Swimming | Awex Education Sports Scholarships

Swimming scholarships in the United States and Canada

The experience that will change your life

Thanks to a swimming scholarship in the United States and Canada, you can live a unique experience. Traveling across the U.S. while representing your school nationwide is just one of the many advantages this opportunity offers. Additionally, you will develop both academically and athletically, learn a new language, and make new friendships from all over the world. Athletes are treated like true professionals, with access to top-notch facilities, professional training, travel opportunities, and sports equipment.

To obtain a swimming scholarship in the United States and Canada, the better your times and performance in competitions, the greater the interest from coaches, who will offer higher scholarships. It is important to have official times to capture the attention of university coaches.

There are many schools with swimming programs in the United States and Canada.

These schools belong to the following athletic leagues: NCAA Divisions I, II, III, NAIA, and NJCAA.

Coaches receive applications from many swimmers every day, so it is important to stand out and start the process to obtain a swimming scholarship in the United States and Canada early. This way, you can stay in contact with the coaches over time and keep them updated on your new results.

It is very important for swimmers to have the support of Awex Education well in advance, so we can evaluate your real opportunities in the U.S. and ensure your athletic eligibility is not at risk.

At Awex Education, we handle the entire process so that you don’t have to worry about anything and can fully enjoy this incredible experience.

High School Swimming

If you are between 12 and 17 years old, have an intermediate level of English, and a grade above 6 out of 10, you can apply for a scholarship to study at a High School in the United States or Canada.

University Swimming

If you are 16 years or older, have an intermediate level of English, and a grade above 6 out of 10, you can apply for a scholarship to study at a University in the United States or Canada.

Swimming en Estados Unidos y Canadá

Our CEO, William Touchard, explains in detail everything you need to know about the sports program.

Do you have any questions?

Why the United States and Canada?

The American educational system is the only system that allows athletes to combine competitive sports with academic studies. Additionally, thanks to a swimming scholarship, athletes can cover a portion of their academic expenses. In many cases, it is even possible to combine athletic and academic scholarships, further reducing the total costs.

Schools in the United States and Canada offer swimming scholarships to their team members, allowing athletes to finance their studies through swimming.

Moreover, this opportunity allows athletes to have an experience that offers many advantages compared to the Spanish system: balancing studies and sports, traveling across the United States and Canada with the sports team, earning an academic degree from a U.S. or Canadian school, mastering English, meeting people from all over the world, and living unforgettable experiences. Swimming opens a world of possibilities for athletes.

Swimming scholarships in the United States and Canada

Each sports league has a maximum number of swimming scholarships to distribute, but within those limits, each university decides how to allocate the scholarship funds as it sees fit.

Coaches at the schools distribute these funds as full and partial swimming scholarships to team members. Usually, athletes must be among the best on the team to receive a swimming scholarship.

There are also opportunities known as walk-on, which allow swimmers to join the team without receiving a scholarship. After a year in this position, depending on the athlete’s performance, it may be possible to earn a swimming scholarship for the following years.

Limit on scholarships per team

The number of swimming scholarships available at each educational institution varies from school to school. Each sports league has a maximum number of swimming scholarships it can offer, but schools can choose to offer fewer scholarships than that limit if they wish.

A clear example is the IVY League universities (prestigious academic schools like Harvard), which do not offer athletic scholarships.

Additionally, swimming is a sport where coaches can divide the total scholarship allotment among team members. For example, in NCAA Division I, men’s swimming coaches can split the value of 9.9 scholarships among as many swimmers as they want.

Women’s swimming in NCAA Division I, on the other hand, has a maximum of 14 scholarships, so if an athlete meets the level requirements, it is possible to obtain a full swimming scholarship.

Here are some tables showing the scholarship limits per swimming team, the average team size, and the number of universities. These scholarships are divided among all swimming events:

Men’s Swimming

University League	Number of Universities	Scholarship Limit per Team	Avg. Swimmers per Team
NCAA DI	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

University League	Number of Universities	Scholarship Limit per Team	Avg. Swimmers per Team
NCAA DI	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 not allowed to offer athletic scholarships, so they do not provide swimming scholarships. However, other forms of financial aid or academic scholarships may be available.

How does the process of obtaining swimming scholarships in the United States and Canada work?

The goal of Awex Education is to help swimmers gain access to an educational institution in the United States with a swimming and/or academic scholarship. For this reason, we look for the best schools for each swimmer, as well as the highest possible swimming scholarship.

