Volleyball is a college sport played by both men and women. There are interesting distinctions: women play in the fall and men play in the spring. Not only this, the NCAA sponsors many more women's volleyball programs than men's. There are 311 Division I Women's volleyball programs compared to 22 Division I Men's programs.
Obviously this means there are many more scholarships for women. Add to this the 269 Division II Women's volleyball programs versus 15-D2 Men's. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this is the reverse gender equity at play in the volleyball arena. Historically women's programs have had to scrap for play-time plus scholarship funding, but in the sport of volleyball it is the men's programs that have had to fight for monetary support.
Men's Volleyball Programs
Slowly but surely increasing numbers of men's competitive volleyball programs are being launched, thanks to grants from the NCAA and USA Volleyball. Top programs that offer men's volleyball scholarships include:
•The University of California - Los Angeles, UCLA is one of the top Division I Men's Volleyball teams in the country. UCLA is also a top draw for academically motivated students as well as those who wish to give the West Coast a go. In order to keep its athletic programs at the top of the NCAA scoreboards, UCLA vigorously promotes its Athletic Fund and Athletic Endowments, both of which are strongly supported by generous alumni and fans. Programs like these make it possible for UCLA Mens' Volleyball to sign top players and offer competitive scholarships.
•Penn State is consistently ranked among the top Men's Volleyball teams. The Penn State program recruits top players throughout the country.
•What student would not dream of studying in Hawaii? The University of Hawaii at Manoa also offers one of the top ten Men's Volleyball programs. UH has also been recognized as having a program that emphasizes student-athlete academics as well as athletic performance.
•Brigham Young University (BYU) has been touted as spawning their own brand of drive to succeed in Men's Volleyball. The program, in a sea of at-risk programs, has consistently won support from alumni and loyal fans.
Women's Volleyball Programs
Women have many volleyball scholarship programs to choose from versus those few available to men. Some of the top scholarship programs include:
•UCLA Women's Volleyball program ranks consistently near the top along with their men's program. UCLA not only awards top athletes, but their academics are reputable as well. This is one of the top volleyball programs in the country and only the best of the best will make it onto this squad.
•Michigan State University is a D1 school offering full scholarships to some of the best female players in the country.
•For Division II players there may be more options for spreading the competition around. Small D2 schools such as Francis Marion University offer Women's Volleyball scholarships that allow many more solid players room to compete and earn money toward college.
NCAA Recruiting
Volleyball scholarships, like any other athletic award, are very competitive. Nearly all NCAA schools with scholarship programs allow you to fill out online Prospective Student-Athlete forms. Here athletes are initially screened based on both athletic statistics as well as academic. Coaches and recruiters emphasize getting your name and athletic history into the right hands at the right time. The reason many athletic scholarships go unused or awarded to other competitors is lack of participation in one's recruitment. If you're serious about winning an athletic scholarship, you must be willing to advertise yourself.
The NCAA Sports Listing allows you to search Division I and II Volleyball programs, those that offer full or partial athletic scholarships.
NAIA Recruiting
Some say the NAIA offers student-athletes a very viable alternative to NCAA D1 and D2 schools. The NAIA, National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, only has division stipulations in basketball. For the large number of above average and talented athletic multitude who are also looking for a nice academic balance, more equitable playing time, and championship opportunities, the NAIA has nearly 300 member colleges and universities, nearly all of which offer some sort of athletic scholarship.
Some of the top Women's NAIA volleyball programs are Dickinson State University, Fresno Pacific, and Georgetown College in Kentucky.