Playing a sport in college is a big-time commitment, but the opportunity for financial aid in the form of an athletic scholarship is one of the many rewards that can come with it. This particular question is a tricky one, as Title IX regulations have been put in place to ensure and instill equality across collegiate sports. So, to the question of “Do Men Have More Scholarship Opportunities than Women?” the answer is both yes, and no.
Overall, men do have more scholarship opportunities than women. This is almost solely based on the sheer number of scholarships required to field a football team with no equivalent sport that is strictly female. However, with other sports, there are actually typically more scholarship opportunities for women. Title IX requires that athletic scholarships are "substantially proportionate to their respective rates of enrollment of full-time undergraduate students." This allows for more equal opportunities for women in college sports.
One example of women having more opportunities is shown with soccer. According to Forbes, the ratio of female high school soccer players to available scholarships is 40:1. On the male side, that number is 68:1. As you can see, this slides strongly in the favor of female athletes. Title IX is not only concerned with the number of scholarships offered, however. There is also a strong emphasis on making sure that the facilities and resources that are made available to male collegiate athletes are also made available to female athletes.
There is another component as well, as the dollar amount of scholarships can come into account. There are certain instances where certain sports may have offered more scholarships than another, but the dollar amount is the same. This is where partial scholarships come into play. Not every single scholarship is going to be a full-ride, so that opens up even more opportunities for high school students to earn financial aid at the next level.
So, what does this mean for high school athletes looking to make it to the next level? Not much, as it should not be breaking news that it is difficult to earn a scholarship at the next level. It will take a lot of hard work to get to the next level, with even more required to earn a scholarship. While men who are playing a non-football sport may have tougher odds than female athletes in the same sport, there are more scholarship opportunities available for men overall.
With the inspiring story of Sarah Fuller kicking for Vanderbilt and becoming the first woman to score in a Power 5 football game, it will be interesting to see if this encourages more women to try out and train for the sport.
Regardless of what sport you are trying to play, exposure is going to be a huge key in obtaining an athletic scholarship. Utilizing the resources available at GMTM will help you get your name out there and get your film in front of coaches and recruiters at the next level.
