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Headcount Sport - One full athletic scholarship is awarded for one athlete (no partials) up to the maximum limit of scholarships available per sport at each school. The following sports are the only headcount sports in Division I:

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  • Men’s Basketball

  • Football Bowl Subdivision

  • Women’s Basketball

  • Women’s Gymnastics

  • Women’s Volleyball

  • Women’s Tennis

Equivalency Sport – All non-headcount sports are considered equivalency sports in Division I. All Division II sports are equivalency sports. These teams have a set maximum number of scholarships that can be divided among athletes as determined by each coach. Athletes primarily receive partial scholarships since this is the most effective way for coaches to utilize their scholarship budgets within their limits. A coach may choose to award a full scholarship to a player, but this is rare.

Full Athletic Scholarship – Full athletic scholarships may also be referred to as 'full grant-in-aid' and are merit-based for athletic achievement. Athletic scholarships do not need to be re-paid and are good for one academic year. The athletic scholarship may be renewed for 5 out of 6 years of continuous college attendance. A full athletic scholarship covers the cost of tuition, fees, room, board and required course-related books.

Partial Athletic Scholarship – Partial athletic scholarships are the same as full athletic scholarships, but they only cover a portion of tuition, fees, room, board and required course-related books.

Is an athletic scholarship guaranteed for four years? At a minimum, an athletic scholarship must be a one academic year agreement. In Division I, colleges are permitted to offer multiyear scholarships.

For  more information about paying for college see Financial Aid. Once you have offers from colleges, use the Athletic Financial Aid Comparison Worksheet.

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