College Soccer Scholarships

Limits at a glance

Most of these are equivalency limits. The number is the total value of aid a team can hand out, counted in full scholarships, and the coach can divide it among as many players as they like. A Division II women's team with 9.9 equivalencies could give a few players large awards, many players small ones, or a mix. That's why most soccer awards are partial.

Division I after the House settlement

The House v. NCAA settlement led to new Division I rules that took effect July 1, 2025. The Division I Manual no longer contains a team scholarship limit for any sport. Instead, schools in the conferences that were defendants in the case, and any other Division I school that opted in, follow roster limits. In soccer that limit is 28 players for men and 28 for women. Certain players whose spots were protected when the limits arrived, called designated student-athletes, don't count against it.

At those schools a coach could in principle put all 28 players on some aid. Whether that happens depends on the school's budget and how it divides money among its sports. A program that used to carry more than 28 players has had to come down to 28.

Schools decide each year whether to take part, and starting March 1, 2026 they have to give notice by March 1 for the next academic year. A Division I school that doesn't opt in isn't bound by the roster limits. But if it gives more athletic aid than the old 2024-25 limits allowed, it becomes subject to the settlement terms, roster limits included. In practice that keeps non-participating soccer programs at or under the pre-2025 limits of 9.9 equivalencies for men and 14 for women.

What a Division I award can include

One player's total aid can't go above the school's cost of attendance, which covers tuition and fees, living expenses, books, supplies and transportation. A player who receives a federal Pell Grant can get either that amount or a full scholarship plus the Pell Grant, whichever is greater. Awards can run one year or several, but not past the player's five-year eligibility window.

Division I aid also has strong protections. If you receive athletic aid in your first year at a school, it can't be reduced or cancelled during the award, or cut or dropped afterward during your five-year window, because of how you play, an injury or illness, or any other athletic reason. It can be reduced for things like becoming ineligible through your own actions, serious misconduct, quitting the team, breaking a non-athletic condition or team rule, or entering the transfer process.

Schools in the settlement can also pay athletes directly from a capped, school-wide pool. How much of that, if any, reaches soccer players is each school's call, and it's separate from scholarship aid.

Division II: 9.0 and 9.9 equivalencies

Division II limits are set in the 2026-27 Division II Manual: 9.0 equivalencies for men's soccer and 9.9 for women's soccer. A full grant in Division II covers tuition and fees plus food and housing. Across all sports, 77% of Division II athletes receive some athletic aid, and the NCAA calls it a partial scholarship model.

Here's the part many families miss. Only athletic aid counts toward the team limit, meaning aid from the athletic department or aid that requires the student to play. A merit scholarship that every admitted student with your grades would get doesn't use any of the coach's 9.9. That makes good grades worth real money at Division II schools, because a coach can offer a smaller athletic award and still reach a total package that works.

Some quick math shows why packages matter. If a women's team spread its full 9.9 equally across 26 players, each would get about 38% of a full grant. Coaches don't have to split it evenly, and usually some players get more than others, but the average makes the point: most Division II soccer players are paying part of the bill, and academic aid fills a lot of the gap.

Division III: no athletic aid, plenty of other aid

Division III schools can't give aid for athletic ability, leadership, participation or performance. That doesn't mean soccer players pay full price. The NCAA reports that 80% of Division III athletes receive academic or need-based aid, which is the same kind of aid any student at the school can get.

Coaches can't promise money, but they can often help you understand the admission and aid process and when to apply. Run the school's net price calculator early, compare actual award letters side by side, and ask the financial aid office whether it will review an award if your family's situation or a competing offer changes.

NAIA: 12 per team, with academic exemptions

The NAIA's 2025-26 Handbook sets the soccer limit at 12, split however the school chooses. Unlike Division II, the NAIA counts most institutional aid toward that limit, including academic scholarships, unless the player qualifies for an academic exemption. Aid that isn't controlled by the school, such as Pell Grants, state and federal grants and campus jobs, doesn't count. Neither does aid to players who compete only at the junior varsity level.

The academic exemptions are where strong students gain an edge. An entering freshman meets one of the following and some or all of their aid stops counting against the team's 12.

