Everything You Need to Know about Softball Scholarships

Can you get a scholarship for softball? Yes! There are scholarships available for softball at the NCAA D1 and D2 levels, as well as at NAIA schools and junior colleges. More than 1,600 schools across the United States offer softball scholarships, and talented athletes can have part—or all—of their college tuition paid for. Scholarships are awarded by a college’s softball program, and athletes must go through the softball recruiting process to get a scholarship offer from a coach. 

While athletes can receive a full-ride scholarship, they are not guaranteed because softball is classified as an equivalency sport for NCAA scholarship purposes. For equivalency sports, coaches can split up their scholarships however they want and award partial softball scholarships to attract more high-quality athletes. Read on, as we break down NCAA softball scholarship limits below. 

New NCAA Softball Scholarship 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 softball recruiting. More details and the latest updates here.

These changes would impact softball recruits in the following ways:  

• D1 softball programs will be allowed to offer 25 scholarships, up from the current limit of 12.  

• D1 softball will have a maximum roster limit of 25.  

• D1 softball 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. 

Number of softball scholarships by division level

Here’s the breakdown of softball scholarships for each division level as they stand right now, along with a look at the new NCAA scholarship and roster limits for the 2025-2026 academic year: 

What are the chances of getting a softball scholarship?

Playing college softball is competitive, and only the top athletes make it on to this level. Making it to the college level is tough. It requires hard work, determination and being proactive in your recruiting process. And just because you compete at the college level doesn’t guarantee that you’ll get an athletic scholarship.

What percentage of high school softball players play in college?

Approximately 7.8% of high school softball players go on to play at the collegiate level across all divisions (NCAA, NAIA, NJCAA). This includes all levels of college play, with the largest number of opportunities available at the NCAA Division 3 and NAIA levels. If you’re aiming for Division 1, the percentage is lower, around 1.6%.

What is the average D1 and d2 softball scholarship?

According to scholarshipstats.com, the average athletic scholarship for NCAA Division 1 softball players is approximately $20,715 per year, while for NCAA Division 2 softball players, the average scholarship amount is about $7,281 per year. These figures can vary significantly depending on the institution, the level of funding for the softball program, and whether the sport is fully or partially funded at the school.

Note, these numbers can be misleading and won’t be a good measuring stick for how much money you should get as an athlete.

Scholarship amounts vary significantly based on a school’s tuition, with higher-cost schools potentially offering larger scholarships. Coaches distribute these scholarships differently—some spread the funds across many athletes, while others concentrate on key positions or top recruits. Additionally, scholarships often increase as athletes progress through their college careers, meaning incoming freshmen might receive less initially. Therefore, average scholarship figures can be misleading when estimating potential financial aid during the recruiting process. Instead, it’s better to set yourself up to receive multiple offers and use those offers to gauge how much scholarship money you can get.

Softball scholarships by position

One way to help you understand how scholarships are awarded is to go by position—scholarships do tend to vary based on position. Here’s a general rundown of how your position may affect your softball scholarship:

• Pitchers—This is an extremely valuable position on a college roster. And while the majority of softball scholarships are partial scholarships, most of the full-ride scholarships given out go to pitchers.
• Catchers—Softball scholarships for catchers are relatively common, as this is another crucial position that tends to attract scholarship offers. Many teams will have two or three catchers on a team, but might only give a softball scholarship to the number one catcher.
• Middle infielders—Athletes at these positions are well-rounded players who can field and bat. Starting middle infielders can earn college scholarships, especially if they have excellent batting skills.
• Third base—Because this is such a demanding position, third basemen tend to attract softball scholarship dollars, especially if they are powerhouse hitters. For athletes in this position, they should really focus on finding their best division level to maximize their scholarship dollars.
• First base—Collegiate first basemen tend to be powerhouse hitters who have some fundamental fielding skills. First basemen who can field and—oftentimes, more importantly—bat extremely well can find scholarships at this position.
• Outfield—In many cases, left-handed slappers will be given priority in the outfield, as teams need athletes who will score runs. Coaches usually have 2-3 athletes per position in the outfield, so scholarships can be difficult to come by.

How many scholarships does D1 softball get?

Starting in the 2025-2026 academic year if the NCAA proposed settlement is approved, D1 softball programs will be allowed to offer up to 25 scholarships per year, a significant increase from the current maximum of 12. These scholarships can still be a mix of full-ride and partial awards. However, keep in mind that not all D1 softball programs are fully funded, so some schools might not offer the full 25 scholarships. The 25 scholarships represent the new maximum limit allowed under the updated NCAA rules.

How many scholarships for D2 softball?

NCAA Division 2 softball programs are allowed to offer up to 7.2 scholarships per team. However, these scholarships are typically divided among multiple athletes, meaning most players receive partial rather than full scholarships.

Can D2 schools offer full-ride scholarships?

Yes, D2 schools can offer full-ride scholarships. However, because they are deemed an equivalency sport by the NCAA, they are not required to give out full rides. It’s up to the coach to determine how much money they want to give to each athlete on the team.

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