Woman's Sports Scholarships.

Mia Hamm. Anika Sorenstam. Gabriella Reese. These women are helping to bring woman's athletics into popular culture. In recognition of the increasing quality and popularity of woman's sports, scholarships are becoming more and more available for the woman athlete.

College athletic departments have separate women's scholarships and national organizations such as the NCAA have women's divisions now. The women's sports scholarships range from Archery to Volleyball and include some sports that used to be male only, such as Ice Hockey.

Big Fish in a Little Pond

When applying for athletic scholarships, be wary of the Big Fish in a Little Pond syndrome. Just because you (or your child) is the best player on his or her team, does not automatically guarantee a full scholarship to a leading top division school.

When handing out scholarships, school athletic directors look at the students academics, the competition faced in high school, as well as the maturity level of the student. Some very good high school athletes are not pursued by top division schools because the student lacked the complete make-up needed to play in a top division. Be realistic about your (or your child's) ability and apply accordingly.

Athletic Scholarships

From archery to yacht racing, there are hundreds of sports to participate in. And, many schools offer scholarships based on the level that the sport competes in.

Higher level sports (such as football and baseball) will have more money available, but will also have more applicants. Sports such as table tennis and archery will have fewer applicants, but may not be available at all schools.

NCAA Scholarships

Can I get a scholarship form the NCAA? A common questions asked by student athletes. The answer to the questions is yes...and no. The NCAA estimates it gives close to $1billion in scholarship monies annually. However, the scholarships are administered by the academic institutions.

The NCAA has guidelines regarding the administration of the scholarships, but final decisions are left up to the institutions. Contact the athletic department of each school to find out how the scholarship program works.

Sports Journalism Scholarships

Love sports? Love to write? There are scholarships available for you. The budding sports journalist can get help from a variety of sources.

Individual colleges offer writing scholarships and the NCAA offers a sports journalism scholarship called the Freedom Forum.

Applying for an Athletic Scholarship

There are more than 29 sports that offer scholarships in athletics however, getting one of these is a tricky issue. Applying is not as easy. All scholarships require a certain academic standard (this standard may vary by school and division of competition). Be sure to know the standard before applying.

Performance evaluations are also part of athletic scholarships. Different divisions of play require different levels of athletic ability. Scouts travel the country checking out high school students to find athletes that have the ability to play at certain level. Some of the higher divisions offer scholarships based on these scouted performances, there is no "application" to fill out. Other divisions have application processes similar to other types of scholarships.