Discover new horizons in sport and academics

The NCAA I is the largest and, overall, the strongest division. However, there are also teams in NAIA and NCAA II that can keep up very well with the NCAA I teams. The level or performance of the teams is not directly decisive whether a team plays in Division I or Division II, but the size of the universities and the number of sports offered usually determines which division a university is in.

In most sports, official competitions only take place one semester of the academic year. At the end of the competition semester, regional and national tournaments take place, in which the respective champions are determined.
If you do successfully in the conference (approx. 10 teams per conference), you can qualify for the “Regional Championships” and then for the “National Championships”. These are very popular and are often broadcasted on TV. During the competition semester, in ball sports, you travel 1-2 times a week with the sports team to other universities, often far away, to compete against them. In individual sports, competitions usually take place every 2 weeks.

A normal day as an athlete at an American University can look like this: Getting up, depending on when your first class starts (sometimes it doesn't start until 12:00). On some days, you and your team may complete fitness training early in the morning. After your lectures, you go out for lunch in the “Dining Hall,” which you usually have 30-60 minutes to do. Every afternoon, your schedule will include around 2 hours of training time. The training is generally very professionally structured with fitness training, possibly strength training and sport-specific coordination training (this may vary depending on the sport). Through professional training, many players can improve extremely and often reach a new level, which also allows some to pursue a professional sports career after completing their college career. The training usually takes 2 hours a day, 5 - 6 days a week. You always have one day a week free of training. You will then have dinner with your friends or teammates. The atmosphere in the “Dining Hall” is usually very special because only students come together here. You're free after dinner. You will either have to prepare yourself for the next day in the library, enjoy the evening program on campus, where there are always lots of activities on offer, or travel into the city with other students. Since everything on campus is very centered, you get to know new people very quickly.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a volunteer association through which many colleges and universities in the USA and Canada organize their sports programs. It comprises more than 1200 institutions, organizations and individuals who are committed to the interests and education of student athletes. The headquarters of the NCAA are located in Indianapolis, Indiana. Due to the great popularity of viewers and the corresponding marketing by the media, university sports are far more important in the USA than in any other country in the world. The NCAA verifies the playing eligibility of every individual athlete in the NCAA divisions. It gives athletes a gaming license, so to speak, without which they are not allowed to compete in NCAA I or II. The factors that determine whether a player receives this player eligibility or not are their SAT test results and previous academic performance. In addition, the clearinghouse checks whether an athlete meets the “amateur status” in accordance with American standards. The registration fee is currently $120. The NCAA Clearinghouse is the final authority for an athlete's eligibility to play.

Today's top athletes include numerous former college athletes such as Tyson Gay, Tiger Woods (Stanford), Borlee Brothers (Florida), Kisty Coventry (Auburn), Jason Kidd (California) and Michael Phelps (University of Michigan) .The table with the number of Olympians per University (below) shows that all doors are open to you after your studies. Stanford University alone produced 46 Olympians in Beijing. The University of Florida alone was represented by 19 swimmers from 15 countries and the athletes from the University of Southern California won 21 medals in Beijing alone. On the one hand, the professional, daily training optimally prepares you for a career as a professional after college and, on the other hand, should something not go as planned, such as a serious injury and you do not receive a professional contract, do you have a you have completed an excellent education and can look forward to a successful career in your area of interest.

A sports scholarship does not limit you in any way in terms of your field of study. That means you can study whatever you want. You enroll at an Institute of Your Choice, as a regular student would, and also enjoy the privileges of being an athlete. Most universities offer a very wide range of fields of study. An important part of our service is helping you choose the right university in order to ultimately find the university that best suits your wishes and interests.

To answer your question, you can take a look at two of the most important global university rankings, which show that the best universities in the world are mainly located in the USA and are therefore highly recognized internationally.

Ranking Times Higher Education
‍US NEWS ranking

‍Here you can also see that German universities are unfortunately only sporadically competitive internationally compared to American universities.
That's great news for you though. Without scholarships, these institutes simply cannot be paid for. In addition, the university pays for a large part or even all of your expenses and also offers you great conditions for your sport. At a university such as Harvard, Stanford, Yale or another top faculty, you will of course have the best chances on the job market following your studies.

Many of our customers have exactly the same fear, but it's the case that they all speak English really well after 3-4 weeks, as they speak English all day long with the trainer, teammates and friends in a relaxed environment. Even athletes who only had 6 points in the basic English course achieved very good grades in their first semester. The TOEFL test also ensures that your English language skills are good enough to successfully pass your studies in the USA. American colleges are very internationally oriented and in every course there are students whose native language is not English.

In Europe, as a result of the Bologna Reform, the American university system was largely adopted. As a result, it is easier for students to transfer the so-called credits (unit of measurement for coursework) earned at one university to another university. The American university system is generally regarded as one of the best in the world and a degree from an American university is accepted virtually everywhere. See also: “Germany is in a respectable fourth place overall in the World League of Universities, as a new ranking from the University of Shanghai shows. However, the top 100 are clearly dominated by the USA, where German universities only play a minor role.”http://www.spiegel.de/unispiegel/studium/0,1518,315199,00.html

In fairness, we would like to draw your attention to the problems that may arise if you first study in Germany:

1. In the USA, you are only eligible to start in sports leagues until you have completed 8 full-time semesters, whether in Germany or in the USA. Every semester that you study in Germany will therefore be deducted, meaning that you may miss the opportunity to complete your studies in the USA if your certificates from Germany are not recognized. If, on the other hand, you only want to spend a year abroad in the USA or Canada, that is of course no problem.

