Updated October 2026 with the current U SPORTS, NCAA, NAIA, and NJCAA scholarship rules.

Heading off to university is a huge milestone in a person’s life; making new friends, going on exciting adventures, and diving deeper into academic subjects. For student-athletes, training in a different environment with new teammates and coaches, at a new level of competition is all very exciting stuff. But deciding where to go can be intimidating — this is the place you are going to be spending the next four or five years of your life!

Understanding how to navigate the different athletic scholarships available to you can make your choice a lot easier.

Athletic scholarships can be confusing, so having an understanding of the process is sure to help you narrow down your post-secondary options and sway your decision to one school over another. In this post, we’ll talk about the differences between scholarships available in Canada and the United States. We’ll also dive into the distinction between a partial and full-ride scholarship.

If you are looking for more tips on everything you need to know as a high school track and field athlete check out our FAQ Blog!

Athletic scholarships in Canada

It is time to familiarize yourself with Canadian University Athletic Scholarships.

In Canada, there are two associations that oversee university athletics: U SPORTS and the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). U SPORTS calls its athletic scholarship awards “Athletic Financial Awards” (AFAs) and defines them like this:

… an AFA is any award that is conditional to being listed on the Official U SPORTS Eligibility Certificate, and administered by the university’s awards office consistent with the awarding university’s policies. These awards include but are not limited to, scholarships, bursaries, prizes, leadership awards, merit awards, housing, and all other related non-employment financial benefit received by an athlete from their institution.

Simply put, an athletic scholarship can be made up of a variety of sources and it will be up to each institution’s coach to grant you any number of these available awards.

Scholarship money is one part of getting recruited. To see how it fits with everything else coaches weigh, from your PRs to your grades to where you want to live, start with our complete guide to getting recruited for college track and field.

What does it mean to receive a Canadian “full-ride” scholarship?

In the Canadian system, a full-ride scholarship means that your tuition fees will be fully paid for. Compulsory fees billed by the university are covered too. Tuition plus mandatory fees is the maximum coverage a student can receive in Canada; housing and other living expenses cannot be paid for. While these are the rules set out by U SPORTS, each conference and each individual institution can impose even stricter guidelines. As well each individual university has their own rules and the right to reserve how much funding is available and can be given to their athletes.

A good example of this is the province of Ontario. Universities in Ontario are restricted to offering a maximum AFA of $5,000 per year, up from $4,500 before 2023-24. This means that a "full-ride" in Ontario may not necessarily cover full tuition and mandatory expenses. Further still, a university within Ontario may not give this much scholarship money out to their athletes, whether by choice or because the funds just don’t exist at their program. Just because schools are allowed to give out a certain amount of prize money, doesn’t mean they can or that they will.

Partial scholarships (any denomination other than a “full-ride”) can range from under a thousand dollars up to the total cost of tuition and mandatory university fees. A Canadian undergraduate pays an average of $7,734 CAD a year in tuition (Statistics Canada, 2025/2026).

If your university fees cost $7,700 a year and you were to receive a full scholarship, this fee would be covered. But, a partial scholarship of say, $2,000 a year, would leave you to pay the outstanding $5,700.

Where does the money come from?

The scholarships offered in Canada are fully reliant on funding, which every university receives in different ways. Some universities provide scholarships through their operating budgets, there may be donors that hand out scholarships as they please, and alumni may even donate to a portion of the funding.

It’s also important to note that it’s common for athletes to ask coaches how much the program has to offer and what types of different scholarships are available. The value of a scholarship for any particular prospective student-athlete may vary from institution to institution, depending on budget, athletic performance, and other factors the coach considers.

Am I eligible for a Canadian U SPORTS scholarship?

Since 2024-25, first-year student-athletes can receive an AFA once they are admitted and enrolled in degree courses. The U SPORTS athletic scholarship policy change removed the old rule that required an 80% high school average for an entering award. Keeping an award once you are in university still depends on your grades, and conferences and schools set that average. Western University’s athletic financial award policy, for example, requires a 70% average for continuing awards. University pages are slow to update, so check each school’s current policy. Additionally, athletic performance is also a key factor that contributes to the amount of the scholarship money an athlete can receive. Generally, the faster the time, the greater the jump, or further the throw can result in a larger scholarship for you, but it is important to contact coaches and universities you are interested in to see how much you can be offered in their specific program.

At Streamline Athletes, we work closely with coaches at universities to understand their team’s individual requirements for walk-on roster spots and for scholarship consideration. We help student-athletes and their families who are looking for track and field scholarships by delivering transparent information on the university track and field landscape all in one place.

Athletic scholarships in the United States

Many Canadian and international athletes elect to study, train, and compete in the American collegiate system. Understanding how American associations like the NCAA, NAIA, and NJCAA differ from Canada’s U SPORTS is vital in making your university decision.

While it may be true that American programs have the potential to give out significantly more scholarship money to individual student-athletes than Canadian schools, that doesn’t mean that the States is always a better financial option. This is because a non-resident pays an average of $31,880 USD a year in tuition and fees at a US public four-year school and $45,000 USD at a private one (College Board, 2025-26), while a Canadian undergraduate pays an average of $7,734 CAD in tuition (Statistics Canada, 2025/2026).

A $2,000 CAD scholarship in Canada could cover about a quarter of the average tuition bill, while at least 10 times this much would be required for the student-athlete to incur the same personal cost below the border.

My point here: there is potential for big money in the States, but it’s important to do the math and understand the implications of scholarship dollars versus total annual cost no matter where your options are.

What is classified as a “full-ride” in the United States?

