How Hard Is it to Get a Full Scholarship Ride?
Students entering college in the 2009 to 2010 academic year pay about $9,000 per year for a public school education and more than $25,000 in tuition at private schools, according to College Board. Only a select few, however, have their needs completely met through scholarships and financial aid. The chances of anyone receiving a "full ride" are not impossible, but you should expect to pay some money for college.
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Identification
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Only about 0.3 percent of students or 20,000 in the U.S. receive a combination of federal and state grants and private scholarship money to pay for all college costs including room and board, according to Lynn O'Shaughnessy of CBS Money Watch. Just 250 private scholarships to U.S. colleges pay for tuition, room and board. Thus, full ride scholarships are exceedingly rare.
Athletic Scholarships
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It is a common misconception that a student awarded an athletic scholarship receives a full ride. Just getting one is rare -- only 2 percent of high school athletes go to college on an athletic scholarship, according to the NCAA. Coaches, however, are free to divvy up money between recipients. NCAA Division I male track teams, for instance, can only award 12.6 scholarships, and schools often divide these between several dozen students, according to Wallet Pop.
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Getting a Full Ride
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The chances for obtaining the elusive full ride scholarship increase when you excel at a certain sport or field. Full rides for music are usually only awarded to the best performers, and academic scholarships go to people who achieve high marks in high school. You do not, however, need straight As to go to college for free. Colleges weigh lower grades in advanced courses, such as AP courses sponsored by the College Board, more than standard or general education classes.
Tip
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Kathryn Knight of FastWeb suggests applying to as many scholarships as possible because it only costs you time to send in an application. You could also apply to the Army ROTC program. This offers a full ride and commission as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Army after graduation, but you must make an eight-year commitment to serve after graduation. In addition, universities usually list private scholarships under the financial aid section.
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References
- College Board; What It Costs to Go to College; 2010
- CBS Money Watch; How Rare Are Full-Ride Scholarships?; Lynn O'Shaughnessy; 2011
- Wallet Pop; Landing Athletic Scholarships for a Full Ride is Rare; Katie Drews; 2010
- Scholarships or Grants: How to Get a Full Scholarship
- FastWeb; 9 Places to Look for Full-Ride Scholarships; Kathryn Knight; 2010
Resources
- Photo Credit money, money, money image by easaab from Fotolia.com
