Swimming Scholarships
in the United States and Canada
With a swimming scholarship in the United States and Canada, you can experience a unique opportunity. Traveling across the U.S. while representing your educational institution nationwide is just one of the many benefits this option offers. Additionally, you will receive both academic and athletic training, learn a new language, and make new friends from around the world. Athletes are treated like true professionals, with access to the best facilities, professional training, travel opportunities, and sports equipment.
To secure a swimming scholarship in the United States and Canada, the better your times in competitions, the higher the interest from coaches, and the more substantial the scholarships offered. It’s essential to have official times to attract the interest of coaches.
There are many educational institutions with swimming programs in the United States and Canada.
These institutions are part of the following sports leagues: NCAA Divisions I, II, III, NAIA, and NJCAA.
Coaches receive applications from many swimmers daily, so it’s crucial to stand out and start the process early. This way, you can be in contact with coaches in advance and keep them updated on your new times.
It is vital for swimmers to have the support of Awex Education with ample time to evaluate your real opportunities in the U.S. to ensure your athletic eligibility.
At Awex Education, we handle the entire process so you can focus on enjoying this incredible experience.
High School Swimming
If you are between 12 and 17 years old, have an intermediate level of English, and a grade higher than 6 out of 10, you may be eligible for a scholarship to study at a High School in the United States or Canada.
University Swimming
If you are 16 years old or older, have an intermediate level of English, and a grade higher than 6 out of 10, you may be eligible for a scholarship to study at a university in the United States or Canada.
Swimming in the United States and Canada
Our CEO, William Touchard, explains in detail everything you need to know about the sports program.
Do you have any questions?
The American educational system is unique in allowing athletes to balance competitive sports with academic studies. Additionally, thanks to swimming scholarships, athletes can cover a percentage of their academic expenses. Often, there are also opportunities to combine academic scholarships that further reduce the total costs.
Centers in the United States and Canada offer swimming scholarships to their team members, enabling athletes to finance their education through swimming.
Moreover, this opportunity allows athletes to experience many advantages compared to the Spanish system: balancing studies and sports, traveling across the United States and Canada with the sports team, obtaining an academic degree from a U.S. or Canadian institution, mastering English, meeting people from various countries, and living unforgettable experiences. All of this opens up a world of possibilities for athletes through swimming.
Each sports league has maximum limits for swimming scholarships, and within these limits, the university allocates the scholarship funds as it deems appropriate.
Coaches at educational institutions distribute full and partial swimming scholarships to athletes on the team. Generally, to receive a swimming scholarship, athletes need to be among the best on the team. There are also other opportunities called walk-on spots, which allow swimmers to join the team without receiving a scholarship initially. After a year in this position, depending on the swimmer’s performance, they may earn a swimming scholarship for the following years.
The number of swimming scholarships available at each educational institution varies. Each sports league has a maximum number of scholarships they can offer, but they may choose to offer fewer scholarships than that limit if they wish.
A clear example is the Ivy League universities (prestigious academic institutions such as Harvard) that do not offer athletic scholarships.
Additionally, swimming is a sport where coaches can divide the number of scholarships among team members. For example, in NCAA Division 1, men’s swimming coaches can divide the value of 9.9 scholarships among as many swimmers as they want.
Women’s swimming, on the other hand, in NCAA Division 1 has a maximum of 14 scholarships, so if one has the appropriate level, it may be possible to obtain a full swimming scholarship.
Here we show tables with the limit of swimming scholarships that each university can have per swimming team, the average team size, and the number of universities. These scholarships are divided among all disciplines:
Men’s Swimming:
| College League | Number of Universities | Scholarship Limit per Team | Average Number of Swimmers per Team |
| NCAA D I | 133 | 9,9 | 29 |
| NCAA DII | 77 | 8,1 | 22 |
| NCAA DIII * | 244 | – | 19 |
| NAIA | 39 | 8 | 12 |
| NJCAA | 13 | 15 | 9 |
| TOTAL | 506 |
Women’s Swimming:
| College League | Number of Universities | Scholarship Limit per Team | Average Number of Swimmers per Team |
| NCAA D I | 195 | 14 | 30 |
| NCAA DII | 104 | 8,1 | 20 |
| NCAA DIII * | 271 | – | 20 |
| NAIA | 44 | 8 | 12 |
| NJCAA | 13 | 15 | 10 |
| TOTAL | 627 |
* Universities competing in NCAA Division III are institutions that cannot offer athletic scholarships, including swimming scholarships. However, significant other types of financial aid or academic scholarships can be obtained.
Awex Education aims to facilitate swimmers’ access to educational institutions in the United States with swimming and/or academic scholarships. We seek the best educational institutions for each swimmer and aim to secure the maximum swimming scholarship.
Here’s how the process for obtaining a swimming scholarship at an American institution works. This first part is where the athlete must work to achieve the best athletic and academic results:
- Achieve the Highest Possible Athletic Level: The higher the athlete’s level, the greater the chances of obtaining a swimming scholarship. Additionally, the athlete will have a wider range of options to choose from. It’s important to plan swimming training and competition schedules to achieve the best possible times.
