Understanding Scholarships

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Understanding scholarships in the NCAA and other collegiate governing bodies can be confusing. The thing that surprises parents and athletes the most when going through the recruiting process, is how little athletic scholarship money is actually available. As you'll see below, the average Division 1 roster of swimmers and divers is 28 athletes. There isn't enough scholarship money for everyone to receive a 'full ride'. Most freshman athletes will receive little to no athletic money but will have the opportunity to earn more throughout their career.

Every team is different and every year is different. Some teams may not even have the allotted scholarship limits, while others may have additional or alternative scholarships available through endowments and the like. Some teams may have enough divers on their roster for your graduating year so they prioritize swim recruits. A head coach's job is to build a balanced roster season to season. One year might be diving heavy where the next could be swimming heavy. Things change, athletes transfer or retire, budgets get adjusted. No two programs will ever be in the exact same situation year in and year out.

The only constant with scholarships year in and year out is this...

Every AFD diver will have access to significantly more scholarship money through their academic achievements than through their diving achievements.