College Fencing Scholarships
There are very few opportunities to fence at the college level with only 35 men’s programs and 41 women’s programs. Within these college fencing programs are some of the top academic institutions in the country. This makes finding an fencing scholarship very difficult as you need to not only be a great athlete but have very strong academics as well.
Fencing scholarships by the numbers
There are only 4.5 scholarships per team for men’s NCAA DI fencing programs and only 21 men’s programs in total.
Women’s NCAA DI fencing programs have up to 5 scholarships per team and only 23 teams total.
Ivy League schools do not offer athletic scholarships but they do offer other forms of finical aid based on academics and individual needs.
College fencing scholarships can just be finical aid
Many of the schools that compete in fencing at the college level are unable to provide athletic scholarships either due to conference or division level requirements. These schools are able to put together very competitive financial aid packages through grants, other types of scholarships and other forms of aid. Don’t assume that just because a school doesn’t have athletic scholarships they are not an option for you.
The power of strong academics in college fencing
It happens that the majority of the college fencing programs are also home to some of the top academic institutions in the United States. While a fencing coach might be able to help you through the admissions process it is still up to you to have very strong grades. When considering schools like those in the Ivy League you need to have a 3.8+ GPA and scoring in the top 10% in your standardized testing.
College fencing is an international competition
The team roster for college fencing programs can be some of the most culturally diverse in all of college sports. If you are able to make a college team you will have the chance to compete against some of the best young fencers in the world. This also means being one of the best fencers in your regional or even national competition doesn’t grantee you a spot on your choice of fencing teams. This is especially true if you need a scholarship. With so few teams and scholarships available you will need to look into each program and see what options are available for you.