Known as an “inclusive scholarship”, an NCAA Division I full ride can cover the full cost of attendance: tuition and fees, housing, meals, books, and other attendance costs. A Division II full ride covers tuition and fees, housing, meals, and books. NAIA awards can cover tuition, mandatory fees, books and supplies, and room and board.

To cover the costs of all these expenses, the largest track and field scholarships in the USA can be worth more than $45,000 a year at a private school, where tuition and fees alone average $45,000 USD (College Board, 2025-26). Held for four years, an award like that adds up to more than $180,000.

But… most athletic scholarships are not full-rides. The majority of student athletes receiving an athletic scholarship will only receive enough money to cover some of the previously mentioned costs. If you’re attending an American school, you may still need to pay $20,000 in tuition fees even in the event you’re awarded $5,000 to $25,000 in scholarship funding from the athletic department.

With that being said, there are a variety of different scholarship types that can be earned in addition to an athletic scholarship, including academic and international awards. NCAA athletic aid is awarded for at least one academic year, and Division I schools can offer multi-year awards. In Division I, a school can’t reduce or cancel your aid, or refuse to renew it, because of your athletic performance, an injury, or another athletic reason. Division II aid is awarded one year at a time. Wherever you sign, ask for the terms in writing: how long the award lasts, whether it can go up, and what happens after an injury.

There are more than 1,500 universities and colleges in the USA offering track and field programs and they range in performance level. This means there is a place for virtually everyone. The likelihood and amount of scholarship opportunities depends on your skill set and performance, and your academics. Coaches award scholarships in a puzzle, they are often made up of athletic and academic prize money, which is often the case for international students. It is all about finding the right fit for you; you don’t need to be a national champion, or world-ranked athlete to receive a scholarship in the USA.

Why is awarding scholarships so complicated for American programs?

American schools get their scholarship rules from their associations. Most NCAA Division II, NAIA, and NJCAA teams, and Division I schools that did not opt in to the 2025 House settlement, are allowed a maximum number of full-ride scholarships to divvy up how the coaches see fit. In some divisions it differs for men and women. Here’s the 2026-27 breakdown, per team:

• NCAA Division I, schools that opted in to the House settlement: no scholarship limit, with roster limits of 45 for track and field and 17 for cross country, for men and for women.
• NCAA Division I, schools that did not opt in: 12.6 for men and 18 for women, shared with cross country.
• NCAA Division II: 12.6 for men and 12.6 for women, shared with cross country.
• NCAA Division III: no athletic scholarships.
• NAIA: 12 for track and field, plus a separate 5 for cross country, for men and for women.
• NJCAA Division I and II: 20 for track and field, plus 10 for cross country and half marathon. NJCAA Division III gives no athletic aid.

These numbers are for the entire track and field team and have to be spread out amongst throwers, runners of all distances, hurdlers, jumpers... you get the point. Again, it’s important to remember that just because the programs are allowed to offer these denominations of full-rides, it doesn’t mean they are capable or that they will hit their cap. The same goes for Division I schools with no limit: they aren’t required to fund every roster spot, and most track and field budgets haven’t grown since 2025.

Maintaining scholarship eligibility in the United States

The NCAA no longer uses SAT or ACT scores for initial eligibility. It dropped the test-score requirement permanently in January 2023. To compete and receive athletic aid as a first-year student, you need 16 NCAA-approved core courses, a core-course GPA of at least 2.3 for Division I or 2.2 for Division II, and registration with the NCAA Eligibility Center. Eligibility and admission are separate decisions, though. Some selective universities require or recommend test scores for admission, so check each school. Our guide to high school academic requirements for college track and field also covers the NAIA and U SPORTS rules.

Some schools, such as Ivy League schools in Division I set an even higher academic requirement. For Division III institutions, the schools will set their own admission standards. As well, similar to Canadian Universities, a student-athlete can be offered more scholarship money the better their performances are on the track or field. It is just up to the coach to divide the scholarship money between the athletes on the team.

A Couple More Tidbits!

What if I don’t get an athletic scholarship?

Not to worry! Universities offer a number of other awards to incoming students, such as academic success scholarships, citizen scholarships and international scholarships. Be sure to explore the websites of the universities you are interested in to discover other financial aid and scholarship options.

Can my athletic scholarship be taken away?

While there is a possibility of this happening make sure you understand the terms of your scholarship contract so you are not taken by surprise if this happens.

How will my athletic scholarship get taken away?

Under NCAA Division I rules, a school can reduce or cancel athletic aid during the period of the award only if the student-athlete:

• Becomes ineligible for intercollegiate competition
• Misrepresents any information on an application, letter of intent or financial aid agreement
• Commits serious misconduct
• Voluntarily quits the sport

A Division I school also can’t reduce your aid or decline to renew it for athletic reasons. If your aid will be reduced or not renewed, the school must tell you in writing by July 1, and you can appeal. Division II aid is awarded one year at a time, so it can change when it comes up for renewal.

As a student athlete you need to maintain certain academic standards to be eligible for prize money (previously mentioned). Outside Division I, an injury can affect whether your scholarship is renewed, so ask each coach how their program handles injuries before you sign.

This being said there is also the possibility of your scholarship increasing if you perform well! Keep up the grind. It will pay off!

Start your scholarship search today!

Receiving an athletic scholarship can make the transition to university that much easier! Start your research on schools to see what is available to you. If you aren’t quite sure what universities will be able to provide you with funding and where you fit athletically not to worry! You can research collegiate track and field/cross-country programs now on Streamline Athletes. Start your conversations with coaches and see what they and their institution have to offer you!