College Lacrosse Scholarships and Recruiting
How do I get a College Lacrosse Scholarship?
The competition for lacrosse scholarships is fierce because the vast majority of the opportunities are at the NCAA Division III level. Don’t be shy—get a hold of coaches early on in high school and develop your relationships with them to give yourself the best opportunity to earn a scholarship. For step-by-step advice, look here.
Getting Coaches to Your Games
Getting coaches to your tournaments is a matter of getting an early evaluation—playing in the right tournaments and being in frequent communication with them. Coaches will evaluate you if their schedules match up and if you use these tools.
Improving Your Chances for a Lacrosse Scholarship
It is important for lacrosse scholarship candidates to remember that it is not all about the athletic talent. Coaches are looking for athletes that fit in with the culture of their team and their school. Educate yourself on how to show coaches you have what it takes by using this advice.
Getting the Lacrosse Recruiting Process Started Yourself
For college lacrosse coaches to want to recruit you, you need to be playing for a competitive club lacrosse team. You will also need to have a very good academic record to have a chance at receiving scholarship money. Don’t fall in the trap of thinking coaches will notice you at a summer tournament. Take the lead on this process and show coaches how much you want to attend their school.
How Good do you Have to be?
These are the general guidelines for what coaches look for in a lacrosse player. You can still get a scholarship if you don’t meet these requirements but it will be more difficult.
Men’s Lacrosse
| NCAA DI | NCAA DII | NCAA DIII | |
| Attackmen | 5’10”—6’4” | 5’9”—6’1” | 5’8”—6’1” |
| Midfielders | 5’10”—6’4” | 5’9”—6’2” | 5’8—6’1” |
| Defenseman | 5’11”—6’6” | 5’10”—6’4” | 5’9”—6’2” |
| Goalie | 5’10”—6’3” | 5-9”—6’2” | 5-9”—6’2” |
NCAA 1:
- All-American
- All-State
- All-League/District
- Extensive club/travel team experience
- Attends camps and showcases
- 4-year high school varsity starter
- Team MVP
NCAA 2:
- All-State
- All-League/District
- 3-year high school varsity starter
- Club/travel team experience
- Attends camps and showcases
- Team MVP
NCAA D3:
- All-League/District
- 2-year high school varsity starter
- Club/travel team experience
- Attends camps and showcases
Women’s Lacrosse
| NCAA DI | NCAA DII | NCAA DIII | |
| Attacker | 5’5”—5’10” | 5’3”—5’9” | 5’3”—5’8” |
| Midfielder | 5’5”—5’10” | 5’4”—5’9” | 5’4”—5’8” |
| Defenseman | 5’6”—5’11” | 5’5”—5’10” | 5’3”—5’9” |
| Goalie | 5’7”—5’10” | 5’7”—5’10” | 5’6”—5’9” |
NCAA I:
- All-American
- All-State
- All-League/District
- Extensive club/travel team experience
- Attends camps and showcases
- 4-year high school varsity starter
- Team MVP
NCAA II:
- All-State
- All-League/District
- 3-year high school varsity starter
- Club/travel team experience
- Attends camps and showcases
- Team MVP
NCAA DIII:
- All-League/District
- 2-year varsity starter
- Club/travel team experience
- Attends camps and showcases
How many Lacrosse Scholarships are Available and What Schools Offer Them?
Not all colleges that are eligible to offer scholarships will choose to do so. For example, Ivy League schools choose not to offer athletic scholarships.Lacrosse is an equivalency sport, which means all scholarships are not full scholarships, and coaches can divide the value of the scholarships available to them between as many players as they see fit. Full rides are very rare.
Men’s Lacrosse
NCAA D1: 12.6
NCAA D2: 10.8
NJCAA: 20
Women’s Lacrosse
NCAA D1: 12
NCAA D2: 9.9
NJCAA: 20
Number of College Lacrosse Programs
Men’s Lacrosse
NCAA D1: 59
NCAA D2: 38
*NCAA D3: 156
NJCAA: 27
Total: 290
Women’s Lacrosse
NCAA D1: 87
NCAA D2: 47
*NCAA D3: 177
NJCAA: 16
Total: 335
*NCAA Division 3 schools do not offer athletic scholarships, but do offer other forms of financial aid.
IMPORTANT: NCSA College Recruiting provides a college search tool where you can explore women’s lacrosse and men’s lacrosse scholarships by state. What are you waiting for? Start your search today!
Who are the Top College Lacrosse Programs in Each Division?
These are some of the top lacrosse programs in the country. Start your research by looking over their roster and seeing what level their athletes played before college. Knowing where coaches typically recruit can help you if you want to play for them.
Men’s Lacrosse
NCAA DI: Virginia, North Carolina, Duke, Maryland, Syracuse, Cornell, Princeton, Stony Brook, Georgetown, Notre Dame, John Hopkins, Loyola Maryland, Army, Denver, Hofstra, Yale, Hofstra
NCAA DII: CW Post, Dowling, Le Moyne, Mercyhurst, Limestone, Merrimack, NYIT, St. Leo, Bentley, Queens (NC), Adelphi
NCAA DIII: Stevenson, Salisbury, Cortland State, Gettysburg, Roanoke, Tufts, Dickinson, Cabrini, Lynchburg, Haverford, Rensselaer, Middlebury
Women’s Lacrosse
NCAA DI: Maryland, Northwestern, North Carolina, Duke, Virginia, Georgetown, Penn, James Madison, Syracuse, Vanderbilt, Notre Dame, Towson, Stanford, Dartmouth, Penn State, Loyola Maryland, Hofstra
NCAA DII: CW Post, Lock Haven, Adelphi, Limestone, West Chester, Stonehill, Mercyhurst, Gannon, Merrimack, Molloy
NCAA DIII: Hamilton, Salisbury, Franklin and Marshall, Gettysburg, Cortland State, TCNJ, Stevens, Trinity, Colby, Williams, Amherst, Babson, Union, Washington & Lee, Tufts, Middlebury
IMPORTANT: NAIA Rule Changes. You must now register with the NAIA Clearinghouse.
Attending a college lacrosse summer camp could be the best recruiting move you ever make
Author: David Frank
Find opportunities for athletic scholarships and get connected to college coaches.