Men’s Tennis Scholarships Guide

Securing men’s tennis scholarships is highly competitive, with more than 9,000 athletes competing across all three NCAA division levels. Out of over 9,000 high school tennis players in the U.S., fewer than one percent go on to compete in an NCAA Division 1 program. Why is this number so low? A major factor is the prevalence of international recruiting. Tennis has the highest percentage of international athletes among NCAA sports. In 2022, 61 percent of men’s tennis players at the Division 1 level were from outside the U.S., making the competition even tougher for American players.

What does this mean for recruits with their sights set on receiving an athletic scholarship? It means they need to be proactive during the college recruiting process and consistently communicate with coaches if they want to be noticed.

New NCAA Men’s Tennis Scholarships Limits

Starting in the 2025-2026 academic year, the NCAA will eliminate D1 scholarship limits if a proposed settlement is approved, enabling all sports to distribute scholarships more flexibly among athletes. This change is expected to have a significant impact on college tennis recruiting. More details and the latest updates here.

These changes will impact men’s tennis recruits in the following ways:

• D1 men’s tennis programs will be allowed to offer 10 scholarships, up from the current limit of 4.5.
• D1 men’s tennis will have a maximum roster limit of 10.
• D1 tennis is already an equivalency sport and will continue to offer both partial and full scholarships to recruits. 

Note: These are the maximum scholarship and roster limits set by the NCAA, but schools aren’t required to meet these maximums.

Men’s tennis scholarships by division level

*Scholarships Limit Per Team: This is a maximum limit that the NCAA places on the number of full-ride equivalent scholarships that a team can award. When an NCAA Division 1 and Division 2 tennis program is fully funded, college coaches have a maximum of 10 and 4.5 full-ride equivalent scholarships to award, respectively. While it is not impossible to receive a full-ride tennis scholarship, these are generally reserved for international athletes. Division 3 and Ivy League schools do not offer athletic scholarships. Instead, recruits can look to academic scholarships for financial funding.

**Equivalency Scholarship: Equivalency scholarships allow college coaches the flexibility to divide up their scholarship budget however they see fit each year. This means fully funded NCAA Division 1 and 2 programs can take the 10 and 4.5 full-ride equivalent scholarships and divide the budget to award a partial scholarship to each athlete on the roster. College coaches can also choose to award larger scholarships to fewer roster holders, which would leave some athletes with no financial funding. Programs that aren’t fully funded have fewer than 10 and 4.5 equivalency scholarships.

How to get a scholarship for men’s tennis

Collegiate tennis programs heavily recruit internationally, so it’s no surprise that some college coaches reserve at least a portion of their scholarships budget for international recruits as an incentive to make the move to the U.S. But the reality is, regardless of whether a recruit is an international or American athlete, college coaches care most about playing level and academic record.

College coaches want athletes who can immediately contribute to the team and can balance their athletic career while maintaining a strong academic record. For Division 1 programs, these athletes are often those labeled as Blue Chip players by TennisRecruiting.net.

Below is a list of steps to building a recruiting profile and getting exposure to college coaches.

1. Build an NCSA Recruiting Profile: An NCSA Recruiting Profile increases a student-athlete’s exposure to college coaches as they search recruiting databases to build their list of potential recruits. Important stats and recruiting video live on this profile.
2. Create a recruiting video: A first step many college coaches take during the evaluation process is to watch recruiting video. Create a strong recruiting video that highlights the recruit’s athletic talent with this list of recruiting video tips by position.
3. Attend tennis camps: Want access to college coaches during the recruiting process? Consider attending tennis camps across the country to increase exposure and access to college coaches.
4. Contact college coaches: College coaches may not be able to contact recruits until after June 15 of the athlete’s sophomore year, but recruits can still let them know they are interested in competing for their program by sending an introductory email. Learn how to write an introductory email.

How Hard Is It To Get A Scholarship For Men’s Tennis?

Getting a scholarship for men’s tennis can be challenging due to the intense competition. Tennis has a unique dynamic where a significant portion of college rosters, especially at the D1 level, is filled with international players. In fact, over 61  are from outside the U.S., which makes it tougher for American players to secure a spot and a scholarship.

Additionally, tennis is an equivalency sport, meaning that scholarships are often split among several players rather than awarded as full rides. Coaches may divide their scholarship budget to attract a larger number of talented players. To increase your chances, you need to excel both on the court and academically. Strong communication with coaches, participating in national and international tournaments, and maintaining a high academic standard can significantly improve your odds of landing a scholarship.

Below is a breakdown of the different types of scholarships offered:

• Full-ride scholarship offer: Fully funded NCAA men’s tennis programs are already working with a scholarship budget of 10 full-ride equivalent scholarships. That combined with international recruiting and the pressure to provide these athletes with a financial incentive to commit to an American school makes full-ride scholarships for tennis players rare.
• Partial scholarship offer: To make the most of their scholarship budget, college coaches are more likely to award partial scholarships. This allows coaches to provide multiple recruits and current roster spot holders with financial funding to cover some college costs.
• Recruited walk-on (preferred): College coaches who lack the athletic scholarship budget to award every recruit with some financial aid, can invite a student-athlete to join the team as a recruited walk-on.
• Unrecruited walk-on: Should college coaches not fill their roster during the recruiting process, they will hold walk-on tryouts. Athletes who are interested in playing for the team can try out for an opportunity to earn a roster spot as a walk-on.

