Golf scholarships: what each division allows, and where else to apply

Are golf scholarships full rides or partial?

Usually partial, though no public dataset we could find counts golf awards. Every limit in the table is a total for the team, not a promise to any one player. A Division II women's team with 5.4 equivalencies could fund five full grants and 0.4 of a sixth, or spread the same total across more players. Across all sports, the NCAA says “most student-athletes receive partial aid, not a full ride” (NCAA: Scholarships and financial aid (all divisions, all sports)).

A player on no athletic aid does not count toward that limit (2026-27 NCAA Division II Manual, Bylaws 15.4.1 and 15.4.2.1.3 (who counts toward the limit)), which is why squads run larger than the limit. In 2024-25 the average Division II squad was 11.3 players in men's golf and 8.4 in women's.

Squads: NCAA Sports Sponsorship and Participation Rates Report, 1956-57 through 2024-25, 2025 edition, updated September 4, 2025. Self-reported by member schools; the NCAA made no checks on the figures. Provisional members are included. Participation totals are adjusted to reflect all institutions sponsoring each sport, so they are not raw roster counts. A participant includes any student receiving athletically related aid. The report counts teams and participants only and carries no aid figures.

If you have read that hundreds of women's golf scholarships go unused every year, see how many women's golf scholarships go unused: we could not find a primary source for that figure.

How a golf scholarship offer is put together

An offer has two parts: what a player's aid may pay for, which the division sets, and how much of that the coach offers you. Start with the ceiling for one player.

1. 1The school's rule comes firstIn Division I everything turns on whether the school is under roster limits. The College Sports Commission, not the NCAA, publishes the list (College Sports Commission: participating schools, 2026-27). A Division II or III school with a Division I golf team may opt in for its Division I sports, and a school that stayed out may opt in for a later year, so ask which applies this year.
2. 2Athletic aid and other aid are counted differentlyIn Division II only athletics aid counts toward the team limit, and other school aid can take you up to the cost of attendance. The NAIA counts academic and other school scholarships too. Pell and other government grants do not count, an academic exemption for grades, class rank or test scores removes all or half, and a golfer's aid counts only once they play more than 20% of the maximum varsity contests (8 rounds) or any NAIA postseason. The NAIA reviews that 20% rule in September 2026 (see below). In the NJCAA, need-based or academic aid does not count toward the 8 if it is open to every student, is not based on athletics, runs through the financial aid office and rests on need or outstanding academic achievement.
3. 3The coach decides the amountAcross all sports, the NCAA says scholarships are awarded by coaches, not the NCAA (NCAA: Scholarships and financial aid (all divisions, all sports)). The division sets the ceiling and the school makes the offer inside it. A Division II coach may make more offers than the limit, expecting some to be declined, but the team may not go over it.
4. 4Get the term in writingAn NJCAA award lasts one academic year, August 1 to July 31. The golf signing date is November 1, and notice that an award will not be renewed, or will be reduced, is due by June 15. Summer-school aid has to be written into the Letter of Intent or scholarship agreement. At NCAA and NAIA schools, ask how long the award runs and on what terms it is renewed.
5. 5Know what can end the award earlyDuring its term, NJCAA aid may not be cancelled or reduced for injury or illness, athletic performance, or a team-policy or coaching conflict, unless the college's disciplinary process handles that conflict or a signed addendum to the Letter of Intent covers it. A college may end aid for failure to keep academic eligibility or amateur status. This page does not cover the NCAA and NAIA rules on this, so ask the compliance office.

If a junior college is part of your plan, the JUCO eligibility guide covers how those seasons count toward the NCAA clock.

Golf scholarships you can apply for yourself

Foundations and golf associations award these, not the team, and you apply to them directly. Some reward caddying, service at a course or a golf career rather than play: the Evans Scholarship is a caddie scholarship, and the Ouimet asks for service at a Massachusetts course. On the sponsors' own terms, 7 of these 12 do not require you to play golf, and 6 of the 12 are for women only.

• Evans Scholarship (a caddie scholarship)

  Evans Scholars Foundation, overseen by the Western Golf Association

  Full tuition and housing

  Deadline

  Each year: application online Aug. 1, completed by Sept. 30, CSS Profile, FAFSA and all documents by Oct. 15, decisions by April 1. The current cycle is for 2027-28.