Here is how the process of obtaining a swimming scholarship at an American school works. The first part is where the athlete must focus on achieving their best sporting and academic results:

Achieve the highest possible athletic level: The higher the athlete’s level, the greater their chances of obtaining a scholarship. Additionally, they will have a wider range of options to choose from. It is important to plan swimming training and competition schedules in order to achieve the best possible times and results.

Achieve the highest possible academic level: Focusing on studies is essential to reach the maximum academic level. This way, more options will be available, and it is even possible to obtain academic scholarships that reduce the total annual cost. Proper preparation for the TOEFL and SAT exams well in advance is crucial.

The second part of the process is handled by Awex Education. It is very important to contact Awex Education well in advance and begin preparing the process early. This increases the chances of obtaining a sports scholarship in the United States and provides more options to choose from. We recommend starting the process 1 to 2 years before the intended start date in the United States or Canada.

Academic requirements

Another important factor in securing a good educational institution is the academic component—high school grades, SAT and TOEFL scores, etc. If two students have very similar athletic levels but significant differences in academic performance, the coach will usually award the swimming scholarship to the stronger student academically.

This is because athletes must meet certain minimum requirements, making academics just as important as swimming in several aspects:

Athletic acceptance: Minimum academic scores are required on exams to be accepted into athletic leagues.
School acceptance: To be admitted to the school, the swimmer must meet the academic requirements on the SAT and TOEFL exams.
Academic scholarships: It is also possible to obtain an academic scholarship, which can be added to the athletic scholarship, resulting in a higher total scholarship. To qualify for academic scholarships, good grades and strong SAT and TOEFL results are necessary.

The higher the academic performance, the more options the swimmer will have and the greater the financial support they can receive from the school.

Each school or coach has different minimum academic requirements. That is why, at Awex Education, we study each athlete’s academic and athletic profile to find the school that best fits their needs.

What level of swimming ability is required?

In the United States and Canada, there are more than 600 educational institutions with swimming teams that are part of various leagues. Within this wide range of schools, the level of swimming varies significantly. Swimming programs allocate a higher number of scholarships to women than to men, so the chances of obtaining a swimming scholarship are generally greater for women. Scholarships are awarded based on each athlete’s athletic and academic level.

As a reference, here are the times for men and women that coaches are interested in for each swimming event. All times are for a 25m pool, but times for other leagues and 50m pools can also be provided.

EVENT	Men (25m) NCAA DII	Men (25m) NAIA	Women (25m) NCAA DII	Women (25m) 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	–	–
1500 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 Breast	1:01.66	1:09.89	1:12.17	1:21.76
200 Breast	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 IM	2:04.05	2:16.86	2:19.79	2:37.07
400 IM	4:30.00	5:01.51	5:00.34	5:41.50

If your times are close to or within these ranges, your chances of obtaining a swimming scholarship in the United States or Canada will be good. Coaches usually contact athletes one to two years before they start at the school, but final decisions are based on times from one year before enrollment, when the athlete is in their last year of high school.

Although swimmers typically specialize in a particular event, college coaches look for versatile swimmers who can compete in multiple events within their discipline.

What do swimming scholarships cover?

Swimming scholarships in the United States and Canada cover a percentage of university expenses. In the case of receiving a full swimming scholarship, all of the following expenses are covered:

Tuition and fees
Books
Housing (dormitory or apartment)
Meals
Health insurance

In addition, all swimmers on the school’s swimming team, whether or not they have a scholarship, always have their swimming-related expenses covered, including:

Swim practices and training
Sports equipment
Official competitions
Travel to competitions (transportation, lodging, and meals)
Academic tutoring if needed for classes
Sports medicine and physiotherapy

How do American coaches measure an athlete's level?

Coaches evaluate a swimmer’s level based on several factors:

Official times and records
National and international competitions
Swimming videos
Awex Education evaluation

Using all this information, at Awex Education we assess each athlete and their family and work with educational institutions that match their athletic and academic level, maximizing the chances of obtaining a sports scholarship and competing on the team.

Awex Stories

Real stories from our students and families in the United States and Canada. Discover how they lived their experience, what they learned, and how this adventure transformed their lives.

Awex Stories

Real stories from our students and families in the United States and Canada. Discover how they lived their experience, what they learned, and how this adventure transformed their lives.

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