The most generous – and competitive – skiing and snowboarding scholarships will naturally be at colleges situated in locations where snow sports are ways of life. The University of Denver,
for example, offers not only a recognized college ski team, but an opportunity to
train on some of the best slopes in the country if you’re serious about honing your
craft. Most skiing and snowboarding scholarships will be college-based, and under the rules of the
NCAA. You’ll need a minimum GPA to qualify not only for scholarships but to land
a position on a team. You’ll also need to keep your grades up to stay on the
team, as all those awarded NCAA sports scholarships must maintain a strong academic
record to participate in their college sports programs. Depending on the program
though, you could get up to a full scholarship if you’re a good enough skier or boarder, although
many schools will use available scholarship funding to build the best team possible
and allocate a certain percentage to each athlete.
ADVERTISEMENT
If you’re a high school skier or boarder with an impressive athletic and academic record, go
after those college-based scholarships yourself rather than waiting for them to
come to you. Contact colleges with ski and snowboard programs that you’re interested in, and conduct
a college search to narrow down your choices. Competition for the winter sport is high at the top programs, so don’t rule out smaller schools that have athletic
programmed just as rewarding as those at the biggest schools.
Check out some examples of skiing and snowboarding scholarships below. For additional information
about skiing and snowboarding 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 ski on a college team.
College-Based Scholarships
If you plan on skiing in college, your intended college could have funds and endowments
for the sport, often set up by alumni who were skiing on the school team before
you ever set foot on that campus. Sierra Nevada College, for example, has a Ski/Snowboard
Athletic Scholarship dedicated to members of the school’s ski and snowboard teams.
Make sure you do your research, and talk to your financial aid office and athletic
departments about local and college-based awards you could be eligible for.
U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association
The U.S. Ski and Snowboard
Association has a tuition assistance program for student-athletes who are
U.S. Snowboarding team members with minimum 2.0 GPAs. If you’re Olympic caliber
and qualify for the A, B, or C teams, you’re automatically eligible for an award.
Alumni are also eligible for two years of financial assistance after they officially
retire. Applicants’ annual incomes should not be greater than $50,000, and skiers
must be enrolled in an accredited college or university. The association also has
a partnership going with the University
of Utah. Utah skiers attending school in-state are eligible for in-state
student rates following an immediate move to Utah, rather than waiting a year or
more before eligibility kicks in for in-state scholarship awards.
The Foot Locker Scholar Athletes program honors student-athletes who demonstrate exceptional academic ability and strong leadership skills in sports, in their schools, and within their communities. Whether you're the lead scorer or the most spirited team player, we want to hear how you have taken the skills you've cultivated in the locker room and used them to create a powerful, positive impact [...] More
This endowed flight training scholarship is administered through the EAA chapter network, and was created in Kylie Murray's name to honor her legacy. The recipient of the Kylie Murray Memorial Flight Training Scholarship will have the following characteristics similar to Kylie: Woman ages 16 – 19. Committed interest to earning an aviation-oriented college degree including, but not limited to, [...] More
The Stockton Student Athletes Scholarship Fund was originally established as the Jester’s Club Athletic Scholarship Fund in 2015 at the Community Foundation of San Joaquin. The fund was renamed the Stockton Student Athletes Scholarship Fund in 2020. Two renewable scholarships in the amount of $1,500 each will be awarded this cycle, which means you could receive up to $6,000 over four [...] More
The Thomas K. Besh Memorial Scholarship Fund is offered to skiers. Eligible applicants must be Alaskan residents, have a 2.75 GPA, and be a high school senior, high school graduate, or attending an accredited university. Preference will be given to people attending college/university in Alaska. For more information or to apply, please visit the scholarship provider's website. [...] More
When you get acceptance letters from multiple colleges, there’s nothing wrong with taking some time to celebrate. But once the mental confetti has fallen, it’s time to decide: which school do you actually want to attend?
[...]
Did you know that there are more scholarships with deadlines in March than any other month? Now is the time to put in a little bit of your time to apply for as many scholarships as you possibly can. Of course, you are going to want to prioritize wisely, with just over a week left in the month. [...]
Most major tech companies offer scholarships for prospective or current college students. While some of those are geared toward all students, other scholarships are designed to fix the racial disparity within the tech industry. According to research from 2021, fewer than 10% of STEM employees in the workforce are African-American. The Blacks at Microsoft Scholarship aims to close the gap and encourage more Black students to major in STEM-related fields. [...]
