What are the Different Types of Scholarships and Athletic Offers?

Scholarship offers can be confusing, but it’s important to understand the basics. There are several types of athletic scholarship offers available. Most of the time, these offers last for one year, and even though multi-year deals are possible, they are pretty rare. Full-ride scholarships, which cover all your expenses, are also very rare, but there are many other kinds of awards you can get from a school.

In this guide, we’ll look at the most common offers that student-athletes may receive, explain how college coaches choose and make these offers, and answer some common questions about getting a scholarship.

Key Types of Athletic Scholarship Offers

There are two key types of athletic scholarships offers: full-ride and partial.

Full-ride scholarship offer

A full-ride scholarship is one that covers nearly all of your college expenses. This usually means the school pays for tuition, fees, room and board, and often even books and supplies. These scholarships offer great financial help but are very competitive to receive. Scholarship availability is still dependent on program funding, which varies by school and sport.

• Covers tuition, fees, room & board, books, and supplies.
• Rare and highly competitive.
• Availability depends on school, sport, and funding.
• Potential Change: If proposed NCAA settlement is approved, D1 sports could offer full rides to every athlete—big shift in recruiting dynamics. Get the latest updates here.

Partial scholarship offer

While not a full ride, a partial scholarship offer can still cover a significant portion of college costs or very little. For example, one student-athlete on a team gets a scholarship that covers tuition, while another teammate may only get offered a scholarship that covers the costs of books.

• Most common type of athletic scholarship.
• Offers can range from minimal aid (e.g., covering books) to covering major expenses.
• With new rules proposed for 2025–26, all D1 sports could become “equivalency sports,” giving coaches flexibility to divide scholarships among players.
  

Walk-on vs Scholarship

Not all offers come with a monetary reward. Sometimes, the reward is simply a spot on the roster.

What is a Walk-On? In college sports, a walk-on is an athlete who becomes part of a team without being recruited or offered an athletic scholarship. They essentially try out and “walk on” to the team.

Walk-ons are far more common in college sports than most families and student-athletes realize. It’s important to understand the distinctions between the different types of walk-ons as you navigate the recruiting process. Read below for a breakdown of each walk-on option.

Preferred walk-on

A preferred walk-on offer promises you a roster spot, but you won’t receive any athletic aid.

Some student-athletes will turn down scholarship offers at smaller schools to play for a bigger program as a preferred walk-on. But keep in mind, even preferred walk-ons can get cut during try-outs or team camp if they aren’t meeting coach expectations.

• Guaranteed spot on the team.
• No athletic scholarship.
• May still get cut if performance doesn’t meet expectations.

Recruited walk-on

A recruited walk-on offer means there is interest from the coach but no financial assistance, so you must still earn a spot on the team through additional tryouts or summer training camp.

Although there is no financial assistance or even a guarantee of making the team, some student-athletes still view a recruited walk-on offer as a great opportunity to play at the highest level of competition.

• Coach expresses interest, but no scholarship or guaranteed spot.
• Requires tryouts or proving oneself at training camp.

Unrecruited walk-on

Typically, an unrecruited walk-on offer occurs when a student-athlete qualifies for admission to the school and plans to join the team through an open tryout.

In this scenario, there is usually a conversation with the college coach prior to enrollment to confirm the student-athlete will be able to try out for the team.

There is a lot to consider with any type of walk-on offer. This is especially true if you have scholarship offers from other schools.

• Student applies and gets accepted to the school independently.
• Can try out after communication with the coach.
• Typically least secure path onto a team.

With the new proposed NCAA scholarship rules and roster limits starting in 2025-2026, the exact impact on walk-ons is uncertain and will vary across different sports and schools. Stay in touch with coaches and ask about their plans for walk-ons and redshirts, as this can differ significantly between programs.

Read more: The 5 Most Commonly Asked Questions About Being a College Walk-On

“Shirting” Terms – Redshirt, Grayshirt, Greenshirt, Blueshirt

While “redshirt” may be a familiar term to many student-athletes and their families, there are a number of different shirt color terms that designate a student-athlete’s eligibility status. The color also shows how a coach sees a recruit contributing to the program in both the short-term and long-term.

The table below breaks down the four types of athletic statuses.

