UndergraduatePartial
BY THE NUMBERS: Student Athletes in the US
BY THE NUMBERS: Student Athletes in the US - International Education, Post a Comment
- Provider
- Various
- Host country
- US
- Region
- Americas
About this scholarship
[starportillo](https://scholarshipsforafricans.com/author/beyondstellar/)
[January 28, 2022January 22, 2022](https://scholarshipsforafricans.com/2022/01/28/)
Student athletes make up a vast majority of the entire student population in the US. Involvement in competitive sports help train students for leadership roles and can also be a deciding factor for their future career trajectory. But how much has changed in the landscape in recent years?
In this report, Scholarships for Africans updates you on statistics and demographics of student athletes.
* * *
Stay in the loop! Get weekly updates on new scholarships offerings here.
* * *
According to reports from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), in practically all sports and demographics, Division I student-athletes improved their graduation rates, with African-Americans in all sports seeing a 3 percentage point improvement, contributing to a record-breaking 87 percent graduation rate.
77 percent of African-American collegiate athletes, up from 74 percent previous year, obtained their bachelor’s degrees. Since 2002, the rate has increased by 21 percentage points.
“At a historic rate, student-athletes are achieving their academic goals and obtaining degrees,” NCAA President Mark Emmert stated. In all sports, the tremendous increase in the graduation percentage of African-American student-athletes is a significant achievement, and our players and member institutions should be proud of their accomplishments.” All of the NCAA’s academic policies and programs are designed to help students prepare for for life after college, and graduation is integral to this success.”
Meanwhile, as per the most recent NCAA Academic Success Rate data, Division II student-athletes have increased their graduation rates.
Division II vice president Terri Steeb Gronau remarked, “Students in Division II continue to thrive in the classroom, on the field of play, and in their communities.” “We are happy of the efforts of Division II student-athletes and schools to prepare kids for life success, and we are proud of their accomplishments.” from 2007 to 2010, the most recent data available.
Division II’s ASR is similar to Division I’s Graduation Success Rate, in that it includes transfers into a school in the calculation, but removes students who left school while academically eligible. Because of the division’s partial scholarship financial aid model, the ASR also includes the more than 36,000 nonscholarship student-athletes who enrolled from 2007 through 2010, the four years covered in the most recent data.
Lastly, according to the most recent year of volunteer data gathering, Division III institutions continue to exhibit exceptional Academic Success Rates.
It is comparable to Division I’s Graduation Success Rate and Division II’s ASR in that it incorporates transfers in the calculation and accounts for students who left school while academically eligible, and is now in its ninth year of evaluating graduation rates.
Based on a representative sample of 200 schools who participated in the voluntary reporting program in the 2016-17 academic year, the Division III national four-year average ASR is 87 percent.
According to the less inclusive federal graduate rates, Division III student-athletes perform better than the general student body. The four-class average federal rate for athletes was 68 percent, and the federal rate for the overall student body was 62 percent.
There are **more than 460,000** National Collegiate Athletic Association **student-athletes**, and most of them will go pro in something other than sports. Surveys from online career platform Zippia, however, records only 6,990 student athletes currently employed in the United States.
54.4% of these athletes are men, 40% are women, and 9% are part of the LGBT community. Majority of the student athletes are located in California and New York.
* * *
_brought to you by Scholarships for Africans_
[**Scholarships for Africans**](https://scholarshipsforafricans.com/) is a premier scholarship information blog committed to bringing more opportunities for Africans globally. They are part of the African Scholar Initiative, powered by Scholarship Hippo.
Be a part of our growing community!
