Student-Athlete Resources

The purpose of this page is to help our SCCAL student-athletes who want to continue their athletic careers in college to navigate some of the issues ahead of them. Below you will find information and links that will hopefully help you .

Selecting a college at which to play is not always easy. See below, there are hundreds and hundreds of options, and all of them are good ones. But remember, no decision is final. It is important to remember that, if it turns-out to not be a good fit, you can find a different college, as thousands of student-athletes do every year. This important decision can be switched, multiple times if necessary.

Your high school coaches, your high school counselors, your Athletic Director, and your parents can all assist you with this decision. It is generally recommended that your choice of college should be based on academics, degree programs, campus comfort levels, location, cost, post-college job opportunities, and how the college will help you to reach your goals, and not solely on athletics.

Getting on the college coach’s radar.

First, identify a handful of colleges that you would be interested in attending. Then get to work. Personal outreach is the best method. To put it simply, college coaches want to recruit high school athletes who want to attend their school. Make that desire apparent in your communications with each coach. Let them know that their college is your top choice.

  1. Go to their Athletics homepage and fill-out their Prospective Student-Athlete Questionnaire.
  2. Write the head coach a personal email or letter, make it specific and heartfelt.
  3. Attend a camp or clinic at their site.
  4. Send the coach your schedule, perhaps he/she can watch you in person.
  5. Is there a Showcase or Tournament near the college that you can play in? Let the coach know.
  6. Keep the coach updated with new PR’s or stats or accomplishments.
  7. Send a highlight video.
  8. Plan a campus visit, meet the coach in person.
  9. Ask your high school coach and/or AD to send a personal email recommending you.

In addition, there are many college recruiting companies that, for a fee, will contact colleges and promote you.

College Athletics in the US

There are four options for playing sports in college in the US: 1. NCAA, 2. NAIA, 3. NCCAA, and 4. Community Colleges.

  1. The NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) governs over 1200 colleges throughout the US, and they break their programs into three different levels – D1, D2 & D3. D1 has 350 participating colleges, D2 has 310 colleges, and D3 has 438 colleges. D1 and D2 student-athletes can earn athletic scholarships, sometimes full and sometimes partial. D3 schools are non-athletic scholarship programs. At every level, academic and other scholarships are available, plus need-based financial aid. All prospective NCAA student-athletes must register with the NCAA Eligibility Center, preferably during your Frosh or Sophomore year. Note: you will be unable to take an Official Campus Visit until you are enrolled in the Eligibility Center. Here are links to: a) the NCAA website – https://www.ncaa.com/; b) the NCAA Eligibilty Center – https://web3.ncaa.org/ecwr3/; and c) the 2024-25 Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete – http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/eligibility_center/Student_Resources/CBSA.pdf.
  2. The NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) governs over 230 colleges nationwide. NAIA colleges are generally smaller than most NCAA colleges, and about 80% are private. The competition in the NAIA is about equivalent to D2 or D3 in the NCAA. Many NAIA schools offer full or partial scholarships, and all offer academic and other scholarships and need-based financial aid. Here is the link to the NAIA: https://www.naia.org/landing/index. Exciting development – many NAIA colleges offer women’s Flag Football.
  3. The NCCAA (National Christian College Athletic Association) is a Christian-based organization that oversees over 90 colleges nationwide, which are broken-up into Division 1 and Division 2 schools. Similar to the NAIA, the competition level is akin to D2 or D3 in the NCAA. All the NCCAA schools are private, but as with the other collegiate governing bodies, scholarships and financial aid is available. Here is the link to the NCCAA: https://thenccaa.org/index.aspx.
  4. California Community Colleges (CCC) governs over 100 two-year colleges in California, which is the largest system of higher education in the country, and most of them offer athletics to varying degrees. All California Community Colleges are public, and non-athletic scholarships and need-based financial aid are available. Recent studies show that 50% of all CSU grads started at a California Community College, and 30% of all UC grads. Here are the links to: a) the CCC: https://www.cccco.edu/; and b) the CCCAA (California Community College Athletic Association, or the “3C2A“), the governing body for California Community College sports – https://3c2asports.org.
  5. There are community colleges in other states too. However, unlike California, where all community colleges are public, many community colleges in other states are private. Because many are private, many will offer full or partial athletic scholarships. Here is the link to their governing body, the National Junior College Athletic Association – https://www.njcaa.org/landing/index.

