive any financial reward through your sport. You cannot receive any payments, sponsorship, kit, or other benefits from non-charitable organisations.
As part of the application process, you will be required to let the NCAA know all the competitions you have ever competed in, who you represented, and whether you received any prize money.

To be academically eligible, you must meet minimum combined criteria in your school exams and your admissions test (SAT/ACT). Eligibility from school exams depends on your subject, exam board and grade. As a general guide, you should be aiming to get at least passes in all your exams across a range of subjects. You will be required to provide copies of your academic qualifications, e.g. your school transcript.
You must remain eligible throughout your time at university, not just before. This means you must maintain good grades!

Undergraduate student-athletes are awarded four years of competition in the NCAA. You must complete these four years within 5 years of graduating from high school. Given that college degrees are four years long, this means you can take a gap year after school before starting university, or it gives you the opportunity to consider taking a year out during your degree. This may be appropriate if you are injured, for example. Alternatively, you can just complete your four years of competition in the first four years after high school graduation and the fifth year of your eligibility window becomes redundant.
If you do not use all four years of eligibility in your first four-year degree, you will be eligible to use that eligibility as a graduate student. You may wish to stay on at your undergraduate college, or move to a new college for a graduate degree.

Both the SAT and ACT are administered roughly five times per year. Both tests are offered at various locations internationally, which you can choose from when you go to register.

The majority of undergraduate degrees awarded in the US are bachelor’s degrees, and are therefore comparable to international bachelor’s degrees.
Most bachelor’s degrees are liberal arts programmes, meaning you will take short courses in a wide range of subjects (English, maths, science, history, etc.) before embarking on your degree of choice – your “major”. This allows you to explore lots of subject areas before narrowing down in one specific area.
You will also have the opportunity to study a “minor,” where you can take classes in a subject area in addition to your main subject (“major”).
Not all students will graduate with honors. Only high performing students will be eligible for honors in their chosen major.

A GPA (grade point average) is a cumulative measure of all the grades on your transcript. It is scored out of 4.0. Your GPA is calculated by adding up all your grades (A/A*=4, B=3, C=2, D/E=1, F=0)* and dividing by the number of subjects you have taken. You can calculate a GPA from your GCSE (or equivalent) grades, A-level (or equivalent) grades and you will also have a GPA throughout college, which all your course grades will be added to.
*New GCSE scoring system: (7/8/9=4, 5/6=3, 4=2, 1/2/3=0

Yes. When you are home for the holidays, you can compete for your club/home teams. You should discuss these with your university coach so they can organise your season plan and ensure you are peaking for the right events in addition to the NCAA season.

Many students go home over the holidays to pursue national and international competitions. Lots of university coaches are keen to build these into students’ training programmes, so it is important students have this conversation with their coach early.

Transitioning and adjusting to the NCAA, a new training programme and new coach is challenging for all athletes. We have learnt that the most important part of making this transition successful is for student-athletes to actively buy into their new athletic surroundings. This means taking on board all the instruction of your new coach and team.

When you move to an American university, you are moving your whole athletic set up there, including your coaching. You will not be able to continue any of your home coach’s training while at university. It is important to keep communication channels open between your old and new coaches, and you may wish to involve your club/school coach in your recruiting process, but you will not be “co-coached” when you get to America. The majority of university coaches will write you training programmes for holidays and breaks so you can continue on their comprehensive coaching plans.

The majority of coaches will support their athletes competing internationally, and will want to work with you to make sure you produce your best performances both in the NCAA season and on the international stage. If you have international competitions in mind, it is important you communicate this with your coach so you can discuss your target competitions and appropriate preparations together. It is worth noting that although they may allow you to leave campus for an international event, some coaches’ training programmes will still primarily focus on the NCAA season.

All universities require students to have appropriate health insurance before officially registering as a student. Many US students are already on health insurance plans which are accepted by the university. For those who aren’t already insured, universities offer health insurance plans, which is what most international students choose when they first arrive in America. Student-athletes registered on an athletic team have additional health insurance through the athletic department. This insurance covers athletic-related illness and injury beyond the general illness covered by the general university policy.

UK students going to an American university are not eligible to apply for a student loan through Student Finance England. International students are unfortunately also not eligible for any federal aid.
Students can apply to their bank for a loan, but these are extremely difficult to secure since banks rarely offer repayment schemes starting after the conclusion of a 4-year university course.
American colleges offer excellent work-study programmes, so students can work on-campus (in keeping with the stipulations of their student Visa).

The US college recruiting process is complex and typically much longer than applying to a domestic university. It is important you leave enough time to complete all the mandatory requirements, as well as time to properly liaise with coaches, visit universities and consider your options as you progress in your sport and studies. We recommend students aiming to enter universities immediately after graduating high school (finishing year 13 or equivalent) start this process shortly after they receive their GCSE (or equivalent) results. This timing is particularly important given the schedule for admissions testing. The earlier we bring a student on board, the earlier we can get them on coaches’ radars, which ultimately leads to a more successful process.
For students wishing to pursue a master’s degree in the US, we recommend students allow at least one year for this process.

There is no national “cap” for university costs in America, unlike in many other countries. In the US, there is a very diverse mix of private and state-funded universities, so costs vary dramatically.

The average cost of attendance for university in America is approximately $35,000/year. This is an average of top private colleges, which charge as much as $75,000/year, and community colleges where costs are as little as $5,000/year.

“Cost of attendance” at a given university is the estimated cost of being a student [at that particular university] per year. This includes tuition fees, room and board, books, personal expenses, and travel.

Athletic and academic scholarship opportunities often make university in America a cost-effective option for international students.

Yes. If you have completed your bachelor’s degree elsewhere, you can apply for a master’s programme in the US. Students typically receive two years of NCAA eligibility to complete your masters degree in the US. Please see the Eligibility section of the FAQs for further information.

Post-graduate students who have already completed a 3-year degree may have up to two years of eligibility to compete in the NCAA. As with undergraduate study, these two years will need to be completed within 5 years of graduating from high school. For example, if you took a gap year before starting your three year course, you may only be eligible for one year of NCAA competition.