  Renewable

  Four years of tuition and housing

  Who can apply

  Applicants must have caddied, regularly and successfully, for a minimum of two years and are expected to caddie at their sponsoring club the year they apply. They must have completed their junior year of high school with above a B average in college preparatory courses, clearly need financial assistance, and be outstanding in character, integrity and leadership. Applicants are expected to apply to the Evans Scholars universities listed for their state; private partner universities also welcome applicants.

  • Playing golf is not required
  • Caddies
  • High school seniors and college freshmen
  • Financial need

  Evans Scholars Foundation: Applying for the Evans Scholarship · Checked Sep 23, 2026

• Francis Ouimet Scholarship

  Francis Ouimet Scholarship Fund

  Need-based, set from the FAFSA and CSS Profile. Applicants without need can be named Honorary Scholars with a nominal award.

  Deadline

  Dec 1, 2026

  Renewable

  Renewable for up to four years; need is re-evaluated every year

  Who can apply

  All candidates must have completed at least two years of service to golf at a Massachusetts golf course. Students may apply as high school seniors or during their undergraduate or trade school studies, full time, including at junior and community colleges.

  • Playing golf is not required
  • Massachusetts
  • Service to golf at a course
  • Second deadline June 30, 2027
  • Request the application first

  Francis Ouimet Scholarship Fund: Scholarships (2027-28 application) · Checked Sep 23, 2026

• Women's Western Golf Foundation Scholarship

  Women's Western Golf Foundation

  $20,000, paid as $5,000 a year over four years

  Deadline

  Mar 7, 2026 (passed)

  Renewable

  Continues for four years as long as the Foundation's academic and financial requirements are met

  Who can apply

  Applicants must be a woman high school senior, an active participant in the sport of golf (golf ability is not a criterion for selection), have a 3.5 GPA or above on a 4.0 scale, demonstrate outstanding character, integrity and leadership, and require financial assistance to attend a four-year college in the U.S.A.

  • Women
  • High school seniors
  • Golf ability is not a criterion
  • 3.5 GPA
  • Financial need
  • Up to 20 a year

  Women's Western Golf Association: Scholarships · Checked Sep 23, 2026

• LPGA Foundation Marilynn Smith Scholarship

  LPGA Foundation, with the Golf it Forward Foundation

  $5,000

  Deadline

  Not published

  Who can apply

  Female US or Canadian citizens or legal residents who are high school seniors accepted full time at a US college. Applicants must have played in a minimum of 50% of a high school golf team's scheduled events or have played competitive junior golf regularly for the past two years, have a minimum unweighted GPA of 3.2 on a 4.0 scale, and intend on playing or plan to sign a letter of intent to play competitive golf at an accredited college or university in the United States. Intramural and club sports do not apply.

  • Women
  • High school seniors
  • Plans to play college golf
  • 3.2 unweighted GPA
  • Opens fall 2026; deadline not yet posted

  LPGA Foundation: Marilynn Smith Scholarship · Checked Sep 23, 2026

• Chevron Dinah Shore Scholarship

  LPGA Foundation and Chevron

  $2,500 a year, up to $10,000 over four years

  Deadline

  Not published

  Renewable

  Renewable; a 3.0 GPA must be maintained

  Who can apply

  Female high school seniors pursuing a college education who do not plan to play collegiate golf. A minimum cumulative 3.0 GPA out of a 4.0 scale is needed to apply and must be maintained. Applicants must be committed to attending an accredited college or university in the United States and demonstrate a passion for women's golf and helping the younger generation get involved in the game.

  • Playing golf is not required
  • Women
  • High school seniors
  • For students who will not play college golf
  • 3.0 GPA
  • Opens fall 2026; deadline not yet posted

  LPGA Foundation: Chevron Dinah Shore Scholarship · Checked Sep 23, 2026

• Sara Scholarship

  Henry & Sara Sheehan Foundation

  $2,500 a year

  Deadline

  Apr 30, 2026 (passed)

  Renewable

  Renewable for up to four years, $10,000 in total

  Who can apply

  Applicants must be female high school seniors intending to graduate at the end of the school year and planning to enroll at an accredited college or university in the United States, with a cumulative minimum unweighted GPA of 3.3 on a 4.0 scale. They must demonstrate financial need and some level of involvement with the sport of golf. Skill in playing golf is not a criterion.

  • Playing golf is not required
  • Women
  • High school seniors
  • 3.3 unweighted GPA
  • Financial need, FAFSA required
  • Paper application by mail

  Sara Scholarship: How to apply (2026 cycle) · Checked Sep 23, 2026

• First Tee College Scholarship Program

  First Tee

  Up to $5,000 a year

  Deadline

  Not published

  Renewable

  Renewable for up to four years

  Who can apply

  Open to graduating high school seniors planning to attend college the following year. Applicants must be active members of First Tee chapters and are considered on financial need, academic performance, chapter involvement, volunteerism and other criteria.

