How to Get a Soccer Scholarship in the USA: Who Gets One and How Much

To get a soccer scholarship in the USA, you need to be good enough for a college level that gives athletic aid — NCAA Division I or II, the NAIA or a junior college — meet the academic and amateurism rules, and get in front of coaches with video, a clear profile and direct emails. Division III schools give no athletic scholarships, and at every other level most soccer scholarships are partial.

The Division I rules changed in 2025, and the NCAA's new age rule matters a lot for European players. This guide covers what each level can offer, what a scholarship covers, the rules that trip up international players, and the steps that get players recruited.

How Many Soccer Scholarships Are There?

Level	Athletic scholarships	NCAA teams, 2025–26
NCAA Division I	Up to the roster limit of 28 at schools that opted in to the House settlement	213 men's, 350 women's
NCAA Division II	9.0 full-scholarship equivalents for men, 9.9 for women	203 men's, 260 women's
NCAA Division III	None	407 men's, 419 women's
NAIA	An overall aid limit per sport, split as coaches choose	188 men's teams
Junior college (NJCAA)	Division I full, Division II partial, Division III none	Hundreds

The NCAA team counts are the NCAA's projections for 2025–26. Women's college soccer has more programs than men's at every NCAA level, which makes the women's scholarship market much bigger.

What Changed in Division I Soccer in 2025?

Until 2024–25, a Division I men's soccer team could give the equivalent of 9.9 full scholarships and a women's team 14, shared across the roster. The House settlement replaced those caps from 2025–26:

• Roster limits instead of scholarship caps. Under NCAA Bylaw 17.2, Division I soccer rosters are limited to 28 players for men and 28 for women at schools in the settlement.
• Scholarships up to the roster limit. The NCAA says schools that opted in can now "offer scholarships to any and all" players on the roster, and aid can be "any amount (full or partial)."
• Not every school opted in. Schools that did not opt in still follow the old 2024–25 scholarship limits and do not have to follow the roster limits.

In practice, that means more money is possible at schools that opted in, and especially in men's soccer, where the old 9.9 cap was tiny for a 28-player roster. It does not mean every player gets a full ride: schools still decide how much of their budget goes to soccer.

What Does a Soccer Scholarship Cover?

According to the NCAA, an athletic scholarship can cover "tuition and fees, room and board, and course-related books," and Division I schools can give multiyear, cost-of-attendance scholarships. But three things are true for most soccer players:

1. It is partial. The NCAA says "most student-athletes receive partial aid, not a full ride." Soccer coaches have always split their scholarships across the roster.
2. It is often year to year. Scholarships are "typically awarded year to year," and renewal is not guaranteed.
3. You have some protection. If a school plans to reduce or not renew your scholarship, it must tell you in writing by 1 July, and you can appeal.

The useful number is not the scholarship percentage but what you will actually pay each year after athletic aid, academic aid and grants. Ask every school for that figure in writing.

How Hard Is It to Get a Soccer Scholarship?

The NCAA's own estimates, based on 2024–25 participation:

	Boys	Girls
High school players	484,908	393,048
NCAA players	28,746	31,200
High school to any NCAA level	5.9%	7.9%
High school to NCAA Division I	1.4%	2.8%
High school to NCAA Division II	1.7%	2.2%
High school to NCAA Division III	2.8%	3.0%

Two things stand out. Women's soccer offers about twice the Division I chances of men's soccer. And in men's soccer, Division III takes twice as many players as Division I, so a good academic profile is worth a lot.

When Can College Soccer Coaches Contact You?

In NCAA Division I soccer, which falls under the NCAA's general recruiting rules:

• 15 June after your sophomore year: coaches can start calling, emailing and messaging you.
• 1 August of your junior year: off-campus contact and official and unofficial visits can start.
• 1 August of your senior year: the earliest date for a written scholarship offer.

You can email coaches at any time. Before 15 June after your sophomore year they cannot reply in detail, but they can read, and your email puts you on their list.

What Do You Need Academically?

For NCAA Division I and II, the NCAA Eligibility Center has to certify you:

• Register with a Certification Account at eligibilitycenter.org. Registration is complete once the fee is paid or a waiver is requested.
• Complete 16 NCAA-approved core courses in English, math, science, social science and other academic subjects.
• Meet the core-course GPA: at least 2.3 for Division I and 2.2 for Division II.
• No test scores needed. Divisions I and II dropped SAT and ACT scores from the initial-eligibility rules in January 2023.

International students submit transcripts from the ninth year of school onward and proof of graduation. Documents go in the original language with a word-for-word certified English translation.

Can European Players Get Soccer Scholarships?

Yes. International players receive soccer scholarships at every level that gives athletic aid. The NCAA treats you as an international student if you studied in another country or education system after starting year nine. Three things matter more for you than for an American recruit.

Your eligibility clock. Under the NCAA's new age rule, Division I and II players get five seasons inside a five-year window. The window starts at full-time enrollment at any college or university, including one at home, or at the start of the academic year after you turn 19, whichever comes first. If you turn 19 before 1 September, the clock starts that fall. A European player who stays at a club academy until 20 or studies full time at a university at home can arrive with seasons already gone.