- Achieve the Highest Possible Academic Level: It is crucial to focus on academics to reach the highest academic level. This way, there will be more options available and even academic scholarships that can reduce annual costs. Good preparation in advance for TOEFL and SAT exams is fundamental.
The second part of the process is managed by Awex Education. It is very important to contact Awex Education well in advance and start preparing the process ahead of time. This will increase the chances of obtaining a sports scholarship in the United States and provide more options to choose from. We recommend starting the process between 1 and 2 years before the intended start date in the United States and Canada.
Another crucial aspect for obtaining a good educational institution is the academic part, including high school grades, SAT scores, and TOEFL scores. If two students have very similar athletic levels but significant differences in academic performance, the coach will usually offer the wrestling scholarship to the better student.
This is because students must meet minimum academic standards, making academics as important as wrestling in several aspects:
- Athletic Eligibility: Minimum grades must be met on exams to be accepted into athletic leagues.
- To be accepted into the schools, the athlete must meet the academic requirements on the SAT and TOEFL exams.
- It is even possible to obtain an academic scholarship that can be combined with the sports scholarship, resulting in a higher total scholarship. To qualify for academic scholarships, students need good grades and solid results on the SAT and TOEFL exams.
Therefore, the higher the grades, the more options the athlete will have, and the more funding the institution will provide.
Each institution or coach has different minimum academic requirements. That’s why at Awex Education, we study each athlete’s academic and sports profile to find the school that best fits each athlete.
In the United States and Canada, there are more than 600 schools with swim teams that are part of various leagues. Within this wide range of schools, the level of swimming is also very broad. Swimming programs distribute a greater number of scholarships to women than to men, so the chances of winning swimming scholarships will be greater for women than for men. Scholarships are offered according to the athletic and academic level of each athlete.
We put as a reference the marks for men and women in which the coaches are interested in each of the tests that can be performed. All the tests are in 25m pool but we can send those of the other leagues and 50m pools.
| Men (25m) | Women (25m) | |||
| EVENT | NCAA DII | NAIA | NCAA DII | NAIA |
| 50 free | 23.30 | 25.29 | 26.81 | 29.37 |
| 100 free | 50.97 | 55.56 | 57.95 | 1:04.27 |
| 200 free | 1:51.46 | 2:03.02 | 2:05.96 | 2:20.66 |
| 400 free | 4:03.01 | 4:24.23 | 4:26.01 | 4.52.02 |
| 800 free | 8:18.60 | 9:07.42 | ||
| 1.500 free | 15:54.37 | 17:44.56 | 17:25.52 | 16:24.20 |
| 100 back | 1:01.71 | 1:03.15 | 1:03.28 | 1:11.53 |
| 200 back | 2:02.15 | 2:15.43 | 2:17.27 | 2:35.61 |
| 100 breaststroke | 1:01.66 | 1:09.89 | 1:12.17 | 1:21.76 |
| 200 breaststroke | 2:15.20 | 2:31.38 | 2:36.16 | 2:58.42 |
| 100 butterfly | 55.17 | 1:00.94 | 1:02.55 | 1:10.48 |
| 200 butterfly | 2:03.96 | 2:19.51 | 2:19.35 | 2:40.19 |
| 200 backstroke | 2:04.05 | 2:16.86 | 2:19.79 | 2:37.07 |
| 400 backstroke | 4:30.00 | 5:01.51 | 5:00.34 | 5:41.50 |
If your times are close to or within these, the chances of getting a swimming scholarship in the United States and Canada will be good. Coaches will be in contact with athletes a year or even two before they start at the school, however, final decisions are made based on marks from a year prior to starting in the U.S. and Canada, when the athlete is in his or her senior year of high school.
Although all swimmers specialize in one type of event, college coaches look for versatile swimmers who can compete in several events within their field.
Swimming scholarships in the United States and Canada cover a percentage of the following expenses; in the case of obtaining a full swimming scholarship, all these costs will be covered:
- Tuition and fees
- Books
- Housing (Residence or apartment)
- Meals
- Health insurance
Additionally, all athletes on the wrestling team, regardless of whether they have a wrestling scholarship
Coaches assess an athlete’s shooting level through various factors:
- Official Scores or Times: Coaches review official performance metrics.
- National and International Competitions: Participation and results in recognized competitions are considered.
- Shooting Video: A video showcasing the athlete’s skills and performance.
- Awex Education Evaluation:
With all this information, AWEX Education evaluates each athlete and their family and collaborates with educational institutions that align with their athletic and academic level, providing strong opportunities for obtaining a sports scholarship and joining the team.
Hundred of succesfull cases, ¿do you want to meet them?
“The most important thing in Awex Education is the happiness of our students and families”
We want you to live the best experience of your life like thousands of students who have already lived it with us.
(More than 150 reviews)
(More than 150 reviws)
