How to Get a College Cheerleading Scholarship

Cheerleading scholarship opportunities vary widely from program to program, making the process a little more complicated than it is for other sports. There’s no set rules or requirements for scholarships for NCAA teams, while NAIA teams are limited to 12 full scholarships per team.

Generally, the more competitive and established the cheerleading program is, the more funding they have for student-athletes. This section breaks down all the important aspects of cheerleading scholarships, from how to get one to which cheerleading colleges offer them.

Can you get a scholarship for cheerleading?

Schools with cheerleading programs have a wide variety of funding opportunities for cheerleaders. While few schools will offer a full scholarship for cheerleading, many colleges provide scholarships worth $500 and $1,000 per year to compensate cheerleaders for their participation on the team. But there’s no standard amount of aid across schools—the scholarship amount an athlete can receive at each college ranges from program to program.

As recruits research the colleges they’re interested in, they should look into that program’s history to see if cheerleaders can receive athletic aid. Also, keep in mind that college cheerleaders often supplement any athletic aid they receive with other scholarships. For example, colleges may award academic scholarships and need-based aid to college athletes, creating competitive financial aid packages.

How to get a cheerleading scholarship

While each cheerleading coach has their own set of criteria they look for when recruiting student-athletes, they prioritize scholarships based on a variety of factors. Here are a few tips to keep in mind when it comes to landing a college cheerleading scholarship:

• Ensure your skills will help them compete at the highest level: Cheer scholarships tend to be most available at programs that are highly competitive and have a deep tradition of cheer within the school’s history. Coaches want to bring on recruits who can take their routines to the next level. Make sure that your skill set stands out. Your skills need to align with what their team can do. Watch social media clips of the team, both in competition and at games. Are your jumps and tumbling as good as theirs? Do you see how you can fit into their stunts?
• Attend college clinics: College clinics are an important part of the recruiting process because they’re designed to teach recruits what skills and routines will be performed at that school’s tryouts. Recruits learn sideline cheers, stunts and the fight song, as well as the skills needed to compete on that squad. Basically, college coaches use clinics and open gyms to scout athletes.
• Consider attending a college cheerleading combine. Hosted by groups like USA Cheer, the national governing body for the sport, combines allow cheerleaders to show off their skills for coaches. The events are held in regional hubs, and attract coaches from around the country. Combines are especially helpful if you aren’t yet sure where you want to go to college yet.
• Maintain a high GPA: College coaches highly value recruits who maintain a high GPA and have solid test scores. In fact, some college cheer programs award academic scholarships to student-athletes who maintain a certain GPA. Having a solid academic background can open doors to scholarship opportunities at almost every school.
• Create a recruiting video to showcase skills: College cheer coaches can’t evaluate every recruit in person. They use videos to get to know the skills of prospective student-athletes. Some programs require videos that showcase specific skills before the student-athlete can try out for the team. It’s important to present your skills and send them to college coaches at the schools you’re interested in. The earlier you get on a coach’s radar, the better chance you have at receiving an invitation to try out and make the squad.  
• Know your best college fit: Make sure the school is both an academic and athletic fit. Know the coach’s desired qualifications, review the team’s roster, follow their social media, view competition footage and review the school’s necessary academic acceptance information to best understand if you’d be accepted into the school and receive a spot on the squad. Reach out to current team members who can tell you about their experiences.

Full ride scholarships for cheerleading

Full ride scholarships are not common in college cheerleading. Since there isn’t NCAA oversight of cheerleading, schools can decide on their own how to fund the sport, and if scholarships are given at all.

However, highly competitive programs often have some funding available to award the top cheerleaders on their squads. Generally, male cheerleaders have a better shot at landing a full-ride scholarship because some programs will designate a scholarship for male athletes on their team, and there tend to be fewer males than female cheerleaders on each squad.

Even though most programs don’t award full scholarships, several have small cheerleading scholarship budgets available that can bring down college tuition and cover costs like uniforms, dorm and book expenses. Top schools that put cheerleading as a part of the athletic department allow cheerleaders to take advantage of perks like the athlete’s dining hall, tutoring and sponsorship from the school’s shoe and apparel partner. Plus, many schools cover travel and expenses to away games.