  • Active First Tee chapter members
  • High school seniors
  • Need and merit
  • No application window posted

  First Tee: College Scholarship Program · Checked Sep 23, 2026

• PGA WORKS John & Tamara Lundgren Scholars Program

  PGA of America REACH Foundation, administered by Scholarship America

  $8,000

  Deadline

  Not published

  Renewable

  Not renewable; recipients may reapply

  Who can apply

  High school seniors or graduates or current postsecondary undergraduates who plan to enroll in full-time undergraduate study at one of the 17 accredited PGA Golf Management universities, pursuing a PGA Golf Management degree for the entire 2026-2027 academic year, with the intent to pursue PGA of America membership. An intentional focus is placed on engaging a diverse demographic of participants, but all are welcome to apply. Family members of the PGA of America National Board, staff or scholarship selection committee are not eligible. Applicants complete a golf verification form or upload three scorecards from rounds played in the past six months.

  • PGA Golf Management students
  • Career in golf
  • Financial need not considered
  • Closed; 2026 program details tentative

  Scholarship America: PGA WORKS John & Tamara Lundgren Scholars Program · Checked Sep 23, 2026

• GCSAA Scholars Competition

  GCSAA Foundation

  $500 to $6,000

  Deadline

  Each year: opens March 1, closes May 1; recipients notified by Aug. 1

  Who can apply

  Undergraduate students currently enrolled in a two or more-year accredited program related to golf or turfgrass management, who have completed the first year (24 credit hours or equivalent) and are GCSAA student members. Seniors graduating in spring of this year are ineligible, as are children of those employed by the GCSAA Foundation Board of Trustees, the GCSAA Board of Directors and GCSAA staff.

  • Playing golf is not required
  • Turfgrass management students
  • Career in golf
  • GCSAA student members

  GCSAA: Scholars Competition · Checked Sep 23, 2026

• Walter J. Travis Memorial Scholarships

  Walter J. Travis Society

  $1,000

  Deadline

  May 15, 2026 (passed)

  Renewable

  Renewable on re-application with a 3.00 GPA or higher

  Who can apply

  Full-time undergraduate or graduate students at an accredited two- or four-year college or university for the following fall semester, in golf-related career fields such as course architecture, turfgrass, golf management or sports journalism with a special interest in golf. Outstanding amateur high school, college or university golfers are also considered, and amateur golfer applicants do not need to be pursuing a career in a golf-related industry.

  • Golf careers or amateur golfers
  • Five awards

  Walter J. Travis Society: Scholarship · Checked Sep 23, 2026

• GALS Scholarship

  GALS Scholarship Foundation

  Up to $5,000 at a four-year college or university, $2,500 at a community college, or $1,500 for specialty training

  Deadline

  Each year by Aug. 1; winners announced in early October

  Renewable

  Not renewable; candidates must reapply each year

  Who can apply

  Female US citizens of all ages who meet the entrance requirements of, and plan to enroll in, an approved educational institution in the calendar year of the application, and can demonstrate their involvement in golf. Skill level in the sport of golf is not a criterion.

  • Playing golf is not required
  • Women of any age
  • US citizens
  • Financial need

  GALS Scholarship Foundation · Checked Sep 23, 2026

• Women's Southern Golf Association Scholarship

  Women's Southern Golf Association

  $4,500 a year for up to four years

  Deadline

  Each year: application mailed by May 1

  Renewable

  Renewal is subject to an annual review of performance, interest and need, and a cumulative 3.0 GPA

  Who can apply

  A citizen of the United States and a female high school graduating senior who resides in one of the 15 southern states or the District of Columbia and plays golf or has an interest in golf, in need of financial assistance. This is not an athletic scholarship, rather it is an academic scholarship.

  • Playing golf is not required
  • 15 southern states and the District of Columbia
  • Women
  • High school seniors
  • Financial need
  • One new award a year
  • Academic, not athletic

  Women's Southern Golf Association: Scholarships · Checked Sep 23, 2026

Amounts, eligibility and deadlines are the sponsor's own, read on each sponsor's page on Sep 23, 2026. A date marked “(passed)” is the last deadline the sponsor posted; the next one is not out yet.

Questions to ask a coach about money

The governing documents leave these answers to the school, so only the coach or the compliance office can give them.

