College soccer players don’t get paid to play, but they can qualify for scholarships and other benefits.
College Soccer Player Pay
In the United States, college soccer is strictly an amateur sport. There are no paid contracts like there are in lower-tier professional leagues in other countries.
Additionally, players who have ever been paid by a professional or semi-professional team risk being ineligible to play in college. In some cases, even being on a team where other players are paid could affect your eligibility. If you want to play soccer in college, check with a college recruiter before you join such a team.
College Soccer Scholarships
College soccer scholarships are very limited. Most NCAA teams only get about 9 scholarships and usually carry rosters of around 30.
The exact number of scholarships can vary based on what other sports the school has, the balance of male versus female athletes (Title IX), and school budgets.
Many coaches choose to split their scholarships so more players get a partial scholarship versus only a few having a full scholarship.
College soccer players can also be eligible for academic scholarships or need-based aid. That can give players with good grades an edge in the recruiting process especially if they can earn a full academic scholarship.
NAIA and junior college conferences often allow more scholarships than the NCAA, but these schools are less likely to budget for the full amount of scholarships and may not be a good academic fit.
College Soccer NIL Deals
Recently, the NCAA allowed college athletes to sign Name, Image, and Likeness deals where they can get paid by outside companies not connected to their college. Typically, these deals are to endorse a product in social media or other forms of advertising.
While top American football (handegg) players have gotten multi-million dollar deals, soccer players have been largely left out. You’ll only see sporadic reports of players getting a few hundred dollars or maybe in the low thousands.
College soccer NIL deals aren’t worth more than those small private scholarships for winning an essay contest.
