What are the most awarded scholarships in college sports?

I'm considering pursuing sports in college and I'm curious about which scholarships are most frequently given to athletes. Are there certain sports or schools where scholarships are more common?

When it comes to athletic scholarships, the distribution tends to skew towards sports with larger roster sizes. The NCAA regulates the number of scholarships that Division I and II schools can offer for each sport. In general, the sports that grant the most scholarships are football (85 for DI) and women's rowing (20 for DI).

One thing to note is that not every athlete in those sports will receive a scholarship - these are team totals, and they might be distributed among many players. Also, Division III schools, which make up about 40% of the NCAA, do not offer athletic scholarships at all.

Specific schools will vary in how many scholarships they can offer based on their funding and how they choose to allocate it. Also, sports like basketball, despite smaller roster sizes, are still known to offer a significant number of scholarships since every player tends to have an impact on the game; these are called "head-count" sports.

While football and basketball might be the most "visible" sports when it comes to scholarships, there's an abundance of opportunities in "equivalency" sports (sports where the scholarships can be split among players) like track and field, swimming, golf, and even lesser-known athletics like fencing and equestrian events, depending on the school's program strength. Therefore, don't limit your options to the most popular sports if you have skills in other areas.

The best way to understand your specific scholarship potential would be to engage coaches and admissions at schools you're interested in. They may be able to provide you with more precise information on the sports programs and potential scholarships at their institution.