Interestlingly, despite their different governing bodies, you’ll often find NCAA D2 and D3 schools regularly play NAIA and NCCAA schools.

A word about athletic scholarships.

Not all athletic scholarships are full-rides. As a matter of fact, full-rides are not common in college athletics. Less than 1% of all collegiate athletes nationwide receive full-rides. If you receive one, well done! Here is a quick intro:

  1. In the NCAA, full-rides are only offered at the D1 level, and only in football, men’s and women’s basketball, women’s gymnastics, and men’s and women’s tennis and volleyball. These are known as “head count sports”, and the NCAA allows each of these sports to provide a certain number of full-ride scholarships each year.
  2. Partial scholarships are available in other NCAA D1 and D2 sports. These remaining sports are known as “equivalency sports”, and an individual can earn a 1/8 or 1/4 or 1/2 scholarship, or some other fraction, and these fractions can change year-by-year.
  3. The NCAA D3 level, as explained above, does not offer any athletic scholarships.
  4. NAIA schools, and NCCAA Division 1 schools, can offer full and partial athletic scholarships.

Most scholarships are not guaranteed year-to-year.

Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) – Financial Aid

The FAFSA form is used by colleges to award financial aid to students. This aid includes loans, grants, scholarships, and federal work-study. This form is available every year, and it determines your eligibility for college-related financial assistance each year. Colleges use FAFSA when making decisions about who receives financial aid—and what type—so it’s an important document to file every year. As you explore various ways to pay for your undergraduate, graduate, or professional degree, submitting the free FAFSA form each year can help you qualify for an array of financial assistance.  

Here is the link to FAFSA: https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa.

Scholarship Information

Every high school in SC County offers its own scholarships, and there are many, many other local, state, and national scholarships available. Your high school guidance counselor and/or Scholarship Coordinator can help you here. Note, it’s much smarter to be sooner rather than later when applying for scholarships, many of them have early deadlines.

Below is a partial list of local scholarship opportunities:

  1. The Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County is a clearinghouse for over 15 local scholarships. Here is a link to their scholarship offerings – https://www.cfscc.org/scholarships
  2. The Wharf-to-Wharf Race offers scholarships to SC County Track & Field/Cross-Country runners – https://wharftowharf.com/community/#tab-scholarships
  3. The Rotary Club of Santa Cruz offers multiple academic scholarships – https://www.santacruzrotary.com/academic-scholarship-program.html
  4. Omegu Nu of Santa Cruz County offers many scholarships to County graduates, including the Ted Bockman Memorial Aquatics Scholarship for students who have participated for at least two years in varsity swimming or water-polo – https://www.duckyderbysantacruz.org/scholarship
  5. The Silicon Valley Community Foundation has several scholarships that SC County grads are eligible for – https://www.siliconvalleycf.org/scholarships/find-scholarships#scholarships
  6. The Santa Cruz County branch of the American Association of University Women offers scholarships to females attending either Cabrillo or UCSC – https://santacruz-ca.aauw.net/scholarships/
  7. The NAACP Santa Cruz County branch offers scholarships to local Black-identifying high school seniors – https://www.naacpsantacruz.com/events/2024-naacp-santa-cruz-youth-scholarships
  8. Big Creek Lumber offers the McCrary Family Scholarship to high school grads living within 25 miles of the Big Creek Lumber locations in Davenport, Santa Cruz, or Watsonville – https://bigcreeklumber.com/scholarships/
  9. The National Football League & the Hispanic Heritage Foundation (HHF) offer scholarships to outstanding Latino/Hispanic male and female high school tackle and flag football athletes for their academic and athletic excellence – https://49ers.formstack.com/forms/hhf_2024
  10. And remember to check-out the scholarships offered by the CCS – https://www.cifccs.org/landing/scholarships

Good luck!