When recruits add these scholarships with those they will receive from the school, such as need-based aid or academic scholarships, they can significantly bring down their total college cost.

How hard is it to get a D1 scholarship for cheerleading?

Receiving a Division 1 cheerleading scholarship is extremely competitive. Coaches often prioritize their scholarships to the cheerleaders on the team who have the most advanced skills. Some schools score cheerleaders during tryouts and then award the highest three scorers a scholarship.

To get a Division 1 cheerleading scholarship, you need to be able to make an impact on the squad right away, no matter the position. These coaches look for cheerleaders with elite tumbling, stunting, dance and jump skills. Plus, they highly take into consideration a recruit’s GPA. Being able to compete at a high level, coupled with a solid academic background, will improve your chances of receiving a Division 1 scholarship. 

Lastly, male cheerleaders on co-ed squads are more likely to earn to a scholarship simply because colleges typically designate some scholarship money for male cheerleaders and there are fewer on the squad, so less competition overall. 

Cheerleading scholarship requirements

Cheerleading is not administered by the NCAA, so athletes don’t need to be cleared by the NCAA eligibility center to receive a scholarship or land a roster spot.

That being said, all cheerleading colleges create their own academic requirements in order to qualify for their cheerleading scholarships. Most programs set the scholarship requirement at a GPA of 2.5 or higher. And many programs use grades as a motivator to receive more scholarship funding.

Additionally, most programs require recruits to be in good standing based on the program’s academic eligibility requirements and code of conduct, which includes consistent practice attendance.  

Cheerleading organizations that offer scholarships

Almost all college cheerleaders supplement their athletic scholarships with other forms of aid to bring down their total college cost. While they most commonly receive funding from the college with need-based aid and academic scholarships, another avenue they can explore is applying for scholarships through cheerleading organizations and professional associations. For example NCA and the United States All Star Federation offer scholarships for student-athletes who want to pursue college cheerleading. Recruits can also turn to their local gyms and club teams to learn about any scholarship opportunities that might be offered.

What colleges offer scholarships for cheerleading?

Often ranging from $500 to $2,000, several colleges offer cheerleading scholarships to compensate their athletes for participating on the team. Generally, the most competitive schools that rank well at national competitions are more likely to have funding available for college cheerleaders. Student-athletes interested in receiving a cheerleading scholarship should do their research to find schools where they’ll succeed both academically and athletically, as a recruit’s skillset and grades are highly factored into calculating scholarships opportunities.

To help you in your research, we’ve compiled a list of colleges with cheerleading scholarships.

1. University of Kentucky
2. University of Alabama
3. University of Central Florida
4. Texas Tech University
5. Oklahoma State University
6. University of Louisville
7. University of Mississippi
8. University of Tennessee
9. Mississippi State University
10. Ohio State University

See the complete list here.

Best colleges for cheerleading scholarships

Simply put: the best colleges for cheerleading scholarships tend to be the top-ranked colleges in the country. Teams that consistently place at competitions and have a well-established program are more likely to have funding available for college cheerleaders.

That being said, many college cheerleaders have to supplement this funding with other types of aid to bring down the total college cost because the amount of athletic aid they can receive varies from program to program. It also depends on their skill set—the top three cheerleaders on each squad usually receive the most scholarship dollars.

To help you in your research, we’ve compiled a list of the best cheerleading colleges. Here’s a snapshot by division: 

Division 1:

1. Stanford University
2. University of North Carolina
3. University of Florida
4. University of Michigan
5. Florida State University
6. University of Georgia
7. Harvard University
8. Vanderbilt University
9. University of California, San Diego
10. University of California, Santa Barbara

Division 2:

1. Yale University
2. California State University, Long Beach
3. University of Oregon
4. Appalachian State University
5. Southern Methodist University – SMU

Division 3:

1. University of Illinois
2. New York University
3. University of South Carolina
4. California Baptist University
5. Florida International University

Junior College:

1. Navarro College
2. Trinity Valley Community College

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