STEP 2 – READ:

Scholarships

College scholarships help students achieve their peak academic and athletic potential.  A scholarship is a one-year agreement between the player and coach.  If a player continues to meet team requirements and expectations he or she is likely to maintain or increase the scholarship.   

Full Scholarship: Includes tuition, fees, books and room & board.

Men’s – NCAA Scholarships (Full)

Division 1 – 4.5

Division 2 – 3.6

Division 3 – No Athletic Scholarships

Women’s – NCAA Scholarships (Full)

Division 1 – 6

Division 2 – 5.4

Division 3 – No Athletic Scholarships

Other Scholarships (Men & Women)

NAIA – 5 Scholarships

NJCAA D1 – 8 Full Scholarships

NJCAA D2 – 8 Partial Scholarships

NJCAA D3 – No Athletic Scholarships

NCAA Eligibility Center

Registering with the NCAA Eligibility Center is a necessary part of every college-bound student athlete’s career. The Eligibility Center is required for all students planning on playing in NCAA D1 and D2.  

It is important to note that registering with the NCAA Eligibility Center does not exempt student-athletes from submitting regular college applications to individual schools.  You will need to submit applications to all schools you are considering by the middle of your senior year.

When to register?

End of Junior Year

What to submit?

SAT or ACT scores: directly from the testing agency. (Use NCAA Eligibility Center code “9999” on all exams.)  The NCAA Eligibility Center takes the best score from each section of the SAT or ACT to determine your score.  

Transcript: From the end of Junior Year and end of Senior Year.

NCAA Amateurism questionnaire.

What does the NCAA Eligibility Center do?

Certify that you graduated from an accredited high school.

Certify that you passed the required core high school classes.

Certify SAT or ACT + High School GPA pass the requirements.

National Letter of Intent

Verbal Commitment

Verbal commitments usually occur in a player’s junior year of high school during an unofficial visit. During the unofficial visit, a coach may offer the player a spot on his or her roster and scholarship money. If the player agrees to the coach’s terms they have made a “verbal commitment.”

Through a verbal commitment, the coach and player are expected to honor the agreed upon terms and the player will likely sign an Early National Letter of Intent. Nothing is official until the NLI has been signed but it is very rare that a coach fails to honor a verbal commitment.

National Letter of Intent

The NLI is a written contract that commits both parties (player & school) to a one-year agreement. The NLI is signed in the player’s senior year, at either the early signing period or regular signing period. Signing the NLI is the final step to confirming your spot on a college golf team for the following year. Please remember to always read over the entire contract before signing.

Early Signing Period: Third week in November

Regular Signing Period: Mid-April through August 1st 

What does the National Letter of Intent guarantee?

1. Signing the NLI commits a player to attending the specified university for at least one year. This is a commitment to the academic university, NOT the golf coach or golf team. If a coach is to retire or change schools prior to you coming in, the NLI may not be transferred or canceled.

2. Signing the NLI commits the university to guaranteeing a player the agreed upon athletic scholarship amount for 4 years.

3. You must be accepted to the university academically for the NLI to be honored.

4. Upon signing the NLI, other schools are required to stop all forms recruiting with that player.

Early Signing Period for NLI

It is fairly common for most schools to sign at least one player during the NLI early signing period. Some of the bigger programs may sign 2 or 3 players during the early signing period. Make sure you visit all the schools you are interested in before you make a final decision. This decision will impact the next 4 years of your life.

If you do decide to sign early, make sure you are in good standing with the school’s admissions department. This should be discussed with the coach prior to signing.

I didn’t sign my NLI early. What now?

Nearly all college golf coaches still need to sign players during the NLI regular signing period. Coaches know that players can still improve during their senior year and that they deserve an opportunity.

● After the NLI early signing period, you should note all players that committed to the schools you are considering.

● Note the number of early signees and the likely positions remaining at each school. If any schools seem to have filled their available positions ask the coach if he is done recruiting or still active.

● It’s important to maintain a competitive schedule through the spring, to keep developing your playing resume.

● Continue taking official and unofficial visits as often as possible. This is a good way to show coaches how badly you want to play for their team.

● Constantly keep coaches updated with tournament results, upcoming tournament schedule, grades and standardized test scores. (SAT, ACT, TOEFL)

Be Persistent!

This is the time to let coaches know how hard you are working and how important it is that you get a spot on their team.

At this point, it’s ok to ask about a coach’s current recruiting situation and where you stand in that equation. It’s much better to get direct answers, even if some coaches say no. You are better off focusing your time and energy on the schools you have a chance with.

STEP 3 – GET HELP:

Submit your questions about scholarships, NCAA Regulations and the National Letter of Intent.

A Recruiter Elite Advisor will get back to you in 24 hours and also send you this additional guide: