SpoRecruit Soccer with the mission of helping talented male and female soccer players secure placements at American, Canadian colleges and universities. Since then, we have successfully facilitated several sports scholarship awards and helped more than 1,000 soccer student-athletes pursue their academic and athletic careers in the United States. Playing soccer at U.S. colleges offers a competitive and structured environment, with athletes balancing academics and athletics through rigorous training and NCAA or NAIA league play. Student-athletes benefit from top-notch facilities, coaching, and exposure, often using college soccer as a stepping stone to professional opportunities. The experience also fosters strong team camaraderie and personal growth, both on and off the field.
Around 1,410 colleges sponsor men’s soccer teams. Below is a breakdown of how these teams are distributed across the major division levels.
Division Level | Number of Schools | Max of Scholarships | Average Roster Size |
NCAA Division 1 | 205 | 9.9 | 29 |
NCAA Division 2 | 214 | 9 | 30 |
NCAA Division 3 | 415 | N/A | 30 |
NAIA | 188 | 12 | 30 |
NJCAA | 217 | 18 | 20 |
Around 1,000 U.S colleges sponsor women’s soccer teams. Below is a breakdown of how these teams are distributed across the major division levels.
Division Level | Number of Schools | Max of Scholarships | Average Roster Size |
NCAA Division 1 | 333 | 14 | 28 |
NCAA Division 2 | 265 | 9.9 | 28 |
NCAA Division 3 | 441 | N/A | 25 |
NAIA | 188 | 12 | 25 |
NJCAA | 181 | 18 | 20 |
If you’re between the ages of 15 and 22, currently in school or recently graduated, have no criminal record, and play soccer at a competitive level, you could be a strong candidate for a U.S. sports scholarship. However, only top-tier talent—typically those with experience in academies, centers of excellence, or county-level teams—are seriously considered by college coaches. Reaching the college level in soccer is highly competitive. Only about 7.9% of U.S. high school male soccer players go on to play in college across all divisions, and just 1.1% make it to NCAA Division 1. In the 2016–2017 academic year, roughly 450,000 male high school soccer players were active in the U.S., while about 39,888 played at the college level. Of the 12,500 athletes on Division 1 and 2 rosters, around 2,600 were international players, making up 21% of those spots.
MLS teams do recruit college players for their rosters after they finish their university education, making a professional career a real possibility for top-level student-athletes. However, the path is highly competitive, with less than 2% of NCAA soccer players making it to Major League Soccer. At U.S. Sports Scholarships, we believe that talent gets recognized, and playing college soccer in the U.S. provides a strong platform to be seen. A great example is our student-athlete Matt Bentley—after being released by Colchester United at 16, he earned a full scholarship to Missouri State University and was later drafted by Minnesota United FC in 2020.
Academic and athletic scholarships are separate forms of financial aid, but they can be combined to help lower overall costs, especially if you’re receiving partial scholarships. In the U.S. college system, student-athletes can qualify for academic scholarships based on their high school or college grades and entrance exam results. Athletic scholarships, on the other hand, are awarded at the discretion of the soccer coach.
Soccer is considered a “fall sport” in the U.S., meaning official competition typically runs from September through November, depending on how far your team advances in regional and national tournaments. Most players arrive in early August for pre-season training and return home for about a month during the Christmas break after the fall semester ends. The spring semester, from January to May, is considered the off-season, but players still participate in training sessions and scrimmage matches during that period.
Your scholarship amount will depend on several factors, including your soccer ability, academic performance, and the coach’s available budget for that season. But don’t worry—our role is to match you with a U.S. college that aligns with both your preferences and strengths. For example, if a university costs $50,000 per year and the coach offers you a $42,000 scholarship, you’d be responsible for covering the remaining $8,000—making it a partial scholarship. The good news is that many partial scholarships come with the opportunity to increase based on your performance both on the field and in the classroom.
