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Bowling can truly be defined as a pure intercollegiate sport. Regardless of division, region, or athletic association, bowling has become fiercely competitive. Non-scholarship, Div III teams are often able to compete side-by-side with some of the top NCAA bowling teams in the country.
NCAA Scholarships for Women
The NCAA is the largest athletic association in the U.S. If you are good enough to bowl for a Division I or Division II school you may be able to squeeze some scholarship dollars out of the programs. There are 43 member schools that offer Div 1 or Div 2 Women’s Bowling and only 2 schools that offer scholarship bowling for Men, but there are plenty of men’s college bowling teams.
NJCAA
The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) represents collegiate competition in the junior and two-year college sector. There are some very competitive athletic programs in this association, so do not miss your possible options here.
NAIA
Bowling is unrecognized as a “championship sport” by the NAIA. In spite of that a number of very good bowling programs exist, including favorites Pikeville College, Lindenwood University, and Lindsey Wilson College. You will see these otherwise unknown colleges delivering enviable showings in competition.
The Appeal of Div III Athletics
Here’s the deal: there are 24 NJCAA schools that have bowling teams, all Division III (NJCAA Division III is not to be confused with NCAA Div III) and Div III schools do not award athletic scholarships. There are 6 NCAA Div III schools that offer women’s bowling, again—non-scholarship. That’s quite a bit of good collegiate bowling competition. Just because they are Div III schools does not mean they don’t make plenty of scholarship money available through merit and need based scholarships to good bowlers/students.
Many smaller off-scholarship schools attract talented athletes with academic money and state of the art facilities. If this appeals to you, combine it with the fact that at this level of play there is almost none of the same kind of performance pressure you’d find for a scholarship athlete at a Div 1 or Div 2 school.
Top Bowling Schools
The race for championship hardware is anyone’s bet in any given year, but a few of the really solid bowling programs include:
•Wichita State University
•University of Nebraska
•New Jersey City University
•Vanderbilt University
Best resources for bowling scholarships, other than colleges and universities:
•Community bowling leagues
•Regional and state bowling associations
Our List of Bowling Scholarships
See if any of these scholarships work for you. Or use this list as a brainstorming kick-start. Remember, pure bowling scholarships are few and far between. Search smarter. Here are some hands down winning scholarships that may help you optimize your search.
Elmira Youth Bowling League
Elmira Youth Bowling Scholarships are open to student bowlers in the Elmira, New York youth bowling league. Applicants must be under 21 and enrolled in a post-secondary educational program. Awards are $500 each.
Wisconsin Dells Family Bowling Scholarship Team Tournament
The Wisconsin Dells Family Bowling Scholarship Team Tournament invites family teams consisting of two junior bowlers and two adult bowlers to compete for student scholarships. USBA rules apply and winners receive scholarship money when they have actually enrolled in a post-secondary college or university.
United States Bowling Congress Scholarships
The USBC is a virtual clearinghouse for bowling scholarships. Check these out:
•Pepsi USBC Youth Championships is an annual United States Bowling Congress-Pepsi Sponsored international youth bowling competition at which over 300,000 scholarship dollars are offered at the state/zone level.
•The USBC Junior Gold Championships compete for more than $70,000 in college scholarships. Enrollment in an undergraduate program at an accredited college/university is required. High School students are not eligible. You may also contact the youth director at your local bowling center to get current information regarding how to enter the Pepsi USBC Youth Championships.
•Gift for Life Scholarships honor the heroes of September 11, 2001 and all who regularly risk danger to save the lives of others. Scholarship amount is $1,000 and applicants must be USBC high school students with a GPA of at least 2.0. Two of the twelve awards are set aside each year for a son and a daughter of police, fire and emergency rescue personnel. Selection is also based on financial need.
•Who's Who Sports Edition All Academic Bowling Team is an honorary team comprised of USBC youth selected to receive a $1,000 scholarship award based on community service and academic achievement. USBC members published in the Who's Who Among American High School Students - Sports Edition are eligible to compete.
•The Earl Anthony Memorial Scholarships recognize 5 USBC youth members based on academic achievement, community service and financial need. This award is for $5,000.
•Chuck Hall Star of Tomorrow Scholarship is annually presented to a male high school senior or undergraduate student who competes in the sport of bowling. Selection criteria include academic achievement, community involvement and distinguished bowling performances on the local, state and national levels. Award is for $1500 renewable for up to 3 years. Applicant must be a USBC member in good standing and have a GPA of 2.5.
Colleges/Universities Offering Bowling Scholarships
This is only a partial list of scholarship bowling:
Wichita State University - Wichita, Kansas
Any entering freshman, transfer student or currently enrolled WSU student may apply for the bowling scholarships. Bowling scholarships at Wichita State are given to the best student bowlers who have demonstrated elite student skills such as teamwork, loyalty, work ethic and commitment and willingness to learn and improve as well as overall bowling skills. Scholarships are typically $650 for in-state recipients and up to $2800 for out-of-state recipients. There are also 3 memorial/honorary scholarships given to outstanding bowlers.
Texas Sothern University
Robert P. Powell, Head Coach TSU wrote us with the following information "We offer bowling scholarships and academic scholarship for female student athletes. If the young lady has a 21 or better on the ACT or 1400 or better on the SAT and is driven to succeed in the classroom, as well as in her sport, then she meets our criteria. I notice on your website you listed some of the bowling programs that have won championships. We have won 6 championship at TSU in the sport of bowling plus we have a great graduation rate. We combine academic money as well as athletic money to those that meet the standards. We compete against some of the best team in the country. Scholarships for out-of -state students can range $10,000-$18,000 plus out-of-state waiver. I think this would qualify us to be listed as a school for serious bowlers and student athletes that are looking to get a quality education in some great majors (view us at www.tsu.edu). We can accept junior college transfers that have 52 hrs that can be transferred toward their major into our University. I think that this make us worth mentioning in the same league with the schools that you have listed."
University of Florida
Gator Bowling Scholarships are awarded to full-time student bowlers. Candidates must maintain 2.0 GPAs, apply for renewals each semester and commit completely to the demands of the UFL varsity bowling team.
Vincennes University – Vincennes, Indiana
Top notch bowlers may be offered scholarship money to bowl for Vincennes University. The school recruits both men and women for its bowling programs. Scholarships vary based on athletic and academic merit.