Water Polo Scholarships

Water Polo has been around for quite some time now, with the first national championship taking place in 1969. That year the UCLA Bruins completed a perfect season (19-0) by beating the California Bears in the championship game. Since then the sport has continued to grow, both worldwide and at the collegiate level. One thing has remained the same though in the last 50 years. College water polo keeps being dominiated by the California colleges. UCLA, Stanford, Southern California and California have basically split the national championships among themselves. However, this does not mean that there are only good water polo teams in California. In total there are currently 116 universities sponsoring varsity water polo teams. Many of them are located on the east coast or in other parts of the country.

Are there water polo scholarships available?

Here is the good news for young water polo players from around the world. There are plenty of water polo scholarships available, both on the men’s and women’s side. So if you are an experienced and talented water polo player, college water polo might just be the perfect fit for you. Competing at this level will allow you to continue playing water polo at the highest level all while getting a world-class education.

Am I eligible?

As it is the case with all NCAA recognized sports, having a high enough GPA and SAT/ACT score is the most overlooked concept by student athletes looking to be recruited. Even if you are one of the best water polo players in your region, state, or country, if you do not have the right grades, you simply will not be NCAA eligible or you will not get into the university of your dreams. This is especially important in water polo, where the best teams are sponsored by some of the best academic universities. So having a high GPA and good test scores, will only increase your chances of getting into those schools and will make you more attractive to coaches. The College Sports America team has a lot of experience and will help you determine which university is the best fit for you based on your athletic and academic level.

Here are some more important facts about college water polo and water polo scholarships:

Number of NCAA Div 1 water polo teams: Men: 25, Women: 34
Total Number of water polo teams (all divisions): Men: 83, Women: 110
Total number of college water polo athletes: Men: c. 1700, Women: c. 2000
Scholarship limit per team: Men: 4.5, Women: 8
College water polo programs with the most National Championships: UCLA, Southern California, Stanford, California, UC Irvine

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