Recruiting Resources
Below are resources to find the right college & softball program for you, as well as what it takes to go through the recruiting process. Take the time to do your research and it will save you a lot of time (and money) in the long-run. Do not sit back and wait to get "noticed". That's the single biggest mistake high school student-athletes make. They wait to get "noticed" or send out mass emails hoping to get a coach's attention. Then, they take the first good offer they receive. That's why so many freshman don't stay at a school for more than their first semester or leave after their freshman year.
You don't need to spend hundreds, or thousands, of dollars on recruiting services. Get good grades; be the best softball player you can possibly be; find your dream school; and take control of your future by getting the coaches' attention and showing them you are the player they want!
The NCAA phrase is, "2.3 or take a knee." You must have a 2.3 GPA in college to be eligible to play sports at an NCAA college. While this might not sound like much, think of it this way... Your first semester in college is usually a light academic load (you might only have 4 classes). If you struggle a little and have three C's and one B, your GPA is 2.25 and you are ineligible to play. Coaches don't want to risk having any of their players being ineligible. That's why coaches prefer to recruit players with GPAs of at least 3.0 in high school.
Below you will find just about every resource you need to find the right college for you and to guide you through the process.
This link will take you to a list of west coast college camp websites. We try to keep the links up to date.
The following links provide ways to find the right college, save money and learn about the college recruiting process.
NCSA College Listing While we don't currently use NCSA, they still have good resources for those without accounts. This is a good place to start looking for colleges. It explains the differences between the various associations and divisions, including the advantages of each.
College Navigator Search This is one of the best college search engines. It allows you to search for colleges based on multiple criteria. Be sure to select Women's Varsity Athletics & check Softball.
Big Figure College Search This is another good college search engine. However, when it comes to sports, it will show all colleges with any level of softball (including club). Sports can be found under Campus Life.
NCAA Colleges This page allows you to locate NCAA Colleges. The first criteria to select is (obviously) softball...
Scholarship Search Use this scholarship search tool to find unique scholarships. Some scholarships might only be $500, while others are a lot more. The bottom-line is if you are trying to find ways to make college less expensive, apply, apply, apply!
Cappex Scholarship Search This is another good search tool to find a wide-range of scholarships that you might qualify for...
Use these sites to sign-up to take your SAT and/or ACT tests.
SAT Registration (Register for the SAT)
ACT Registration (Register for the ACT)
These sites will give you information about the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), as well as how to register with the NCAA to obtain an eligibility number.
NCAA Eligibility Center (You must register if you want to play softball at a NCAA university.)
NCAA Core Courses (Here is the direct link to learn what counts towards your REAL GPA, according to the NCAA. It's also where you can search for YOUR school to determine what classes you need to complete prior to graduating if you want to be eligible.)
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) is another athletic association. 4-year universities either compete in the NCAA or the NAIA. NAIA colleges tend to be smaller, private universities. NAIA recruiting rules are much more relaxed than NCAA rules, so college coaches are allowed to speak with players almost anytime they want.
NAIA Eligibility Center (You must register if you want to play softball at a NAIA university.)
NAIA Universities with Softball Programs (This site has a list of all NAIA universities with softball.)
The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) is similar to the NCAA, but is comprised of junior colleges. Because of the large numbers of community colleges in California (and their different recruiting and scholarship rules), California has its own junior college athletic association known as the CCCAA. Additionally, the Northwest Athletic Conference is comprised of community colleges in the Pacific Northwest.
A couple of smaller, lesser known associations out there are the National Christian Collegiate Athletic Association (NCCAA) and the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA).
NCCAA Website (Biola University is now a member of the NCCAA. They were previously an NAIA university.)
If you receive a scholarship from an NCAA DI or DII college, you will sign a National Letter of Intent (NLI). An NLI is a contract guaranteeing you certain things (usually money for college) and binding you to certain things (primarily that you are contractually bound to only play softball at one school for one season). There are rules set in place if you, or the college, backs-out of the contract.
National Letter of Intent (NLI) Website
You will need (and want) to apply for financial aid. Most colleges require it as a part of the process, regardless if you need financial aid or not.
FAFSA (Apply for federal financial aid)
No matter how good a softball player is, the odds of getting a "full-ride" athletic scholarship is small (especially as a freshman). Most student-athletes have to combine various funding sources (athletic scholarship; academic scholarship; grant money; financial aid etc.) to get the most money possible for college.
Here is the breakdown of the maximum number of athletic scholarships allowed (assuming the college is fully funded). As an example, a college may be "allowed" 25 scholarships according to NCAA rules, but if the college doesn't have enough money, they might only offer 10 scholarships (or less...). Also, whether a college can "stack" scholarships (provide academic & athletic scholarships) is dependent on the association, conference and college.
NCAA DI: 25 scholarships
NCAA DII: 7.2 scholarships
NCAA DIII: Academic scholarships only (no athletic)
NAIA: 10 scholarships
NJCAA DI: 24 scholarships (VERY IMPORTANT... Your two years of playing at a junior college DO NOT count towards your 4 years of eligibility at an NCAA college.)
CCCAA: No athletic scholarships. However, attending a California Community College, instead of an out-of-state JC has some hidden advantages & big cost savings.
To make up the difference, grants and other scholarships are available. On the FAFSA website, as well as the College Search website listed above, you'll find resources to search for other ways of reducing the cost of college.
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