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United States College pathways

Athletic scholarship opportunities in US Colleges (equivalent to Australian tertiary education) are a legitimate and sought-after school option for many highly talented junior athletes. Australian students are potentially able to use their athletic ability to receive scholarships from US Colleges, which allows them to access higher education and elite-level sporting opportunities.

The feeder to professional sport in the US

US College sports are the 2nd tier of sports, the feeder system to professional sport in the United States. The level and scale do not compare to any other College sports in the world and is accessed by more than 450,000 student athletes.

Some student athletes live a similar lifestyle to that of a professional athlete, but instead of wages, College athletes receive a paid education through full or partial sports scholarships. In addition to covering what they call “scholarship” tuition, fees, room board and textbooks, colleges almost always cover: coaching, facility access, domestic travel, hotels and food on the road while competing, all apparel and footwear, equipment for your sport, physio, sport psych, nutrition, tutors for classes and medical insurance.

There are around 4500 Colleges in the US. These Colleges are divided into a number of sectors and divisions of College sports. These are NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association), NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics), NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) and CCCAA (Californian Community College Athletic Association).