Wrestling Scholarships
Finding the opportunity for a US college wrestling scholarship comes down to finding the right college program and division level for you. There are opportunities to wrestle at the NCAA DI, DII, DIII, NAIA and NJCAA levels with a total of 304 college wrestling programs.
If you think you are good enough to be a scholarship wrestler you need to be able to get quarterfinal, semi-final and championship results at the conference, regional and national championship. If you are good enough to wrestle DI but can win championships at the DII level your best opportunity for a scholarship will be at the DII level.
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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
Testimonials
I am so grateful for the life changing experience and opportunities that have been available to me as an NCAA DI student athlete. None of which would have been possible without the expertise and knowledge of the staff at FirstPoint USA.
Josh Hendry
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!
John Patton
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.
Hilary Bolton
Frequently Asked Questions
Most wrestling scholarships are partial scholarships, meaning you will have to pay for some portion of your education. Per team there are 9.9 scholarships at the DI level, 9 per team for DII programs, 8 for NAIA programs and up to 16 scholarships for NJCAA programs.
It’s all about the numbers, with over 30+ wrestlers on your average college team you could be one of the best in your conference and still not receive much or any scholarship money if your team is stacked.
Prime time to apply for a sports scholarship in the US would be following graduation from high school or just a couple of years after. There have also been cases of applicants dropping out of UK higher education to pursue their dream of undertaking a sports scholarship in America. Athletes may only compete in college leagues if they are between the ages of 18-24, but if you are older, then the NAIA is where you will be assigned. When saying this, coaches are often more inclined to spur interest in younger prospects as it gives them more time to work with the athletes for a longer set period. Thus, it is advised to apply for a scholarship as early as possible, giving the individual an optimum chance at maintaining the strongest performance, athletically and academically, to achieve a highly regarded degree to then move onto the opportunity of turning professional.
You need to be willing to look at 25 or more different universities across several division levels to find the right fit. Just because you are a good wrestler at 141lbs doesn’t mean your dream school has a scholarship for you. Unless your talents match up with a wrestling programs needs you won’t always get the offer you think you should from each program.
Some wrestlers can get by at the high school and prep level on their natural ability and a little bit of hard work. To find success and ultimately scholarship money at the US college level working hard is a must. Coaches don’t have time and will take scholarships away from wrestlers that aren’t working hard and aren’t producing results. Being a scholarship wrestler can be the most demanding and rewarding period in your life.
Most college athletic scholarships are not full ride like football and basketball, these are classed as “head count sports”; most other sports are called “equivalency sports”, like college wrestling. Wrestling coaches get to offer more scholarships to more high school wrestlers albeit at a lower rate.
In some ways this is good news for prospective college wrestlers. In Division I, a coach can divide the 9.9 wrestling scholarships between a larger number of wrestlers; for example: 25 partial instead of 9 full ride wrestling scholarships. If you are good enough of course then a full ride scholarship is always a chance.
- The NCAA allows each division I college wrestling program 9.9 scholarships
- Division II, 9 wrestling scholarships are on offer.
- There are 85 Division I and 38 Division II colleges that offer financial aid to wrestlers.
- That’s a total of 1,183.5 wrestling scholarships available in the NCAA.
Prospective college wrestlers should not just concentrate on the top division I schools/colleges, most of these larger universities usually have several potential recruits on their books. The competition for a wrestling scholarship is cut-throat, unless you are a strong prospect you probably won’t receive a good scholarship offer. There is nothing wrong with smaller division I, division II or NAIA colleges. At the end of the day it’s all about your education, being awarded a wrestling scholarship is one thing, but your choice of school should be a good fit for you academically as well.
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