Cycling Scholarships
Cycling is not an official NCAA or NAIA sport yet, so there are currently no institutional limits on athletic scholarships. The governing body for intercollegiate cycling is USA Cycling. Some teams USA Cycling recognizes as varsity teams are classified by the schools themselves as club and not varsity teams. As cycling is still growing at the colligate level, at this stage not every univeristy offers scholarships, so to be awarded a scholarship you need to ideally be competing at the highest level within your country. However, more and more universities are adding cycling teams, so the total numbers of teams will continue ro rise. There currently are 15 cyling teams that are considered varsity cycling team. However, there are many more universities offering the opportunity to be part of their club cycling team. Those teams compete at the same events at varsity teams, so there are plently of options for you if you are looking to combine education and high level cycling in the US.
Are there scholarships available in cycling?
Yes and no! Since collegiate cycling is not run by the NCAA or NAIA, there are no institutional scholarship limits set by the respective governing bodies. However, because the sport is still relatively small at the collegiate level compared to the main sports such as basketball and football, athletic scholarships are still difficult to be found. A great option therefore is to use your grades and test scores in order to qualify for an academic scholarship to cover some of your tuition cost.
How does the process work?
The key, as it is the case in many sports, is getting started early. This becomes even more of a factor, if you are trying to use your academic resume to obtain a scholarship. So if you are interested in becoming a college cyclist, do not wait till the last minute and get started early. Our team will be able to assist you with all the necessary steps in order to maximize your chances of being part of a strong cycling team and to keep the costs as low as possible for you and your family.
Here are some more important facts about college cycling and cycling scholarships:
- Number of NCAA cycling teams: 8
- Number of NAIA cycling teams: 5
- Total Number of varsity cycling teams (all divisions): 15
- Total number of college varsity cyclists: c. 400
- Most famous college cycling teams: Fort Lewis College, Colorado Mesa, Lindenwood, Brevard, Lindsey Wilson, SCAD