An NCAA Emerging Sport Garners Increasing Support
The beauty of the sport of Archery is that it appeals to so many types of individuals regardless of age, sex, strength, or athletic ability. It is one of the sports most accessible to individuals with disabilities. Even though archery is not a recognized NCAA sport, the organization does regard it as one of a handful of "Emerging Sports For Women."
Collegiate Archery
There are few archery scholarships awarded directly through college and university archery teams, but you better believe there is mounting enthusiasm and competitiveness in this sport. The National Archery Association lists 21 college archery teams and the University of Texas Archery Association lists over 30. There may be many more niche clubs we don’t even know about. Level of competitiveness varies.
Types of Shooting and Competition Styles
Bow styles include traditional, recurve (Olympic-style), and compound. Types of archery competition include target, field, and flight. Most college archery competition is limited to target courses and recurve style.
Popular Archery Scholarships
We’ve researched the archery scholarships available to you, most from archery associations and clubs with funding for college-bound members.
National Archery Association (NAA)
The National Archery Association is the leading organization for archery athletes. This is where nationally ranked collegiate archers are chosen for the Olympic Archery team. The NAA awards 8-$500 scholarships annually in its NAA Foundation College Scholarship program. Candidates are asked to provide scores from three tournaments, maintain a 2.0 GPA, and must have been active on a competitive collegiate archery team for at least one year prior to applying.
National Field Archery Association (NFAA) Memorial Scholarship Program
High school seniors who have been active members of NFAA for at least two years are eligible to apply for the National Field Archery Association Scholarship. The amount of scholarship monies available varies from year to year, but a minimum of $100 will be made available to the recipient. Each applicant will submit an application form, including class rank, GPA, and ACT score. The Scholarship Committee also requires information about the applicant’s hobbies, interests, and extra-curricular activities. In addition, candidates are asked to describe their archery activities, i.e. hunting, tournaments attended, and any awards won.
NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship Program
One-time scholarships in the amount of $7,500 each are available for athletes who have participated in their sport at the varsity level during their senior year of college. In the case of archery, the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship is available to female athletes only. To be considered, a minimum GPA of 3.2 is required. Recipients must be planning on continuing studies at the graduate level on either a full- or part-time basis.
Minnesota State Archery Association (MSAA)
High school seniors and college students in their first three years of study who have achieved a high GPA and can demonstrate an interest in archery are invited to apply for the Minnesota State Archery Association Scholarship. The scholarship is worth $250.
Nevada Bowhunters Association
The Nevada Bowhunters Association offers a scholarship to its student members who have made contributions to the sport of archery and who will continue to do so. Applicants will submit a completed application form, along with copies report cards or transcripts. Information about the applicant’s goals, community participation as far as archery goes, and memorable events associated with archery are all required.
Wisconsin Traditional Archers
One-$500 scholarship is offered annually by the Wisconsin Traditional Archers. Junior or senior Wisconsin students enrolled at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, College of Natural Resources are eligible to apply. Interested applicants will find an application form online. Applicants must provide information about goals, previous work experience, and hobbies.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The UIUC Avery Brundage Scholarship is available to students who have distinguished themselves both academically and in the field of a non-professional sport. Members of the archery team are eligible to apply. More than 20 scholarships of at least $2,000 each are awarded each year.
Dine College Archery Scholarships
Diné College is a Navajo tribal college sponsors a very competitive archery team. Shooters may apply for full or partial archery scholarships and most competition is in recurve bow. Eligible applicants must be members of the Navajo nation and intending to enroll at one of DC’s three locations in Arizona and New Mexico.
Clarke Sinclair Memorial Archery College Scholarships
Collegiate recurve and compound shooters participating on a USA Archery team may compete for one of 2-$500 Clarke Sinclair Memorial Archery College Scholarships. Students must be full-time and have a GPA of at least 2.5. Applicants must write an essay that illustrates their interest in the sport and their desire for scholarship money.