Cheerleading Scholarships

College cheerleading recruiting is unlike any sport. While there are cheer programs at the NCAA Division 1, Division 2, and Division 3 levels, as well as NAIA and junior colleges, it isn’t recognized as a sanctioned sport. Therefore, college coaches and student-athletes can initiate the recruiting process at any point during high school. That’s why student-athletes who are successful in their recruiting journey do the work needed to get on a coach’s radar: they thoroughly research colleges, create a recruiting video, attend camps and clinics and attend cheerleading tryouts.

But to truly find their college fit, student-athletes need to find the right program. Cheer colleges can greatly vary—some are competitive, while others are non-competitive. Some have levels broken into JV and Varsity, similar to high school. And of course, there are all-girls and co-ed squads. Plus, each college comes with its own set of qualifications. To have shot at making the team, recruits need to focus on the programs where their tumbling, stunts and jumps align with the team’s skill set.

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To date, we've sent over 35,000 young men and women to the US. Securing over $400 million in scholarship awards and finding a place for every single qualifying applicant.

Every year, thousands of student-athletes and their families come face-to-face with the difficult challenge of securing a scholarship to an American university. What they often discover is that navigating university options is stressful enough, and adding sports into the mix brings it to a whole new level.

Even for those who do a little recruiting homework, they are often left with more questions, very few simple answers and an uneasy feeling they are somehow falling behind.

At FirstPoint, we understand what you’re going through. Many of us have experienced first-hand what the scholarship recruiting experience is like—as players and as coaches. And that experience, combined with our advanced online technology, expansive college coach network and proven recruiting methods, helps thousands of student-athletes and their families take control of their recruiting experience.

Whether you are a first-year high school student or a national ranked athlete, FirstPoint helps take the stress of uncertainty out of your scholarship journey by putting a plan in place to help you find your best university options in the USA.

HOW TO GET A SPORTS Scholarship

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A huge thank you to the team at FirstPoint USA for the diligence and attention to detail throughout the whole process. They left no stone unturned gaining interest from a large amount of prestigious universities in USA through their network. Thank you!

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My son has started his USA rugby scholarship journey. In a very short space of time he’s had his first offer of interest. FirstPoint USA have been excellent - no waffle, straight talking about the reality of what happens and quick to respond to our queries.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Beyond athletics, college cheerleading coaches consider academics and seek out recruits with a strong academic background. In fact, some cheerleading scholarships are awarded to the cheerleader on the team with the highest GPA. .

The skills needed to compete on a college cheerleading squad completely depend on the program. Because some colleges are highly competitive and others aren’t, you can have two schools in the same division level requiring very different skill sets. Top programs who place at national competitions look for student-athletes with elite tumbling, stunt, jump, dance and cheer skills. Less competitive college cheer teams are more flexible and bring on recruits with strong fundamentals who can develop further in college.

Tumbling
- Requirement
  Coaches look for recruits who can perform both running and standing tumbling skills.
- Example
  Elite teams may require a standing back tuck, or even standing full twisting layouts. Running tumbling skills at top programs may include specialty passes, such as an Arabian and whips.
Jumps
- Requirement
  Coaches evaluate jump height, flexibility, and landing with feet together in complex jump combinations.
- Example
  Some teams may ask to see a toe touch, tuck, pike, right or left hurdler, and herkie.
Stunts
- Requirement
  Being able to stunt with multiple partners is a must and most college cheerleaders should be able to perform a two-part stunt combination. Coaches also look at tosses, common game day stunts their school performs and pyramids.
- Example
  Basic cheer stunts include extensions, liberties, walk-in stunts and toss stunts. Highly competitive teams might require full up stunts, rewinds and handspring up stunts.
Dance
- Requirement
  Some schools also look for dancers who can perform a tumbling pass in addition to common skills.
- Example
  Common skills needed at top colleges include quadruple pirouette, aerial (preferably both sides), advanced turns, and advanced jumps.
Cheers
- Requirement
  Coaches evaluate a recruit’s cheer performance, from voice projection to proper motion technique.
- Example
  Every school will ask to see the recruit perform their cheer and fight song.