NCAA

Introduction

The pathway to US college tennis and the potential to receive an athletic scholarship is an incredible opportunity. Not only is US college tennis a great athletic and academic opportunity for a young aspiring tennis player and has a tremendous financial value, but there are many intangible benefits from pursuing this worthy pathway.

The US College Tennis Pathway

The US college tennis pathway starts with U10 and U12 players testing their skills at summer community clubs, then joining year-round competitive tennis programs and competing at local, provincial, national and potentially international events from U10 to U18 age groups.

After graduating from U18 junior tennis and high school, these youngsters are ready to pursue a US tennis scholarship. This pathway is a way to continue to play the game that many young athletes love and allows them to be a part of a team working together towards common goals all while enjoy the camaraderie with teammates and develop life-long friendships and relationships.

Note: Although many athletes start playing and competing early in their junior careers, it is important to know that it is possible to pick up a racquet at a later age and obtain an athletic scholarship to a US college.

Why College Tennis?

College tennis in the United States is an exciting and rewarding experience. College tennis gives you, the student athlete, the ability to improve your tennis while furthering your education and earning an accredited bachelors degree.

There is a tremendous financial value for aiming for an athletic scholarship.
Financial Considerations: The monetary value of a US College Tennis Scholarship

If you do not receive athletic scholarship aid, some student-athletes are offered a position on their school’s tennis team and receive an academic scholarship (depending on their SAT grades and high school transcripts). Other student athletes may be offered a part academic scholarship and part athletic scholarship.

Even if you do not receive any type of scholarship, college athletes may collect other significant benefits, such as:

• Priority in scheduling classes
• Help with note taking when a class is missed
• Streamlined registration for courses
• Tutoring help

Resources

Players seeking scholarships

• National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)
• National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA)
• Tennis Recruiting Network
• Universal Tennis Ratings
• How to Contact College Coaches
• Can You Handle the Life of a College Athlete?

INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS

The NCAA, NAIA, NJCAA are the governing organizations of collegiate athletics within the United States.

Tennis is one of many amateur sports sponsored by these organizations and have produced some of its great athletes like James Blake (Harvard), Laura Granville (Stanford), Wesley Moodie (Boise State), Bob and Mike Bryan (Stanford), Peter Luczak (Fresno State) and Amer Delic (Illinois).

A number of Canadian players have also taken the NCAA route, including Carol Zhao (Stanford), Brayden Schnur (UNC) and Benjamin Sigouin (UNC).

Intercollegiate Divisions