As lacrosse grows in popularity across the country, especially on the East Coast
where Division I lacrosse play is concentrated, so does the competition for lacrosse
scholarships at schools with top athletic programs. The first thing to do before
working on your financial aid package is to determine the level you’re playing at
with an honest assessment and decide whether you can compete in the elite programs,
as that will determine where you’ll be applying. Many schools with even the best
lacrosse teams will offer only partial scholarships to players as they are more on
building a successful team rather than coaxing one excellent player to a school.
As lacrosse is a sport with a long history, many college-based awards will have
ties to alumni who had played the sport at that university. Don’t rule out looking
locally if you’ve been playing in local lacrosse leagues all your life, as these
often only require your participation in that league for as short a time as a season.
Lacrosse players who want to play the sport on the club or intramural level rather
than trying out for a varsity team still may be eligible for scholarships from these
local organizations who judge athletes less on talent and more on other factors
such as academic achievement, work in the community or affiliations with their groups.
Players then at all skill levels may find themselves eligible for awards not offered
directly by the college they plan to attend.
Check out some examples of lacrosse scholarships below. For additional information
about lacrosse scholarships and awards based on different criteria, try conducting
a free college scholarship search at Scholarships.com.
NCAA Scholarships
About $1 billion in full and partial athletic scholarships are awarded each year
by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to more than 126,000 undergraduate
student-athletes at Division I and Division II schools. Although these scholarships
are awarded and administered directly by each academic institution, not the NCAA,
you’ll be required to meet the requirements of the NCAA to receive any funding.
Those requirements include a minimum GPA for both the college-bound and those already
on campuses, and qualifying standardized test scores. Contact your intended school’s
athletic department for more information if you have the academics and the skill
to play on a college team.
NJCAA Scholarships
The NCAA won’t be the only resource for you to investigate if you’re pursuing lacrosse
on the post-secondary level. The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA)
also awards full and partial scholarships to talented athletes. If you’re a lacrosse
player interested in community college, consider contacting those schools about
potential scholarship opportunities in your sport. If you’re at a high level of
play with a decent academic record, consider your options on the junior college
level, but know that if you transfer to an NCAA college after two years, the GPA
and standardized test score requirements may be stricter.
Local Lacrosse Leagues
If you’ve been playing on a youth league, especially if your high school doesn’t
have a dedicated lacrosse program, that league could have a scholarship fund set
up for graduating high school seniors. The
Annapolis Youth Lacrosse Association, for example, awards an annual $1,000
scholarship through its Willie Gateau Scholarship Fund. Eligible applicants are
graduating high school seniors who have a history with the youth group for a minimum
of one spring season. All applicants must meet the basic requirements for
NCAA eligibility,
but participation in college lacrosse is not required. Make sure you look to groups
you’re already a part of, or if you know you’re interested in the sport, look into
joining a local league for the potential benefits. If you’re going to play, why
not get rewarded for it?
The Mike Lozano Scholarship is given annually to a graduating high school senior athlete from the northernmost 26 counties of the Texas Panhandle. A minimum 2.0 GPA is required and students must be interested in pursuing a degree in education and/or coaching for the purpose of teaching and coaching at the high school level upon graduation from college. For more information or to apply, please [...] More
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The state of Michigan is set to offer two years of free community college to essential workers who were required by their job to leave the house and work at least 11 weeks in the spring during the coronavirus pandemic. This unique opportunity, called Futures for Frontliners, opens doors to essential workers who are not commonly considered front-line workers and an estimated 600,000 residents could qualify. [...]
Many colleges have waived SAT and ACT score requirements for high school seniors currently applying to college due to how difficult it has been to sign up for standardized testing during the coronavirus pandemic. Now some colleges are also waiving standardized test score requirements when awarding merit scholarships to incoming students. Instead of requiring SAT and ACT scores, these schools will award scholarships based on high school GPA. [...]
