Does anyone know information about Stanford offering a women’s soccer scholarship? Would I even have a chance to try for one?
“300 athletic scholarships are awarded each year.”
http://admission.stanford.edu/student/athletics/
“Would I even have a chance to try for one?”
Are you one of the best soccer players in the country?
Keep in mind you have to have Stanford level academic credentials to begin with.
We have no way of knowing without knowing your background. What level soccer are you currently playing at this point. What kind of exposure has your team had and what kind of success? On the academic side, what are your stats- GPA and test scores?
I play for Crossfire Premier and am on their A teams. I feel like I am a strong player and have been to EDP training programs. I still work at my academics and maintain a 4.0. I am taking honors as well as AP classes.
Division 1 women’s soccer teams like Stanford have the equivalent of 14 full scholarships and usually well over 20 on the roster. So stars may get a full ride, others may get a partial scholarship or even no money. But even some non-scholarship players may be considered recruited athletes for admissions, which is worth a lot in itself.
As far as are you good enough for the team . . . only the Stanford coach can tell you that, but your club or high school coach can probably give you a pretty good sense of are you in the ballpark. Stanford ended last season ranked #4 in the country so it definitely requires elite level talent.
Stanford recruits from the highest level soccer clubs. It would help if you are playing ECNL/Academy level. You also need to show that you are playing the most prestigious tournaments and winning- Dallas Cup, Surf Cup, etc. Womens soccer is extremely competitive for recruitment- Stanford is probably recruiting out of the very top in the country that also manage to meet their academic profile. I would say that if you are not ranked in the top 20-30 in your position in the country it would be tough. It can’t hurt to try. I don’t know how old you are, but you should have a soccer resume and a hi-lite video that you should start sending to coaches along with a short introductory email. Include your current game schedule and update coaches regularly. Don’t limit yourself to Stanford- come up with a list of colleges you are interested in academically, athletically, and that are financially feasible. It is VERY tough for women to get much of a soccer scholarship - it would be safer to shoot for an academic scholarship and then find a school that wants you for soccer. Also don’t limit yourself to D1 level only. Stanford is probably finishing up recruiting for the 2016 school year at this point, Good luck!
Alright thank you, that really clears things up for me. I’ve been offered in my past to be on ECNL teams and travel but could not due to financial issues. I am very passionate about soccer though, and my coach has recommended a scholarship to Harvard. I graduate HS in 2017, so I still have some time. Yes, I would prefer an academic scholarship, but I know that some schools, typically more prestigious universities, do not offer full merit based scholarships. That’s why I am still keeping an open mind to soccer scholarships. Thanks!
Since you mention Harvard - Harvard and the other seven Ivies have need-based financial aid only (no athletic or merit based scholarships). Being a recruited athlete is a significant factor in admissions at these schools though, and especially at the Ivies with the largest endowments (Harvard, Yale, Princeton), for many families regular financial aid results in a net cost comparable to an athletic scholarship.
Obviously Stanford does have athletic scholarships.
As takeitallin says, there’s nothing to lose from contacting coaches and everything to gain.
It may be helpful to look at the credentials of players on the current college team. Every university provides a summary for each player on the team, just click on “roster.” You can compare your status with players currently on the team. For example, Stanford players often play on the Youth National Teams. These players are recruited for the Youth National Teams beginning at age group U-14. Many of them remain on the team from that point on although there is a lot of change around U-18. Some of the Stanford players are rated among the top 10 players in the country in their age group. There are several who are All-Americans and Academic All-Americans. These are the highest accolades for a high school player. Women’s soccer recruits players early in the high school years. Many players have made verbal commitments to their universities by sophomore year of high school. Often the club coach is helpful as a guide to which colleges would be the best fit for you. Cast a wide net if you want to play college soccer.