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Scholar athlete education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a scholar athlete. Scholar athletes usually study business, kinesiology, or psychology. 78% of scholar athletes hold a bachelor's degree, and 9% hold an high school diploma. We analyzed 1,061 real scholar athlete resumes to see exactly what scholar athlete education sections show.
The most common colleges for scholar athletes are the Ohio State University and the Ohio State University.
There are also many online scholar athlete courses to help get the education required to be a scholar athlete.
What education do you need to become a scholar athlete?
What degree do you need to be a scholar athlete?
- Bachelor's, 78%
- High School Diploma, 9%
- Associate, 6%
- Master's, 5%
- Other Degrees, 2%
What should I major in to become a scholar athlete?
- Business, 20%
- Kinesiology, 13%
- Psychology, 10%
- Communication, 7%
- Other Majors, 50%
Most common colleges for scholar athletes
| Scholar athlete common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Ohio State University | 10.00% |
| University of Nebraska - Lincoln | 7.78% |
| University of Mississippi | 7.78% |
| North Carolina State University | 6.67% |
| University of Connecticut | 5.56% |
Best majors for scholar athletes
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 20.0% |
| 2 | Kinesiology | 12.5% |
| 3 | Psychology | 10.4% |
| 4 | Communication | 7.1% |
| 5 | Biology | 6.6% |
Best colleges for scholar athletes
The best colleges for scholar athletes are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia University in the City of New York.
A scholar athlete with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for scholar athletes. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become scholar athletes.
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
2. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Enrollment
9,142
3. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
4. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
5. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
6. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
7. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
8. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
9. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$15,094
Enrollment
32,974
10. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Enrollment
34,564
20 best online courses for scholar athletes
Advertising disclosure
1. Communication skills for engineering scholars
The course teaches engineering scholars how to improve their communication skills, based on theory, examples and practical exercises. Topics include basics of rhetoric (how to be clear), basics of argumentation theory (how to be persuasive), public speaking, grant writing, scientific writing. The main target are engineering scholars; the first 3 weeks, though, can be useful to anyone wishing to improve their communication skills...
2. The Science of Training Young Athletes
Seventy percent of kids drop out of sports before their high school graduation. Only 15% leave because they feel they are not good enough. Almost 70% leave because they were not having fun, or due to problems with the coach. Injuries cause 30% to give up sports. This course is packed full of practical sports science information that provide youth coaches and parents with the practical pediatric sports science insights to successfully retain young athletes and develop their sport potential while...
3. Sport Psychology for Athletes
Master the fundamentals of sport psychology to improve performance and gain a mental edge...
4. Sports Nutrition for Athletes and Fitness Enthusiasts
Learn all about sports nutrition with 7 hours of online video content and start training SMARTER instead of HARDER...
5. Sports Turf Management: Best Practices
The Sports Turf Management: Best Practices course will cover the construction, management, and challenges in maintaining athletic fields intended for football, soccer, and baseball. You will learn the fundamental management practices for maintaining athletic fields, such as fertilization, irrigation, mowing, and pest control. An overview of athletic field construction, highlighting the advantages and disadvantages of native soil versus modified soil fields, will be provided. Lastly, you will...
6. Data Analytics in Sports Law and Management
Athletes, lawyers and team executive experts provide insight in how law and regulations intersect with data analytics and sports management techniques for best practices in the sports industry. Several courses provide the basis for how data analytics function within player evaluation, team performance, and roster management. The specialization introduces various regulatory, managerial and legal frameworks that includes athlete representation, facilities, and event management and conclude with...
7. The Ultimate Soccer Guide Play Like A Pro Soccer Player
Learn how to drastically improve your soccer skills, fitness, confidence, and game intelligence FASTER than ever before...
8. Internationally Accredited Diploma in Sports Nutrition
Learn About The Fundamentals Of Sport Nutrition Science And How To Fuel Your Athlete Client...