1. 1Is your school under the Division I roster limit this year?It decides whether the team works to a 9-player roster with no scholarship count, or to the old 2024-25 equivalency level.
2. 2How much of the team's aid is already committed for my class?A limit is a ceiling the whole roster shares. What matters to you is the part still open when you arrive.
3. 3What exactly does the offer pay for, and for how long?Ask for tuition, fees, housing and books as separate lines, and for the renewal terms.
4. 4Does my academic aid count toward the team's limit?In the NAIA it counts unless an exemption applies. In NCAA Division II only athletics aid counts, and in the NJCAA it does not count if it meets the four conditions in the steps above.
5. 5What happens to the award if I am injured or lose my spot?Outside the NJCAA rule above, only the school's compliance office can answer this. Get the answer in writing.
6. 6When does the roster lock?At Division I schools under roster limits, the manual's deadline is the day before the first contest used for championship selection or December 1, whichever is earlier (2026-27 NCAA Division I Manual, Bylaw 17.2 (roster limits) and Bylaw 17.02.8 (designated student-athletes)). NCAA guidance has a golf team submit one roster for the whole year, by the day before its first fall contest (NCAA Question and Answer: Implementation of the House Settlement, updated May 29, 2026).

What is changing, and when it is decided

These are the 6 recent or pending changes the governing documents show, each with its status and the date we checked it.

• Awaiting a decisionNAIA Council of Presidents

  Whether the 20% rule keeps deciding whose aid counts toward team aid limits. It is Council of Presidents policy, so the council decides it without a membership vote.

  For golf: Could change which golfers' aid counts toward the limit. Nothing on the agenda changes the golf limit of 5.

  Council of Presidents meeting, September 27-28, 2026, where the NAIA expects a determination (Sep 28, 2026). Checked Sep 23, 2026. NAIA Council of Presidents, September 27-28, 2026: combined agenda reports

• Under considerationNAIA Council of Presidents, then the NAIA membership

  A possible bylaw on five seasons of competition. The council decides on September 28, 2026 whether to bring it forward; if it does, the text is published October 5 and the membership votes on November 4, 2026.

  For golf: A seasons-of-competition rule, not an aid rule. It would not change the golf aid limit.

  Membership vote at a virtual business meeting on November 4, 2026, if the council brings a proposal (Nov 4, 2026). Checked Sep 23, 2026. NAIA Council of Presidents, September 27-28, 2026: combined agenda reports

• Awaiting a decisionIn effectNCAA Division II membership, 2027 NCAA Convention

  Proposal NC-2027-4 removes books from the Division II full grant-in-aid and from the equivalency calculation.

  For golf: Already applies to Division II golf aid in 2026-27. A school may still pay for required course-related books at its own discretion.

  In effect since August 1, 2026; ratification vote at the 2027 NCAA Convention. Checked Sep 23, 2026. NCAA Division II Proposal NC-2027-4, financial aid: books and supplies

• Awaiting a decisionNCAA Division II membership, 2027 NCAA Convention

  Proposal 2027-2 removes the Division II limit of 60 total awards across men's sports other than football and basketball.

  For golf: Would lift the school-wide cap that men's golf aid counts toward. It does not change the team limits of 3.6 and 5.4.

  Vote at the 2027 NCAA Convention; effective August 1, 2027 if adopted. Checked Sep 23, 2026. NCAA Division II Proposal 2027-2, the 60-award limit in men's sports

• AdoptedNCAA Division II Legislative Relief Committee

  A blanket waiver: an athlete who would have run out of eligibility in 2026-27 but for Division II's age-based model may receive 2027-28 aid that does not count toward team equivalency limits, at their original school only.

  For golf: Applies to golf as to every Division II sport.

  Approved July 21, 2026, for the 2027-28 academic year (Jul 21, 2026). Checked Sep 23, 2026. NCAA Division II Legislative Relief Committee blanket waivers: financial aid equivalency limits, approved July 21, 2026

• AdoptedIn effectNCAA Division I Board of Directors

  Division I replaced sport-by-sport scholarship limits with roster limits at schools in the defendant conferences and others that opt in to the House settlement.

  For golf: At those schools golf's roster limit is 9 for men's golf and 9 for women's golf, and any player inside it may be offered aid.

  Adopted June 6, 2025; effective July 1, 2025 (Jun 6, 2025). Checked Sep 23, 2026. NCAA Division I Proposal 2025-11, roster limitations under the House settlement

This page is due to be re-read against both NAIA outcomes by Nov 15, 2026.