How do I get a Swimming scholarship?
Maintain a high GPA throughout high school.
Take your ACT or SAT tests early and retest as needed to obtain higher scores.
Get NCAA qualified if your want to play at a NCAA school.
Get NAIA qualified if you want to play at a NAIA school.
Contact local schools about swimming and diving scholarships they have available.
Contact college swimming and diving coaches and let them know you are interested in competing at swimming and diving at their schools and that you’re interested in obtaining a swimming and diving scholarship.
Take visits to the schools who are interested in you.
Keep in touch with the swimming and diving coaches that contact you.
Educate yourself about the swimming and diving scholarship recruiting process.
Top of page
How do I get recruited for a Swimming scholarship?
The most important aspect of being recruited might be exposure. It’s true you need talent, good race times, quality diving skills and strength but even if you rate very high in these areas if the college swimming and diving coaches don’t know about you they can't recruit you.
You should work with your high school swimming and diving coach and counselor to help you with contacting swimming and diving coaches. But do not depend on these alone, your high school swimming and diving coach and counselor are not required nor do they usually have the time available to adequately promote you to college swimming and diving coaches.
Swimming and diving has become more popular and there are scholarship opportunities outside those offered by the NCAA, NJCAA and NAIA. Be sure to check with the athletics department of the schools your interested in about these additional scholarship opportunities. You should also use social networking sites such as Face Book, Twitter and You Tube to get your name out there. In addition many athletes use websites designed to help them contact swimming and diving coaches or have swimming and diving coaches contact them. Most of these sites offer some form of free exposure but in most cases free accounts have limited impact. You can also use a paid account at most of these sites, which can give you more exposure than what you get for free. If you choose to pay for your exposure it is recommended that you choose a site that can deliver your important stats, videos and awards to as many college swimming and diving coaches as possible. Similar to looking for a job, the more prospects you have the better your chances of receiving a swimming and diving scholarship.
Top of page
What are the academic requirements for Swimming scholarship?
The academic requirements for swimming scholarships vary by what level you want to play at and in some instances the schools you wish to attend.
- Click here for information about the NCAA guidelines regarding academic requirements for swimming scholarships.
- Click here for information about the NAIA guidelines regarding academic requirements for swimming scholarships.
Remember that some schools will have stiffer requirements than the minimums required by both the NCAA and NAIA. You should check with those schools admissions office for academic requirements to obtain swimming scholarships.
Top of page
Am I good enough for a Swimming scholarship?
This depends on what level you wish to compete at in swimming and diving. To compete at the NCAA Division I level you will need above average talent. If you widen your search to include the NJCAA and the NAIA your talent level can be quite a bit less than needed at the Division I level.
Also remember that whether you are good enough depends on who’s looking at you. The more college swimming and diving coaches that are aware of your talent the better the chances are that some swimming and diving coach will offer you a swimming and diving scholarship.
Top of page
What are my odds of getting a Swimming scholarship?
The odds of competing at swimming and diving on scholarship at the NCAA Division I level are not that great and competition is intense. However if you’re willing to compete at the NCAA Division II level, NAIA or NJCAA your chances go up dramatically because the amount of swimming and diving scholarships available at these levels. In short, don’t limit your possibilities explore all divisions at the NCAA level, NJCAA and NAIA to increase your odds of getting a swimming and diving scholarship. Also don’t forget about the numerous scholarships offered to prospective swimming and diving players outside of the NCAA or NAIA. Contact the athletics department of the schools your interested in about these opportunities.
Top of page
How can I improve my chances of getting a Swimming scholarship?
There are many things you can do to improve your chances of securing a swimming and diving scholarship.
Keeping your GPA as high as possible.
Being pre qualified by the NCAA and NAIA.
Having high SAT or ACT scores, click here for information about where you need to be.
Improving your swimming and diving skills, speed, endurance and versatility are areas you can work at and improve on.
Get your stats, videos and awards out to as many swimming and diving coaches as possible, click here for more information from eScout4u about our effective, efficient and inexpensive two-step process to achieve this.
Be proactive when searching for swimming and diving scholarship dollars.
Don’t sit back and wait until its to late, start early before your senior year.
Top of page
What’s the best way to get a Swimming scholarship?
The best way to get swimming and diving scholarships is for you to promote yourself to as many swimming and diving coaches as possible. No matter what your talent level is, if enough swimming and diving coaches see your talent you stand a chance of getting recruited. Somewhere some swimming and diving coach is looking for the very talent you have to offer but if he doesn’t know you exist he can’t offer you a swimming and diving scholarship. We believe we have the most effective way to showcase your talents to swimming and diving coaches available on the internet, click here for more free information.
Top of page
