Year 13 students across the UK need to decide soon if they want to go to university in 2023, and is so, what to study and where. The deadline for making applications and completing their UCAS personal statements for 2023 university places is 25 January 2023 for most courses, although Oxbridge applicants need to apply by 15 October 2022.
For UK students with sporting talent the US is becoming an increasingly popular university choice attracted by the opportunity to play their chosen sport at a high level while earning a degree and having their fees partly or fully covered by a scholarship. The potential to avoid being saddled with tens of thousand of pounds of student debt is appealing.
US college sport is big businesses, particularly in some sports such as american football or basketball where the top universities earn tens of millions of dollars from TV rights. However, more traditional UK sports such as football (soccer in the US), hockey, athletics, golf, tennis and even rugby also have numerous and substantial sporting and academic scholarships to award every year.
The US college sports system is not only huge with more than 2,500 colleges, but also very complex with two types of colleges (2 year or 4 year) and multiple leagues and divisions to navigate; all have different rules on how many scholarships (academic and/or sports) that they can offer. This is why most students choose to use a sports scholarship consultancy that can guide them through the US
college recruitment process.
As you’d expect, these consultancies charge a fee for their services which is why it’s important to find the one that can not only maximise your scholarship potential, but can also find the right college, degree subject and location to match your objectives. Some consultancies advise on a wide range of sports while others focus on just one. Some consultancies represent hundreds of students every year, while others look after just a few.
If you’re thinking about using a sports scholarship consultancy, we would advise you to do your research and speak to a range of different types. At Soccer Student Pathway (SSP) we focus solely on soccer scholarships for a limited number of male and female players ever year. We represent student athletes with the potential to perform at the highest level, which includes a pathway into the professional game.
Professional players Jack Harrison (Leeds United) and Rachel Daly (Aston Villa) are both SSP ambassadors who have come through the US college system. In fact, Rachel is one of five of the Euro 22 winning England Lionesses who played US college soccer before turning pro. Such is the strength of women’s college soccer in the US, the chances of being awarded a scholarship are better for women than for men.
If you’re a good quality footballer and would like to find out whether the US college route could be an option for you, simply complete the free online assessment after which we’ll be delighted to give you some feedback and advice – all without obligation.