**JOIN:** [Scholarships for Africans Facebook group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/ScholarshipsforAfricans)
**LIKE:** [African Scholar Initiative Facebook page](https://www.facebook.com/AfricanScholarInitiative)
**FOLLOW:** [Scholarships for Africans Instagram page](https://www.instagram.com/african_scholar/)
### Share this:
- [Share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Facebook](https://scholarshipsforafricans.com/by-the-numbers-student-athletes-in-the-us/?share=facebook&nb=1)
- [Share on X (Opens in new window)X](https://scholarshipsforafricans.com/by-the-numbers-student-athletes-in-the-us/?share=twitter&nb=1)
- [Share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)WhatsApp](https://scholarshipsforafricans.com/by-the-numbers-student-athletes-in-the-us/?share=jetpack-whatsapp&nb=1)
- [Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)LinkedIn](https://scholarshipsforafricans.com/by-the-numbers-student-athletes-in-the-us/?share=linkedin&nb=1)
- [Share on Telegram (Opens in new window)Telegram](https://scholarshipsforafricans.com/by-the-numbers-student-athletes-in-the-us/?share=telegram&nb=1)
- [More](https://scholarshipsforafricans.com/by-the-numbers-student-athletes-in-the-us/#)
- [Print (Opens in new window)Print](https://scholarshipsforafricans.com/by-the-numbers-student-athletes-in-the-us/#print?share=print&nb=1)
- [Share on Reddit (Opens in new window)Reddit](https://scholarshipsforafricans.com/by-the-numbers-student-athletes-in-the-us/?share=reddit&nb=1)
- [Share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)Tumblr](https://scholarshipsforafricans.com/by-the-numbers-student-athletes-in-the-us/?share=tumblr&nb=1)
- [Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)Pinterest](https://scholarshipsforafricans.com/by-the-numbers-student-athletes-in-the-us/?share=pinterest&nb=1)
### Like this:
LikeLoading…
### _Related_
[University of Bridgeport USA International Student Athletic Scholarships](https://scholarshipsforafricans.com/university-of-bridgeport-usa-international-student-athletic-scholarships/ "University of Bridgeport USA International Student Athletic Scholarships")
[African Athletes in the United States](https://scholarshipsforafricans.com/african-athletes-in-the-united-states/ "African Athletes in the United States")
[The Journey of African Athletes to U.S. Colleges:](https://scholarshipsforafricans.com/the-journey-of-african-athletes-to-u-s-colleges/ "The Journey of African Athletes to U.S. Colleges:")
In[by the numbers](https://scholarshipsforafricans.com/tag/by-the-numbers/), [Careers](https://scholarshipsforafricans.com/tag/careers/), [student athletes](https://scholarshipsforafricans.com/tag/student-athletes/), [Study in the USA](https://scholarshipsforafricans.com/tag/study-in-the-usa/)
## One thought on “BY THE NUMBERS: Student Athletes in the US”
1. Pingback: [BY THE NUMBERS: Student Athletes in the US – Scholarship Hippo](https://scholarshiphippo.com/by-the-numbers-student-athletes-in-the-us/)
### Leave a Reply[Cancel reply](https://scholarshipsforafricans.com/by-the-numbers-student-athletes-in-the-us/\#respond)
Post a Comment
Δ
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. [Learn how your comment data is processed.](https://akismet.com/privacy/)
[Previous postIllinois Institute of Technology: Study at the Most International Student-Friendly University in the World!](https://scholarshipsforafricans.com/illinois-institute-of-technology-study-at-the-most-international-student-friendly-university-in-the-world/)
[Next postThe Most African-Friendly Schools in the US](https://scholarshipsforafricans.com/the-most-african-friendly-schools-in-the-us/)
[starportillo](https://scholarshipsforafricans.com/author/beyondstellar/)
[April 2, 2022April 2, 2022](https://scholarshipsforafricans.com/2022/04/02/)
[starportillo](https://scholarshipsforafricans.com/author/beyondstellar/)
[March 11, 2022March 6, 2022](https://scholarshipsforafricans.com/2022/03/11/)
[starportillo](https://scholarshipsforafricans.com/author/beyondstellar/)
[March 6, 2022March 6, 2022](https://scholarshipsforafricans.com/2022/03/06/)
[starportillo](https://scholarshipsforafricans.com/author/beyondstellar/)
[March 6, 2022February 26, 2022](https://scholarshipsforafricans.com/2022/03/06/)
[starportillo](https://scholarshipsforafricans.com/author/beyondstellar/)
[March 2, 2022February 26, 2022](https://scholarshipsforafricans.com/2022/03/02/)
[starportillo](https://scholarshipsforafricans.com/author/beyondstellar/)
[February 28, 2022February 26, 2022](https://scholarshipsforafricans.com/2022/02/28/)
Search for:
Close
## Discover more from
Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.
