If you are a high school student who plays competitive tennis, universities in USA have some great opportunities, many of which offer tennis scholarship programs. USA sports admission system and sports/tennis scholarship process can be quite challenging. This blog will help you gain clarity regarding the athletic admissions process. When you are done reading the blog you will have a better understanding of the following:
- Why the USA is a great destination for tennis scholarship?
- What are NCAA Divisions?
- Requirements for getting a tennis scholarship?
- And, the level of tennis needed to get a scholarship?
Why Choose USA for Tennis Scholarship?
Having well-structured institutions and a holistic admission process, USA colleges & universities provide great opportunities and offer scholarships to students who have a UTR ranking of 12 or more. Many Indian tennis players like Mahesh Bhupati & Somdeve Devverman have taken this route to pursue a career in professional tennis.
Colleges in the USA provide some of the best facilities in the world and help you get guidance from international level coaches. Apart from that you also get assistance from physical trainers, physiotherapists, nutritionists etc.
What are NCAA Divisions?
NCAA (National Colligate Athletic Association) is the governing body which manages most college sports including tennis in the USA. This association oversees nearly half a million student athletes from over 1100 colleges.
The NCAA has classified USA Universities & colleges into three divisions, namely division I, II & III. The large and most reputed colleges fall under Divisions I & II, while Division III includes some of the smaller colleges.
Requirements for getting tennis scholarship
Here are some of the requirements that are essential for getting a tennis scholarship at a US University.
- Complete your high school and fulfil all the academic requirements for admission in a US university.
- Prepare hard for your SAT & TOFEL tests. Remember, in competing with candidates who have the same tennis level as you, your test scores could give you the edge. The coach is likely to give the scholarship to a student with a better academic profile.
- Have a tennis ranking (ITF Juniors, ATP/WTA Ranking, national ranking etc) or experience in national, international & professional competitions.
- Maintain your amateur player status. i.e. you should not have signed any contract or played tennis for money.
Level of Tennis needed in each division
For Division I tennis, you need to have participated in international events and have an ATP or WTA ranking. If you play Division I level tennis, your chances of getting a tennis scholarship is also higher. Division II, on the other hand, is meant for players who have a tennis ranking in national or regional level.
Division III includes colleges which do not necessarily provide tennis scholarship but have other forms of academic scholarships. If you have a tennis rank, but are not interested in pursuing professional tennis, this can be the option for you.
Conclusion
Whether you wish to pursue professional tennis or use your tennis skills to reinforce your academics, college tennis in the USA has room for all kinds of players. Here are a few interesting figures:
Approx. number of NCAA Division-I teams: Men’s 260, Women’s 320
Approx. number of NCAA Division-II teams: Men’s 170, Women’s 230
More than 10,000 Men & Women play college tennis across all divisions