Note: With the new NCAA scholarship rules and roster limits starting in 2025-2026, the exact impact on walk-ons is uncertain and will vary across different sports and schools. To understand how these changes might affect you, stay in touch with coaches and ask about their plans for walk-ons and redshirts, as this can differ significantly between programs.

How many scholarships for men’s D1 tennis?

• Division 1 tennis scholarships per team: 10 (if NCAA proposed settlement is approved)
• Total number of D1 men’s tennis teams: 236
• Roster Limit: 10

Fully funded Division 1 men’s college tennis programs have a maximum limit of 10 full-ride scholarships per team. Tennis programs that are not fully funded are faced with the challenge of dividing up an even smaller scholarship budget across both recruits and current roster holders.

How to get a Division 1 men’s tennis scholarship

While men’s college tennis scholarships are available at the Division 1 level, international recruits, which made up 34.3% of men’s NCAA Division 1 tennis athletes in 2017, are most likely to receive these top dollar scholarships. Providing financial funding is one of the tools that college coaches use when recruiting international athletes as an incentive to move to the U.S. to continue their education and tennis career. View Division 1 tennis programs.

Division 2 men’s tennis scholarships

• Maximum scholarships available per team: 4.5
• Total number of D2 men’s tennis teams: 153
• Average team size: 11

NCAA Division 2 tennis programs are permitted to award a maximum of 4.5 full-ride equivalent scholarships per team. Division 2 tennis programs that are not fully funded face the same funding challenges as those at the Division 1 level, which makes it difficult to provide large Division 2 tennis scholarships to recruits.

Division 3 men’s tennis scholarships

• Division 3 tennis scholarships per team: 0
• Total number of D3 men’s tennis teams: 302
• Average team size: 11.2

NCAA Division 3 tennis programs are unable to offer athletic scholarships. To award recruits with financial funding, these schools award merit-based scholarships to student-athletes that meet the academic standards set in place by the institutions. It is not uncommon for a recruit to receive a Division 3 financial aid package that is larger than the athletic scholarships offered by Division 1 and 2 programs.

NAIA men’s tennis scholarships

• Maximum scholarships available per team: 5
• Total number of NAIA men’s tennis teams: 87
• Average team size: 10

NAIA tennis programs can offer up to five full-ride equivalent scholarships per team, which is a slightly larger budget than NCAA Division 1 and 2 programs are given. Funding for tennis programs varies, which means some teams may have fewer than five NAIA tennis scholarships to offer.

How many scholarships does NJCAA allow in tennis?

• Maximum scholarships available per team: 9
• Total number of NJCAA men’s tennis teams: 58
• Average team size: 9

Competing at an NJCAA institution provides student-athletes with the best chance of receiving an athletic scholarship. Fully funded NJCAA tennis programs generally have the budget to offer the entire tennis roster with financial funding to cover the cost of attending a junior college. If a recruit is planning to transfer to a four-year NCAA college, they need to keep in mind that the GPA and standardized test score requirement to transfer and tennis scholarships requirements might be stricter.

Tennis scholarship requirements

The NCAA has established a list of eligibility requirements that recruits must meet in order to compete for an NCAA program. These requirements help the NCAA to determine a recruit’s academics and amateurism status.

It’s important to remember that an NLI agreement will become invalid if the athlete fails to meet the NCAA eligibility center requirements upon graduating high school.

Learn more about the NCAA eligibility center.

What are the best colleges for men’s tennis scholarships?

What colleges offer tennis scholarships? Finding the right college fit with the greatest opportunity for an athletic scholarship can be tricky. To help recruits narrow the search, we’ve identified the best colleges for tennis at each NCAA division level and the NAIA. NCSA Power Rankings provide a list of the top schools that offer men’s tennis based on academics, cost, graduation rates and more.

• Top D1 men’s tennis schools: Princeton University, Harvard University, Stanford University, UCLA, Yale University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of California, Duke University, University of Florida
• Top D2 men’s tennis schools: University of California – San Diego, Bentley University, Truman State University, Rollins University, Point Loma Nazarene University, Bellarmine University, Hillsdale College, Grand Valley State University, Augustana University – South Dakota, Assumption College
• Top D3 men’s tennis schools: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Amherst College, California Institute of Technology, Pomona-Pitzer Colleges, Johns Hopkins University, Emory University, Swarthmore College, University of Chicago, Tufts University, Carnegie Mellon University
• Top NAIA men’s tennis schools: Asbury University, Taylor University, Loyola University New Orleans, Indiana Wesleyan University, University of North Georgia, Bethel University – Indiana, Westmont College, John Brown University, Concordia University – Nebraska, Olivet Nazarene University

Have More Questions?

Your NCSA Recruiting Coach is here to help you navigate the tennis scholarship process. Log in to schedule a conversation with your coach.

Not a member yet? Begin with a free recruiting profile and connect with an NCSA Recruiting Specialist. We’ll assist you and your family in planning the next steps in your recruiting journey and achieving your scholarship goals.