Every year hundreds of university and college coaches will go searching for a new group of talented athletes to recruit. Every year hundreds of top schools will award athletes over $1 billion in sports scholarships. There are often other benefits to sports participation as well. Many deserving athletes will find that receiving a sports scholarship is the key to financing their college education.

Sports scholarships are a type of scholarship that is given to a deserving student, allowing him or her to take up classes in a particular academic institution. This is awarded to the recipient based on his ability and aptitude to play a certain sports well. In the United States, this type of scholarship is both very popular and is widely accepted. However, for other countries this option is very limited or can be completely non-existent.

Are you waiting for a call?
Every year, thousands of high school athletes make the mistake of sitting by their phones waiting for college coaches to call. The reality is that some will get called, but thousands of talented athletes will not. It is important that you do not wait. If you are interested in a sports scholarship you should take action before it is too late. You can actively increase your chances of being recruited, of competing at the college level and of getting a sports scholarship.

Many colleges throughout the United States offer this sort of scholarship and they maintain high-ranking varsities that are thoroughly trained to win in various tournaments. Due to the fact that college tuition today is very expensive, many students see sports scholarship as their way to finish their education. It is important to understand however that in order to qualify for this, a student must work hard to get noticed by coaches and scouts during games.

A sports scholarship has often been characterized as a sort of hiring for students to play for a varsity team. While the student plays their chosen sport their tuition, fees and sometimes living experiences are taken care of by their school.  It has been said that if it was not for such scholarship programs, many of America's youth would be not be able to finish college.

 Sports scholarships in the United States
Most sports scholarships in the United States are regulated and taken care of by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Their responsibilities include setting standards for awarding and maintaining of most sports scholarships. There are three different divisions in the NCAA and of the three, it is the first and the second division which will offer the most sports scholarships that are competitive and comprehensive. This is because the schools in the first division especially take competition very seriously. It is from these schools that most students will aim to acquire a scholarship, since the varsity teams here are large and get huge amounts of exposure during matches.

Controversy with sports scholarships
Depending on your student's sport, many colleges will offer decent sports scholarships to aspiring players provided that they can meet the expectations and requirements that were set previously. Unfortunately, many college sports scholarships have been riddled with a fair amount of controversy recently. Among these controversial issues are:

• Allowing lower grades for the admission of college athletes in some schools. It has been cited that in order to get quality players, most schools often resort to offer sports scholarships to those students who are not academically qualified.
  
• In order to help their prized sports scholars, most schools offer substandard degrees and majors that are often less academically inclined compared to other courses.
  
• Many of the sports scholars in college are given noticeably lighter loads in their schedules.
  
• Some schools have gone as far as to separate and segregate their sports scholars from other students. This is done by providing them with facilities that are for their use only.

When should you start seeking sports scholarships?
The answer is-now! The earlier you start looking for sports scholarship opportunities, the wider will be your range of options. In addition the earlier you start, the more likely you are to be successful. Keep in mind that if you are still waiting for a call when your senior year starts, then time is getting very short. If you begin when you are a junior there is more time. Freshmen, sophomore and junior athletes can be taking important steps to improve their recruiting chances. Seniors can even learn how to maximize opportunities and avoid pitfalls. No matter what your year in school is you should start now! 
       
Qualifying for a sports scholarship
In order for a student to qualify for this kind of scholarship, he must first have information about it. It is very important for this kind of scholarship applicant to know more about the program, the requirements and the contact persons. For those who may be curious as to where they can apply for a sports scholarship, the Internet is often their best source. There are sites that can help any applicant learn more about how they can qualify for a scholarship. Discussing one's options with the local high school's guidance counselor is also something that any student must consider. Contacts are also valuable for aspiring sports athletes, so talking to the coach can also be helpful. For an exceptional player, many colleges would immediately contact him or her before graduating from high school, letting the prospective athlete know that he or she can be a candidate for a sports scholarship.

Like all types of scholarships, sports scholarships also have certain rules and regulations to be followed when processing the applications of incoming students. To increase the odds of being awarded a scholarship, the student must first make certain that he complies with all of the regulations.  In addition a student must have acceptable grades and be able to present acceptable test scores (usually ACT or SAT).

 What is a sports scholarship worth?
The amount of money varies but it can be a huge amount. College costs are skyrocketing and a sports scholarship can be essential to help pay for your education. While some sports scholarships will only pay for partial college tuition for the top tier of players other sports scholarships will cover all schooling costs and living expenses.

Things your student can do
There are certain things any student who is interested in a sports scholarship can do to improve their chances.  These things include:

• Continue working on your athletic skills and endurance.  Never assume that you are a "good enough" player.
  
• Work at being a leader among the athletes in your sport. Always show maturity, set a good example and try to stay free of injuries.
  
• Stay ahead of the school work. Coaches will favor athletes who do a good job managing their academics. Remember that you may not play your sport forever but your college education will stay with you.

Recruiting calendars
It is also important that student athletes understand about recruiting calendars. College sports recruiting have an official NCAA annual calendar with a succession of recruiting dates and seasons.  There is a common plan, but keep in mind that some sports have their own sets of critical dates and seasons. The calendar and the rules governing recruiting in various sports also change frequently. You should stay up-to-date by getting the most current NCAA Guide for the College-Bound Student Athlete available on the internet.

What to do now
If you are a senior and you have been recruited you will have a good idea of what offers might be coming. If you have offers coming from schools that are not at the top of your preferred list, now is the time to use them to spark conversation with coaches at your preferred schools. Also keep in mind that if your sport season is still ahead of you there are still opportunities to get noticed. Throughout the year the recruiting calendar will include evaluation periods, quiet periods and dead periods. There are also initial or early signing dates for many sports and regular or late signing periods. Some kinds of contacts are allowed or not allowed depending on the calendar and the prospective athlete's year in school. Understanding the scheduling and processing of sports scholarships and recruiting can help you gain the information you need to be awarded one.

The bottom line
Every prospective student athlete should understand that for every star high school athlete who gets the attention of major regional newspapers and who is recruited by dozens of college coaches, there are dozens of other talented athletes who go on to compete for college teams and receive sports scholarships. This means that there may be dozens of equally talented athletes who for whatever reason do not gain the attention of college coaches and who do not compete in college. Being proactive and recruiting yourself means carefully evaluating college sports programs and learning where your talents may best fit in. It also means contacting coaches, visiting colleges, highlighting your talents and actively seeking a school and a scholarship that will fit your needs the best. Remember the sooner you start evaluating and planning the better handle you will have on the process.