Type your email…
Subscribe
[Continue reading](https://scholarshipsforafricans.com/by-the-numbers-student-athletes-in-the-us/#)
%d
Original text
Rate this translation
Your feedback will be used to help improve Google Translate
Eligibility criteria
Always cross-check eligibility against the sponsor's official site before applying — sponsor rules can change between intakes.
- Citizen or permanent resident of an eligible African country
- Currently applying to or enrolled at the Undergraduate level
- Willing to study in US
- Strong academic record — typically a minimum GPA equivalent to a UK 2:1 / US 3.3
- English-language proficiency demonstrated by IELTS, TOEFL or an MOI letter
- Two academic or professional references able to speak to your potential
Required documents
A planning baseline drawn from how 90%+ of African scholarship sponsors structure their checklist. The sponsor's portal is the source of truth for any single application.
- Valid international passport (bio page scan)
- Most recent academic transcripts (sealed or e-verified copies)
- Curriculum vitae / résumé (1–2 pages, reverse-chronological)
- Personal statement or motivation letter (500–1,000 words, tailored to the sponsor)
- Two to three reference letters (academic for students, professional for working applicants)
- Proof of English proficiency (IELTS, TOEFL or Duolingo) — Medium-of-Instruction letter may substitute for Anglophone-Africa graduates
- Passport-sized photograph meeting ICAO biometric standards
- Standardised test scores where required (SAT or ACT for many U.S. universities)
- Secondary-school leaving certificate (WAEC, KCSE, NSC, EGSECE or equivalent)
- Country-of-origin proof (national ID or birth certificate) — required by many Africa-focused funders
Deadline timeline
The sponsor has not published a fixed deadline yet. Use the milestones below as a generic 12-month plan; substitute dates once the intake window opens.
- 12 months out
Register for tests (IELTS/TOEFL/SAT/GRE), shortlist 3–5 universities, identify referees.
- 6 months out
Sit your tests, draft a personal statement, request transcripts and confirm reference letters.
- 3 months out
Finalise essays, upload supporting documents, complete the online application portal.
- 1 month out
Final review, double-check uploaded files, submit a week before the deadline to avoid portal issues.
- Application deadline
Submit by 23:59 in the sponsor's stated time zone — usually local to the sponsor, not your country.
Frequently asked questions
Who can apply for the BY THE NUMBERS: Student Athletes in the US?+
Applicants must be eligible African nationals applying at the Undergraduate level, meet the academic and English-language requirements set by Various, and be able to relocate to US for the duration of the programme.
Is the BY THE NUMBERS: Student Athletes in the US fully funded?+
Funding model: Partial. Where listed as fully funded, the award typically covers tuition, monthly stipend, health insurance and round-trip airfare. Always confirm the latest funding breakdown on the sponsor's official page.
When is the application deadline?+
The application deadline is varies by intake — see the official site. Submit at least one week early — sponsor portals frequently slow or fail in the final 24 hours, and late submissions are not accepted under any circumstances.
What documents do I need to apply?+
At minimum: passport bio page, academic transcripts, CV, personal statement, two to three references, and an English-language test score (IELTS, TOEFL or Duolingo). Research-led Masters and PhD applications also require a research proposal and a writing sample.
How can I improve my chance of winning?+
Apply early, tailor every essay to the specific sponsor (do not recycle a generic statement), secure at least one reference who knows your work in detail, and apply to two or three additional scholarships in parallel — never rely on a single application.