For continuing students, aid to anyone with a 3.60 cumulative GPA or in the top 10% of the class doesn't count, and half the aid counts for those with a 3.30 to 3.59 GPA or in the top 11% to 25%. A coach with exempt players can stretch the 12 a long way, so share your grades and test scores early.

Junior college scholarships

In the NJCAA, Division I colleges can offer full scholarships, Division II scholarships are capped at tuition, fees and books, and Division III colleges give no aid based on athletic ability. Every sport has a limit on how many scholarships a team can award. Ask the coach for the current soccer number and whether housing is part of the offer.

Junior college offers are signed with the NJCAA Letter of Intent. A junior college scholarship can be a sensible route for a player who wants two more years of development before moving to a four-year program.

Stacking academic and need-based aid

Each level treats outside aid differently, and the difference can be worth thousands of dollars a year.

• Division I in the settlement: no team limit, so stacking only runs into the cost-of-attendance cap per player, plus the Pell exception.
• Division II: academic and need-based aid that isn't tied to playing doesn't count against the team's limit at all.
• NAIA: academic scholarships count against the 12 unless the player earns a full or half academic exemption.
• Division III: all aid is academic or need-based, awarded the same way as for other students.

Wherever you go, you have to report all outside aid to the school's financial aid office. The NCAA no longer uses SAT or ACT scores for eligibility, but it tells families to check whether a school needs them for admission or scholarships. For merit aid and NAIA exemptions, a good score can still pay.

Walk-ons, preferred walk-ons and NIL

Not every roster spot comes with money. The NCAA defines a preferred walk-on as a player a coach wants on the team but has no scholarship for, with a guaranteed roster spot. A walk-on joins the team without being recruited in the usual way and without athletic aid. In Divisions I and II, both still have to register with the NCAA Eligibility Center and meet the same initial-eligibility standards as scholarship players.

At Division I schools in the settlement, every player who takes part in team activities has to be on the submitted roster, so walk-ons count toward the 28 the same as scholarship players. If a coach offers a walk-on or preferred walk-on spot, ask how many players are on the roster now and how many are expected in your class.

Name, image and likeness money is separate from aid. Players can be paid by third parties for things like social posts and appearances, and players headed to Division I have to report deals worth $600 or more signed on or after the first day of junior year. The rules are covered in our NCAA eligibility guide.

Realistic expectations

Division I and II schools give more than $4.3 billion in athletic scholarships a year to nearly 210,000 athletes across all sports, and the NCAA says most athletic scholarships are partial. In Division I, 70% of athletes receive athletic aid. Its guide for recruits adds that only about 2% of high school athletes are offered athletic scholarships.

In soccer, partial awards are the norm. A family should plan on a package built from several pieces: some athletic money, merit aid, need-based aid and savings or loans. Compare offers on what you'd actually pay each year, not on the athletic percentage. A 25% athletic award at a school with big merit aid can cost less than a 50% award somewhere else.

Club costs are part of the picture too. Showcases, camps and travel add up long before any aid arrives, and our page on club soccer costs breaks those down.

Reading an offer

A Division I school can't put an athletic aid offer in writing before August 1 of senior year, and the first Division I and II signing date for the class of 2027 is November 11, 2026. Before you sign an athletics aid agreement, get answers in writing.

• What exactly does the award cover: tuition, fees, housing, food, books?
• Is it for one year or several, and what is renewal based on?
• What happens to the aid after an injury, or if the head coach leaves?
• Will the amount change if the player earns more merit aid or a Pell Grant?
• Is the school in the House settlement, and could revenue-sharing payments be part of the offer?
• What will the family actually pay each year after all aid?

If a school plans to reduce, cancel or not renew athletic aid, it has to tell the player in writing by July 1 and explain how to appeal. Once you sign with one school, other schools that offer athletic aid must stop recruiting you unless you're released. For more on what to ask, see questions to ask college soccer coaches, and for how levels compare overall, the divisions guide. The college soccer recruiting guide covers the whole process, and soccer recruiting for parents covers the money conversation from the family side.