Bowling Scholarships

Bowling has strong competition at the college level, particularly in Divisions I and II, where some of the top talent has a chance to earn substantial scholarship dollars. While collegiate bowling in the NCAA is only open to women, there are scholarships for male bowlers as well.

If you are looking to play at the college level, some of the top schools include Wichita State University, University of Nebraska, New Jersey City University, and Vanderbilt University. These schools' bowling programs award scholarships based on talent. As bowling has become more high-visibility and more popular among student athletes, the level of competition has increased for school-funded scholarships. Much of the funding is controlled by organizations like the NCAA, which also means there is a great amount of emphasis placed on not only talent but academic records, as those awarded scholarships must meet certain GPA requirements.

A particularly good resource for bowling scholarships is the USBC, as it is the national governing body of bowling as recognized by the USOC. This organization requires a membership and bowling is a good example of a sport where it would be wise to utilize any connections to local leagues and organizations. If you're good enough to play on your local league's team, chances are you're eligible for a number of scholarships. Most cities, states and regions also have their own bowling associations and scholarship funds earmarked for participants in their groups, or residents of those areas. These local awards often emphasize criteria outside of bowling, including community service, academic achievement and financial need.

Check out some examples of bowling scholarships below. For additional information about bowling scholarships and awards based on different criteria, try conducting a free college scholarship search at Scholarships.com.