Our Head of Coaching discusses the basics behind the US collegiate system in the first of a series on securing a US Sports Scholarships.
Key takeaways
- There are more than 3,700 accredited post-secondary education institutions in the USA, and the term college is used for all of them.
- A US bachelor’s degree takes four years of study rather than the three common in the UK, with the first two years on general foundational subjects.
- US college sport is organised by three bodies, each with its own rules: the NCAA, the NJCAA and the NAIA.
- NCAA Division I and Division II schools can offer athletic scholarships, while Division III schools cannot, although they can offer other financial assistance.
- The NJCAA governs two-year junior and community colleges and has 510 member institutions, while about 300 colleges compete in the NAIA, where the vast majority offer athletic scholarships.
- Athletes must meet a college’s academic requirements first, because an athletic scholarship only helps with the cost of attending.
Some of you will know that I am the Head of Athletics for US Sports Scholarships. My focus here is to help athletes to secure either fully or part funded places at US universities and colleges to allow them to study there whilst pursing excellence in their athletic pursuits.
Clearly, my sporting interest are in the areas of Track and Field but I can connect readers with representatives who can help across the board in other sporting disciplines.
This short article introduces you to the structure of the US college system and socialises the structure of the sporting regimes that underpin college track and Field activities.
Overview
As a starting point, there are more than 3,700 accredited post-secondary education institutions in the USA and the term ‘College’ is used as a generic term to describe them all. However, keeping it simple, there are several categories of college that include:
- Junior (or Community) Colleges where their focus is on awarding associated degrees after completion of two years of full-time study
- Colleges who award a bachelor’s degree at the completion of four years of full-time study
- Liberal Arts Colleges that are typically, privately controlled and offer studies in humanities, social sciences, maths and natural sciences, rather than technical or professional subjects
- Universities who generally offer a broad range of both undergraduate and graduate degree programs.
It should be noted that as in other countries, Institutions can either be public or private and there really is no distinction in quality between the two. However, Private institutions will usually charge higher tuition fees.
As stated above, a Bachelor Degree course requires four years of study in the USA rather than the three we are used to in the UK and other English-speaking countries. The first two years of study focus are general foundational subject matter for study with the remaining two years focuses on the principal area of study.
USA Junior (or Community) Colleges provide the first two years of general or foundational college education. On completion of these first two years, a student can transfer to a ‘four-year school’ to complete a full Bachelor degree. Students may also be able to transfer your studies to a university elsewhere in the world assuming that the course chosen supports equivalency of study.
The Collegiate Sport System
With the starting point of understanding the different style of colleges in the USA, explained, the next subject to focus on is the organisation of college sport. There are three bodies that provide organisation of sport in the USA college system and they each follow their own rules and regulations. These are the:
- National College Athletic Association (NCAA).
The NCAA governs four-year college and university members’ sporting programs. This is the premier college competition in the USA and comprises three divisions (NCAA I, Il and III), with Division I being regarded as the most prestigious. Both Division I and Division Il schools are able to offer athletic scholarships. Division Ill schools cannot offer athletic scholarships. However, they can offer other forms of financial assistance.
Some of the most prestigious colleges in the USA are members of the NCAA. Colleges such as Harvard, Duke, Stanford and UCLA are well known university members. It is important to note here that whilst an athletic scholarship can assist with the cost your attendance at these colleges, a student-athlete must meet the academic requirements of the college first and foremost. So, if you are an exceptional scholar and athlete, this may be your starting point.
- National Junior College Athletic Association (NCJAA).
As discussed above, Junior or Community Colleges offer two-year courses and their competition is governed by the NJCAA. NCAA Colleges compete in one of three divisions, and each division has regulations about what scholarships they can offer:
- Division I may offer full athletic scholarships
- Division II limited to awarding tuition, fees, books and study materials
- Division III are not able to provide financial assistance to athletes
Currently, there are 510 institutions that are members of the NJCAA and the website has a comprehensive search function that allows you to find details of each member college. If you enter an NJCAA school as a student-athlete, it is mandatory that you must stay at the school for two years. However, if a student then transfers after two years, they may be eligible to be a student-athlete for two more years at a four-year institution.
If a student enters an NJCAA school as an academic student without an athletic scholarship, the student can transfer after one year, which means they have three years left of NCAA eligibility since standard NCAA eligibility is four years.
- National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).
There are some 300 or so colleges compete in NAIA competition, which has fewer recruiting restrictions and an easier application process than the other competitions set out above. NAIA schools are four-year schools and there are two divisions. The vast majority of NAIA colleges offer athletic scholarships.
Useful links
A-Z list of accredited US Universities & Colleges (4icu.org)
US Liberal Arts Colleges by State
An A-Z List of U.S. Colleges and Universities – The Edvocate (theedadvocate.org)
NCAA.org – Official Athletics Website
Frequently asked questions
Brentwood Beagles explains that US colleges include junior or community colleges, four-year colleges, liberal arts colleges and universities, and that a bachelor’s degree takes four years. College sport is organised by the NCAA, the NJCAA and the NAIA.
No. In the Brentwood Beagles primer of March 2022, Division I and Division II schools can offer athletic scholarships, but Division III schools cannot, although they can offer other forms of financial assistance.
The NJCAA is the National Junior College Athletic Association, which governs competition at two-year junior and community colleges. Brentwood Beagles notes in March 2022 that it has 510 member institutions.
The NAIA has about 300 member colleges, all four-year schools in two divisions. Brentwood Beagles says in March 2022 that it has fewer recruiting restrictions and an easier application process than the other bodies, and most of its colleges offer athletic scholarships.
The club’s Head of Coaching, who is also Head of Athletics for US Sports Scholarships, wrote this March 2022 primer and focuses on track and field. He can also connect athletes with representatives for other sports.