How do scholarships work for NCAA Track and Field + Cross Country?

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How many scholarships are available?

The facts:

  • 250+ Division I universities have track and field teams for men. There are 12.6 full scholarships available per team to be divided among the athletes.

  • 300+ Division I universities have track teams for women. There are 18 full scholarships available per team to be divided among the athletes.

The reality:

  • In theory, there should be 3,000+ full scholarships offered in Division 1 track for men and 5,500+ full scholarships in Division 1 track for women. For numerous reasons, that is NOT the case.

Why does the math not add up?

  • For a team to give out 12.6 scholarships to men and 18 to women they must be fully funded by a school. Unfortunately, a majority of schools are not fully funded as scholarship costs are high and often prohibitive

  • Cross-country scholarships are included in the track scholarship disbursement, which dilutes the scholarship pool even more.

    • If a fully funded Men’s Division I team gives 12 members of their XC team full scholarships, then there would be .6 scholarships left over for Track and Field.

    • If a fully funded Women’s Division I team gives 12 members of their XC team full scholarships then there would be 6 scholarships left over for track and field.

The reality

  • Most programs have to break up scholarships between XC and track.

  • Since there is a scarcity of scholarships, “full rides” are incredibly rare, as most scholarships are broken down into 50%, 25%, 10% etc.

  • This allows coaches to give out more scholarships (of lower value) without going over their school’s allowed limit.

    • i.e Two athletes receive 50% scholarships instead of one athlete receiving a “full ride”.

  • This limitation causes many schools to specialize (i.e. Colorado=distance, Florida=Sprints), or to rely heavily on high prestige (i.e. Oregon and Texas contend in XC and have a balanced TF team).

If I get a scholarship, how long is it for? (from NCAA Student-Athlete Guide)

  • Division I schools may provide you with single-year or multiyear scholarships

  • If a school plans to reduce or not renew your aid, the school must notify athletes in writing by July 1 and provide an opportunity to appeal.

  • The head coach decides who receives a scholarship, the scholarship amount, and whether it will be renewed. Appealing is possible but rarely successful.

Being realistic is key

  • Partial scholarships are the norm, even on the most competitive teams.

  • Because of the paucity of scholarships, competition for them can be tough.

  • Many scholarships are decided year-by-year, based on performance, so four year financial planning should take this into account,