Field Hockey

How to get a Field Hockey scholarship

While there are no Field Hockey scholarships available for men, talented female players can obtain scholarships in both NCAA Division 1 and Division 2. Field Hockey in the US has seen its popularity rise over the last few years, and university teams have followed this trend by increasing the quality of the coaching, the facilities, and the competition. More and more national team players from around the world are deciding to enrol at an American university to combine Field Hockey and education, rather than staying in their respective countries and focusing on either their education or on hockey. Field Hockey powerhouses such as Duke, North Carolina, Stanford and others have been able to attract growing numbers of foreign players and have actually started focusing their recruiting on all parts of the world. This has led to the fact that in 2015, for the first time, over 10% of all college Field Hockey players came from outside the US. This number is likely to increase rapidly over the next few years, as we have experienced a high interest level in international players among college coaches.

Field hockey scholarships are most often awarded first to athletes in positions that directly impact scoring opportunities. For field hockey, this means college programs prioritize goalies and well-rounded forwards, as these positions prevent scoring and put points on the board. Following these positions are defenders and midfielders.

Regardless of what positions an athlete plays on the field, here are a few tips to better their chances of getting an athletic scholarship

1. Maintain good grades: College coaches prefer to recruit well-rounded student-athletes that show their talent on the field and in the classroom. Starting freshman year, student-athletes should focus on their NCAA academic eligibility.
2. Do your research: When building a list of prospective schools, student-athletes should research what positions each program needs to fill on their roster and how many scholarships that program has available. If an athlete plays a position that a program is looking to fill, they have a much better chance of getting a scholarship.
3. Identify alternatives: With few athletic scholarship opportunities available for college field hockey athletes, student-athletes will need to turn to other forms of aid, such as merit-based scholarships, grants, work study and other alternatives to cover college costs.

Am I eligible for a field hockey scholarship?

Having a high enough GPA or SAT/ACT score is the passport to obtaining a Field Hockey scholarship. Achievements on the hockey field will count for nothing if you do not have the right academic grades. The ASM team has the ability and the experience to steer you through the qualification process. It is an integral element of our approach to carefully evaluate and help fulfill your personal potential by working with you to select a college program to improve your grades if necessary.

Field hockey scholarships explained?

Scholarships, whether full or partial, are available for high quality female players. The female game is one of the most popular college sports, with increasing attendances and more and more new programs being created. Women’s Field Hockey is an equivalency sport, meaning that coaches are given the freedom to draw from a total pool of funds, not exceeding the value of 12 full scholarships, and allocate scholarship types in any combination. This means that in NCAA Division 1 for instance, coaches have the flexibility to award, say, twice as many scholarships at 50% then they would at 100%.

So there are plenty of scholarship opportunities available for female Field Hockey players among the 109 division 1 and 2 teams. So if you are interested in combining your education and your Field Hockey career, the US college system might just be the perfect fit for you.

Best university field hockey teams

Which universities offer field hockey scholarships? Student-athletes can find scholarship opportunities at every NCAA division level. Division 1 and 2 programs award full or partial athletic scholarships, while Ivy League and Division 3 institutions award academic scholarships to student-athletes in high academic standing and with strong ACT/SAT test scores.

Below is a list of the best college for field hockey scholarships at each NCAA division level. These programs were identified using ASM Scholarships University Ranking system, which ranks schools based on academics, cost, graduation rates and more.

• Top NCAA Division 1 Colleges: Princeton University, Harvard University, Yale University, Duke University, Columbia University, University of Virginia, Stanford University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of Pennsylvania (Penn), Dartmouth College
• Top NCAA Division 2 Colleges: Bentley University, West Chester University of Pennsylvania, Assumption College, Stonehill College, Bellarmine University, Slippery Rock University, Converse College, Saint Anselm College, Queens University of Charlotte, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania
• Top NCAA Division 3 Colleges: John Hopkins, Amherst College, Tufts University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Williams College, Middlebury College, Bowdoin College, Colby College, Wesleyan University, Washington & Lee University