9. William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night: Comedy, Conflict, and Community
This course introduces and explores William Shakespeare’s classic comedy, Twelfth Night. Interviews with actors who appeared in the Colorado Shakespeare Festival’s 2019 production of Twelfth Night, as well as lectures by scholars and theater professionals who work and teach at the University of Colorado Boulder, offer students insight into Shakespeare’s artistic vision and its applications. Exploring Shakespeare’s language, his characters, his humor and his world view, the lectures, interviews,...
10. Introduction to Machine Learning in Sports Analytics
In this course students will explore supervised machine learning techniques using the python scikit learn (sklearn) toolkit and real-world athletic data to understand both machine learning algorithms and how to predict athletic outcomes. Building on the previous courses in the specialization, students will apply methods such as support vector machines (SVM), decision trees, random forest, linear and logistic regression, and ensembles of learners to examine data from professional sports leagues...
11. Cupping Massage Mastery
Master Silicone Cupping in 2023 and Become the Go-To Therapist for Chronic Pain and Athletic Recovery...
12. Applied Sport Psychology and Leadership in Sport Certificate
Enhance your knowledge of sport psychology from an athlete or coach perspective with this comprehensive applied course...
13. Activism in Sports and Culture
Sports have become an ever-present reflection of American culture, and an important symbol of the divisions and alliances in our society. Sports and political change walk hand in hand in America. The way that athletes and institutions deal with questions of race, economic hardship, nationalism, and political ties have become central to the way that we understand ourselves and our society. And yet, there are those who would prefer their sports free of controversy and opinion. Dedicated athletes,...
14. The Beauty of Kunqu Opera
This course will focus on the historical and cultural background, literary aesthetics, music, and performance of Kunqu, China’s classical opera. After viewing the lecture videos presented by scholars and renowned maestros in the field of Kunqu, students’ understanding and appreciation of Chinese performing arts, classical literature and traditional culture will be enhanced...
15. AMERICAN ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION: Accent Reduction Made Easy
Step by Step Guide to Master the American Accent! Taught by Expert AWARD WINNING BROADWAY VOICE COACH...
16. PowerPoint Kinetic Typography Microsoft PowerPoint animation
Learn Advanced Power Point animation. Use Microsoft Powerpoint for kinetic typography and animated PPT presentations...
17. Sports Performance Analytics
Sports analytics has emerged as a field of research with increasing popularity propelled, in part, by the real-world success illustrated by the best-selling book and motion picture, Moneyball. Analysis of team and player performance data has continued to revolutionize the sports industry on the field, court, and ice as well as in living rooms among fantasy sports players and online sports gambling.\n\nDrawing from real data sets in Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Basketball...
18. Become a Professional Football (Soccer) Coach
The Complete Guide on how to become a Professional Football (Soccer) Coach...
19. Powerpoint 2016 2019 365 - Master powerpoint presentation
Complete Powerpoint Masterclass, 20+ powerpoint 365 presentation slides. Learn Microsoft Powerpoint beginner to advanced...
20. Ultimate Guide to Microsoft PowerPoint for All Levels
If you need to up-skill for your job or looking to land one, then this Power Point training will get you there!...
Top 10 most affordable universities for scholar athletes
The most affordable schools for scholar athletes are University of Florida, california state university - bakersfield, and suny farmingdale.
If the best universities for scholar athletes are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for scholar athletes.
1. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
2. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
3. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
4. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
5. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
6. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
7. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
8. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
9. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
10. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for scholar athletes
The hardest universities for scholar athletes to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia University in the City of New York.
Some great schools for scholar athletes are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for scholar athletes based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
3. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
4. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
5. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
6. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
7. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
8. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
9. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
10. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for scholar athletes
The easiest schools for scholar athletes to get into are Barry University, wayland baptist university, and felician university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a scholar athlete without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for scholar athletes.
1. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
2. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
3. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
999
4. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
5. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
6. Life University
Marietta, GA • Private
Admissions rate
94%
SAT average
979
7. Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,035
8. Ottawa University
Ottawa, KS • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,024
9. Our Lady of the Lake University
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,002
10. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
Average scholar athlete salary by education level
| Scholar athlete education level | Scholar athlete salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $48,298 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $39,470 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $48,637 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $41,878 |
Scholar athlete education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025