Students pursuing collegiate athletic scholarships frequently concentrate on NCAA sports like football, baseball, softball, basketball, soccer, lacrosse, cross country, track and field, golf, and even fencing. However, scholarships are available for many sports conducted as a club or intramural activity on campuses, resulting in less competition.
The Junior Olympic Archery Development National Target Championships offer scholarships to college-bound kids who are passionate about archery.
The International Surfing Association and The Surfer’s Environmental Alliance both grant scholarship money each year. The Eastern Collegiate Boxing Association and the American Association for the Improvement of Boxing offer scholarships to students who are passionate about boxing. Students that are passionate about bowling can apply for scholarships at colleges that compete in the sport, such as Vanderbilt University and New Jersey City University.
Golf caddies can also apply for college scholarships, such as the Evans Scholarship. It provides education and housing and has been awarded to over 12,000 men and women since its inception in 1930. The New Jersey State Golf Association (NJSGA) Caddie Scholarship is also offered to qualified applicants who have caddied at a NJSGA club for at least two seasons.
Students who have not yet entered high school may wish to pursue a less popular sport or activity that brings them fulfillment and provides them with more opportunities to flourish. Those who are already participating at the high school level should look for ways to get financial support from institutions that promote their sport.
Of course, there are several scholarships available to students beyond the realm of athletics. Scholarships.com includes a large range of funds expressly accessible to New Jersey students and advises college-bound students to pursue these funds, as New Jersey citizens have one of the highest average student loan loads in the country: $35,000 for the average borrower.
Discover.com, another scholarship information website, provides an online scholarship search database with four million scholarships totaling more than $22 billion.
College-bound students could also download the free college scholarship app “Scholly” to help them target the precise scholarships for which they are most likely eligible. Since its inception in 2015 by a Drexel University student, this tool has helped students receive almost $100 million in awards.