Your amateur status. The Eligibility Center certifies your amateur status. Contracts, salaries and bonuses are what get looked at, so keep every document.

Your profile. College coaches recruiting in Europe work from video, stats and recommendations. Our guide on how to get scouted in football covers how European players get seen.

Does Playing for a Professional Club's Academy Affect Eligibility?

It can, and it is the question European families ask most. The NCAA does not look at the club's name. It looks at the team you actually played for and what you received. From the NCAA's 2026–27 Division I eligibility guidelines:

• Signing with, playing for or being paid by a team in a league whose minimum pay exceeds actual and necessary expenses ends NCAA eligibility. The NCAA's own examples include the Premier League.
• Playing with professionals before enrollment is reviewed by how much you played. The penalty can be sitting out games or losing seasons.
• Money above expenses, such as a salary, is reviewed case by case, based on things like how long you were there and the level of the league.
• Educational expenses paid by a professional club do not cost you eligibility.

Since April 2026, prospects can also sign with an agent before college and accept prize money without losing eligibility. If you have signed anything with a club, get the Eligibility Center's view before you commit to a school. If you are still deciding between a pro contract and college, our guides on how to play pro soccer in Europe and how to get a football agent cover the other side of the choice.

How to Get Recruited for a Soccer Scholarship

1. Be honest about your level. Ask your coach where you would realistically play, then build a list of 30–50 programs across Division I, Division II, the NAIA and junior colleges.
2. Make a good video. Three to five minutes of clips with your position in mind, plus at least one full match. Put your name, number and shirt color at the start.
3. Put everything in one place. Position, birth date, height, club and league, stats, video, grades and contact details. Use our football CV template, or build a free player CV on Athletedom and send it as one link.
4. Email coaches directly. Short and specific: who you are, your level, your video and why their program.
5. Choose showcases and ID camps carefully. Go where the coaches on your list will be, not to every event that sells itself as a scholarship opportunity.
6. Keep your grades up. Academic aid stacks on top of athletic aid, especially in Division II, Division III and the NAIA.
7. Follow up. Send new video and results during your season, and get your club coach to recommend you.

Coaches can also find players directly in our football player market.

Common Mistakes That Cost Players Scholarships

• Aiming only at Division I. Most college soccer players play below Division I.
• Paying for "guaranteed scholarship" services. Nobody can guarantee a scholarship except the coach who offers it.
• Starting too late. Written offers can't come before your senior year, but coaches build their lists long before that.
• Ignoring the academic paperwork. A missing core course or a late registration can stop a deal that is otherwise agreed.
• Hiding a club contract. Declare every contract and payment early and get a ruling before you commit.

The Short Version

• Athletic scholarships exist in NCAA Division I and II, the NAIA and Division I and II junior colleges. Division III gives none.
• Division I soccer rosters are capped at 28, and schools in the House settlement can give scholarships up to that limit. Before 2025–26 the caps were 9.9 for men and 14 for women.
• Division II has 9.0 scholarship equivalents for men and 9.9 for women.
• Most soccer scholarships are partial and many are renewed year to year.
• Coaches can contact you from 15 June after your sophomore year.
• European players need academic and amateurism certification, and the NCAA's age clock can start before college.
• Build a profile, email coaches early and target the level where you will actually play.

Sources

• NCAA Bylaw 17.2: Roster limitations — 28-player Division I soccer roster limits for schools in the settlement.
• NCAA: DI Board of Directors formally adopts changes to roster limits — scholarships up to roster limits for schools that opt in, effective 1 July 2025.
• NCAA: House settlement implementation questions and answers (June 2025) — aid in any amount, rules for schools that did not opt in.
• WRHI: NCAA eliminates sport-specific scholarship caps, introduces roster limits — the previous 9.9 and 14 scholarship caps.
• NCAA: Division II athletics scholarships — 9.0 and 9.9 equivalents in soccer, the partial-scholarship model.
• NCAA: Scholarships and financial aid — what scholarships cover, partial aid, year-to-year awards, the 1 July notice and appeals.
• NCAA: Division III initial eligibility — no athletics scholarships, merit and need-based aid.
• NCAA: Membership composition and sport sponsorship — men's and women's soccer teams by division, 2025–26.
• NCAA: Probability of competing beyond high school — participation and percentages by division, 2024–25.
• NCAA: Division I Recruiting 101 — contact, visit and written offer dates for soccer.
• NCAA: 2026–27 Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete — core courses, core GPA, test scores, multiyear scholarships.
• NCAA Eligibility Center: Register and International student-athletes — account types, who counts as international, documents and translations.
• NCAA Eligibility Center: Division I and II age-based eligibility rules — the five-year window and the 1 September cutoff.
• NCAA: 2026–27 Division I athletics eligibility certification guidelines — how professional teams, pay and competition with professionals are treated.
• NCAA: DI Cabinet adopts changes to eligibility rules for prospects — agents and prize money before enrollment, April 2026.
• NAIA: Men's soccer and NAIA: Financial aid — 188 men's teams and how NAIA aid limits work.

Scholarship and eligibility rules change every year. Check the NCAA's current rules and ask each school's compliance office before you plan around them. Last checked October 2026.