NAIA Scholarships
The NAIA is similar to the NCAA. NAIA colleges have to comply with rules similar to those in the NCAA. Generally speaking, rules pertaining to NAIA athletic scholarships are less stringent than those that apply to NCAA scholarships.
NAIA scholarship atheletes receive an average of $7000 of financial aid. Here are the five most important things to know about NAIA scholarships as opposed to NCAA scharships:
- The New NAIA Eligibility Center- The NAIA now has a clearinghouse like the NCAA Eligibility Center. The NAIA eligibility requirements are: (1) you must have graduated from high school; and (2) meet two of the following three: have an ACT test score of at least 18 or an SAT of at least 860, have a GPA of at least 2.0, and finish in the top half of your graduating class.
- Limited number of scholarships - As with the NCAA, teams are only allowed a certain number of NAIA scholarships, which are listed below.
- Full funding - Just because a team is allowed to have, say 12 scholarships, doesn't mean that the college necessarily has the money to fund them. That team may actually only have 8 scholarships.
- What counts as an athletic scholarship - Any money you get from the school, including athletic grants or scholarships, academic scholarships, leadership or performance awards, outside scholarships administered by the institution, and tuition waivers are considered athletic scholarships.
- What doesn't count as an athletic scholarship - NAIA scholarships that aren't considered athletic aid are, scholarships "that are not funded, controlled, or allocated in any significant way by the institution." These include federal loans and Pell grants.
And finally, remember that any college athletic scholarship, whether NAIA or NCAA, can be be dangerous. Taking this into account, you still might be interested in scholarships for your particular sport. We know the finer points of them all.
Football: 24
Baseball: 12
Basketball(Div. I): 11
Softball: 10
Basketball(Div. II): 6
Golf: 5
Volleyball: 8
Soccer: 12
Track & Field: 12
Tennis: 5
Cross Country: 5
Wrestling: 8
Swimming & Diving: 8
NAIA Academic Requirements
A. Graduate from high school
B. Meet 2 of 3 of these requirements:
1. 860 or better on the SAT OR an ACT composite score of 18 or better (see explanation of ACT scores above)
2. Overall high school GPA of 2.0 or better
3. Graduate in the upper 50% of your high school graduating class
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