Athletic scholarships are highly sought after and therefore the competition is fierce. If you are trying to put yourself in position to get an athletic scholarship, there are a few things you must know.

Be Prepared To Compete
For each position available on a roster, most college coaches will recruit 5-10 players for the position, depending on the sport and division level. Why? They want to take their time and really evaluate how the student-athlete is going to perform on the court/field/rink and in the classroom. Coaches will make the scholarship offer to the athlete who they believe fits into their program the best.  This includes personality, academics and athletic ability.

Most Scholarships Are Partial
Everyone wants a full-ride, but the truth is that most college athlete scholarships are partial scholarships. This is especially true for scholarships given at the Division II level and below. Coaches take their allocation of scholarship dollars and divide it up between multiple players and then see who deserves more scholarship money as the athletes’ progress through college

Scholarships Are Year To Year
One common myth is that athletes receive a four-year scholarship when they attend a college or university on an athletic scholarship. The truth is that scholarships are given out in one-year increments only. Athletes, who do not perform properly in their sport or in the classroom, may put themselves in a position to lose their scholarship money the following season.

Market Yourself
You need to market and promote yourself to college coaches no later than your junior year so that coaches can put you on their radar and evaluate you and your talents for a while. Coaches will be glad to hear from you if you have what it takes to play at their level of competition.

If you are trying to put yourself in a position to earn one of the thousands of college athlete scholarships available each and every year, keep these four facts in mind.