How many students secure college scholarships through sports?

I'm curious about the number of students who manage to get college scholarships specifically because they play sports. Is this a common path to getting into college, or is it more of an exception? What sports tend to offer more scholarships?

According to the NCAA, even though the numbers might fluctuate from year to year, for the 2023-2024 academic year, over 180,000 athletes received athletic scholarships, out of about 8 million high school athletes. This means that about 2.5% of high school athletes managed to secure athletic scholarships, implying that this path isn't easy nor the most common.

In terms of which sports tend to offer more scholarships to college athletes, on the men's side, football usually leads, given the size of the teams. For women, the sports offering the most scholarships tend to be rowing, ice hockey, field hockey, and track and field. It's important to point out that where the sport offers headcount scholarships, such as Division I football, basketball, volleyball, tennis, and gymnastics, each athlete usually receives a full scholarship. In contrast, sports that offer equivalency scholarships, like track and field, golf, and others, often split the available scholarships among many athletes in smaller, partial scholarships.

Though athletic scholarships can be a fantastic opportunity, it's crucial to remember that they are highly competitive and typically demand a significant time commitment. Balancing athletics with academic responsibilities can be challenging, and it's essential to consider this when deciding to pursue an athletic scholarship. Moreover, an athlete's skill level, the division of the school, and the particular sport all play a part in whether or not an athletic scholarship is likely to be feasible.