A soccer scholarship is a great way to make it through college without enduring a large student loan debt. There are many steps that can be taken to help increase the odds of getting soccer scholarships. Below are a few pointers that may assist in helping to secure that college soccer scholarship.

During the first year of high school is a great time to begin building a good academic base. The ODP (Olympic Development Program) offers a great opportunity for students to get out and travel to tournaments. It is also important to get into the College Athlete Program.

Take the PSAT (Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test) as a practice for ACT’s (national college admission and placement examination) and SAT’s. Prepare by reviewing the ACT and SAT prep books. By the junior year, the player should be a member of the ODP. It is important to take full advantage of the College Athlete Program. Pick say 25 colleges where enrollment is desired and see what the requirement of admission is in the ‘Winning Your Scholarship’ Book.

During the junior year, it is time to start organising the information to satisfy the entry requirements of the colleges. The ‘Winning Your Scholarship’ book will come in handy again. Come up with a system that will help with ranking the colleges based on your criteria and narrow down the choices between the ones that you will be most likely and least likely accepted to.

When senior year rolls around, most of the preparation for obtaining a [tag-tec]college soccer scholarship[/tag-tec] is done. Coaches will be of great assistance during the senior year as they are very familiar with the ability level of their players and they will be able to provide an honest opinion of which players have a good chance of making it into a college program.

Most of the time, the financial aide package that a student obtains is made up of different types of funds. The NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) classifies athletic money as room, board, tuition, books and fees being paid by the school. Merit money is given to students according to their desirability. These types of [tag-tec]soccer scholarships[/tag-tec] are based on SAT scores. A score over 1300 is generally needed before these types of scholarships are given out. Merit money is a huge source of funding for college and it is a good idea to aim for this type of funding.

Work study is another form of college funding that is plentiful, however the student needs to be careful when aiming for this. Some work study positions can be stressful due to the requirement to work a certain amount of hours. Working a job while playing a sport and maintaining grades can be difficult and invariably leads to one of those tasks suffering.

Grants are great sources of financial aide that may be renewable. College educations are extremely expensive these days. Athletes have a great resource for funding college educations. Good high school athletes have a very good chance of getting a full ride to college. Of course, only the best athletes are going to receive full athletic scholarships. However, good athletes that are good students can also get a [tag-tec]soccer scholarship[/tag-tec].

Earning soccer scholarships is no different to anything else, you have to put the work in and you have to be committed. One of the major determining factors of whether or not an athlete gets a soccer scholarship is their preparation and research. It should be remembered that money for college is big business and all students can benefit from having some assistance paying for their college education.