Women's golf scholarships: what each division allows

Is it 6 or 9 scholarships in Division I women's golf?

Both numbers are real, and neither is a count of scholarships a team hands out. They belong to two groups of Division I schools.

9 is a roster limit. Since July 1, 2025, schools in the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC, and any other school that opted its Division I teams in to the House settlement, may carry up to 9 women's golfers. There is no limit on how many of them get aid, but every player on aid has to be on the roster. Aid can be full or partial, up to the cost of attendance, or a full grant plus a Pell Grant if that is more (2026-27 NCAA Division I Manual, Bylaw 17.2 (roster limits) and Bylaw 17.02.8 (designated student-athletes); 2026-27 NCAA Division I Manual, Bylaw 16.13.1.5 (scholarships within the roster limit); 2026-27 NCAA Division I Manual, Bylaws 15.02.5 and 15.1 (full grant-in-aid, individual limit); NCAA Question and Answer: Implementation of the House Settlement, updated May 29, 2026).

6 is the old limit. It was the Division I women's golf limit in 2024-25 and was deleted from the manual on July 1, 2025. It still matters in two places: a school that did not opt in can give up to 6 equivalencies without becoming subject to the settlement, and a conference that sets a roster limit below 9 cannot go under 6 (NCAA Division I Proposal 2025-9, financial aid under the House settlement (deleted the 2024-25 golf limits); NCAA Question and Answer: Implementation of the House Settlement, updated May 29, 2026).

Do women's golf teams get more scholarships than men's?

Where a division sets a separate limit for each, the women's limit is the higher one. Under roster limits it is the same 9 for both, and the NJCAA's 8 is the same for men and women. The chart compares only the limits counted in equivalencies, so every dot is the same unit.

How many colleges have women's golf teams?

The NCAA counted 710 women's golf teams across its three divisions in 2024-25, in its latest report. Separately, CAMPUS tracks 1,096 women's programs, NAIA and NJCAA included. The two sources count different things, so they sit in two charts. A team is not a scholarship: these counts say how many teams exist, not how many offer aid, and Division III teams give none.

To see every one of them by name, state and conference, use the list of colleges with women's golf. For which divisions can pay athletic aid at all, see which colleges can offer golf scholarships.

Women's golf scholarships you apply for yourself

Athletic aid comes from the college. These awards come from foundations and golf associations, and you apply to them directly. Of these, only the Marilynn Smith award asks you to plan on playing college golf, and the Dinah Shore award is only for women who will not. Each card gives the sponsor's own eligibility and the date we checked it. A past deadline is the last one the sponsor posted.

• 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

• 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

These are the 6 women-only awards in our directory. The full golf scholarships guide adds caddie, course-work and golf-career awards open to men and women.

What to ask a coach about a women's golf scholarship

The NCAA says scholarships in every sport are awarded by coaches, not by the NCAA (NCAA: Scholarships and financial aid (all divisions, all sports)). These five questions get you the answers the rules cannot.

1. 1Which system is your school under this year?At Division I this decides which limit applies: a roster limit of 9 at a school under the settlement, or aid up to the old level of 6 equivalencies at one that is not. A school can opt in for a later year, and one that opted in can go back. The College Sports Commission, not the NCAA, publishes the list (College Sports Commission: participating schools, 2026-27).
2. 2How much of the limit does women's golf actually fund?Every figure on this page is a maximum. No public dataset says how many women's golf teams fund it in full, so the coach is the only person who can tell you.
3. 3What is the offer in dollars, against the full cost?An offer can be any fraction of a full award, so ask for the amount and the cost of attendance it is measured against, not a percentage on its own.
4. 4Does my academic scholarship count toward the team limit?In the NAIA it does, unless an exemption applies, such as a 3.60 cumulative college GPA for a continuing student, and only once you pass the participation threshold, which the handbook sets at 8 rounds for golf (NAIA 2026-27 Official & Policy Handbook, COP Policy XIII (countable aid, exemptions and exceptions)). In NCAA Division II only athletics aid makes a player count (2026-27 NCAA Division II Manual, Bylaws 15.4.1 and 15.4.2.1.3 (who counts toward the limit)).
5. 5Is the award for one year, and what could reduce it?An NJCAA award runs one academic year and cannot be cut during that year for injury, illness or athletic performance (NJCAA Handbook, 2026-27 Bylaws, Article VI, Section 2 (athletic scholarships)). Ask any school for the term and the conditions in writing.

What is changing, and what is still undecided

3 changes touch women's golf aid. Each is shown with its status and the date we last checked it, so you can tell if this page has fallen behind.