• A redshirt athlete is on scholarship, practices but does not compete for one year, preserving eligibility for four seasons in five years.
• A grayshirt postpones full-time enrollment and is not on scholarship or part of the team immediately.
• A greenshirt enrolls early, can practice, and is on scholarship but must wait to compete.
• A blueshirt practices for a year without playing or receiving a scholarship and must have been unrecruited.

Redshirt

Reasons for being redshirted include a coach wanting a year to physically prepare an athlete for college competition or a chance for a student-athlete to recover from an injury.

Typically, a redshirt athlete will have a scholarship but cannot compete for one year. They will participate in all team activities like practice, training, and receive benefits such as academic tutoring, but they will not see any playing time. However, they will get an opportunity to play four seasons in five years.

An “academic” redshirt would be a freshman who may not meet the academic eligibility requirements coming out of high school.

Grayshirt

A grayshirt is a student-athlete who delays full-time college enrollment until the second semester of their freshman year, typically taking part-time classes in the fall. During this time, they are not part of the team, do not practice, and do not receive a scholarship. Their NCAA eligibility clock doesn’t start until they enroll full-time, giving them five years to complete four seasons of competition.

Grayshirting is often used by programs that oversign—bringing in more recruits than available roster spots—with the intent of officially adding the athlete the following season. While some coaches are transparent about offering grayshirt status, surprises can happen close to National Signing Day.

Sometimes, injuries and roster changes can mean grayshirt status can be rescinded and an athlete will be offered a roster spot earlier than expected. But it’s important to have clear and open communication with college coaches about your role on the roster and the possibility of being grayshirted.

Greenshirt

More and more fall sport athletes are getting a jump on their college careers by graduating in December and enrolling a semester early.

The benefits to greenshirting include the chance to get ahead on classes, attend spring training and practice with your new team while on scholarship before the new fall season.

Student-athletes who greenshirt are allowed to play their first year but they can also redshirt and have five years to play four seasons.

Blueshirt

Blueshirting is becoming a more popular (but hardly common) way to creatively manage the number of athletic scholarships. Blue shirt rules allow unrecruited players to be awarded a scholarship at the start of freshman practice.

Like a redshirt, they will practice with the team but won’t be allowed to compete for a year. This allows a team that may have too many commits to essentially borrow against their next year’s scholarship total.

The rules are rather strict regarding what is defined as being “unrecruited.” That means there was:

• No official visit
• No in-home coach visit
• No signed financial aid agreement
• No form of athletic aid

Given the recruiting restrictions, it is still a pretty rare occurrence for a student-athlete to have a blueshirt scholarship offer.

How Do College Coaches Make Offers?

Understanding how college coaches make offers is crucial to navigating the recruitment process. Coaches assess talent based on athletic performance, academic achievement, and a player’s potential to contribute to the team’s culture. They review game footage, host campus visits, and use recruiting camps as platforms for discovery — all within the confines of NCAA regulations.

Learn more about the college recruiting process.

How to Get Offers

If you’re wondering how to get offers from college coaches, preparation is key. Start by focusing on your training and academics, then create a compelling highlight video and attend recruitment events. Consistent communication with coaches can be the catalyst to turning your athletic potential into scholarship offers.

Key Takeaways

• Full-ride scholarships are rare but offer complete financial coverage—most student-athletes receive partial scholarships.
• Walk-on opportunities can still lead to a roster spot, but may not include athletic aid. Know the difference between preferred, recruited, and unrecruited walk-ons.
• Understand your eligibility status with terms like redshirt, grayshirt, greenshirt, and blueshirt—each comes with different timelines and benefits.
• Scholarship offers are typically one-year agreements and may change annually based on performance, budget, and roster needs.
• A verbal offer is not binding—only a signed NCAA financial aid agreement is official. Always read and understand your offer before accepting.
• Communication with coaches is key. Ask questions, clarify your status, and stay informed about upcoming NCAA rule changes.

Need more guidance?

Your NCSA Recruiting Coach is here to guide you through the athletic scholarship process. Log in now to schedule a conversation with your coach.

Not a member yet? Start with a free recruiting profile to connect with an NCSA Recruiting Specialist. We’ll help you and your family plan the next steps in your recruiting journey and achieve your scholarship goals.

FAQS