2. The older you are, the less attractive you are for the coaches, as they would like to build you up over 4 years with every semester that you are less eligible to start, they lose the opportunity to further develop your sporting skills

In the USA, in contrast to German universities, lecture plans are tailored to training and competitions, so that there are no conflicts between sport and study. Many universities have special tutors for athletes who help with all academic matters and ensure that neither sport nor study suffer from each other. Certainly, you also have to do a lot for good grades in the USA, but targeted support for athletes usually makes this work much better.

In the USA, undergraduate schools are those universities that can be attended immediately after completing high school. In addition to the high school diploma (or even international degrees, such as Abitur or Matura), applicants are required to have certain minimum grades, good letters of recommendation, copies of written work and sometimes even admission interviews. The TOEFL and SAT are also common at almost all universities. As an undergraduate student, you broaden your mental horizons by subjects from all disciplines in the first year, regardless of your career aspiration. For example, students from four-year colleges only have to decide on a major after one year.

Most students live in two-person rooms in student dormitories on university campuses. Many universities have dormitories that are specifically reserved for athletes and then offer even greater comfort. Each university has a so-called “Dining Hall” in which breakfast, lunch and dinner are offered as buffets; this may even be included in the sports scholarship. As an athlete, you not only get the best food here but also save a lot of time because you don't have to shop or cook yourself.

Summer break (summer vacation): From the beginning of May to the middle of August
‍Winterbreak (winter vacation): Mid-December to Mid-January
‍Springbreak (spring break): 1 week in March
‍Fallbreak (Fall Break): 1 week in OctoberThese vacations can be used for training camps or trips in the USA.

Due to the great popularity of viewers and extensive media coverage, university sports are much more important in the USA than in most other countries in the world. The Income from Television Money and Ticket Revenue ensures an excellent financial base for the college teams. The television rights for golf, track and field, swimming, soccer, tennis, basketball and football from the NCAA in 2010 alone cost the television channel CBS $10 trillion. This money is used, among other things, to award sports scholarships.

American universities have a long tradition of university sports. The Teams from the Universities are the Figureheads and with the Teams' Successes, the University not only receives ticket and advertising revenue but also many new students. For young Americans, the strength of college teams plays a big role, as they cheer along with the teams as fans. In this context, sports teams also serve as a marketing tool for universities to recruit new students. For this reason, universities provide coaches with budgets to support talented athletes from Germany and abroad. Athletes can cover tuition fees and living expenses (in whole or in part).

In order to be eligible to start or play in the American College Leagues, you must have completed the Fachabitur or Abitur. If you are currently studying, it is possible to transfer credits you have already earned. In order to qualify for a sports scholarship, you must pay attention to the special regulations regarding maximum age and the number of semesters already completed. There is a maximum age of 25 years in Division 1. There is no maximum age in Division 2 and NAIA. In All Leagues, you may have studied a total of 8 full-time semesters. For example, if you study 4 full-time semesters, whether in Germany or in the USA, you still have 4 semesters available to start for a university. The NCAA verifies the starting eligibility of every individual athlete in the NCAA divisions. It grants athletes a license, so to speak, without which they are not allowed to compete in NCAA I or II. The factors that determine whether a player receives this player eligibility or not are their SAT and TOEFL scores as well as their school diploma grades. In addition, the NCAA checks whether an athlete meets “amateur status” in accordance with its statutes. The NCAA Clearinghouse is the final authority for an athlete's eligibility to start.

It is difficult for athletes outside the USA to obtain a sports scholarship in the USA without professional help and excellent contacts. There are numerous rules and regulations from organizations that govern college sports to protect athletes. This quickly complicates the process. Scholarbook provides talented athletes with the necessary expertise and network to help them receive outstanding offers from the USA. We support you throughout the entire process. You can find the sporting requirements specific to each sport on our homepage.

A scholarship depends primarily on your sporting level. Each year, the trainer has a specific budget available, which he can distribute as he sees fit. Depending on how interested he is in you, he will make you an offer for 60%, 80% or even 100% of the costs. In addition, American universities promote good school performance with academic scholarships, which are awarded in addition to sports scholarships. These depend primarily on SAT, TOEFL results and school grades.

It depends on your sporting and academic performance. Thanks to our contacts with trainers and regular trips to the USA, your chances of getting a high scholarship after a positive assessment of the opportunity are very good. Costs arise for tuition, food and living on campus and average around $25,000 per year. If a coach offers you a “full scholarship” (100% scholarship), as is the case with 90% of our clients, this means that the university will pay you all of the above costs. This depends on your performance within the team. The coach will offer you a percentage of this total cost, which is normally between 60% and 100%. A sports scholarship does not cover your personal expenses, such as pocket money, flight money, trips, etc. For particularly strong athletes, the scholarship may also include books and insurance.

At the beginning, you will be guaranteed a sports scholarship for one year. After each year, you can renegotiate with the coach and, if you do well, increase the percentage of your sports scholarship. It is common that once you have received a sports scholarship, it is usually valid for four years. Of course, you can end it yourself at any time.

You cannot lose your scholarship due to poor performance or an injury. The coach knows that sport is part of it and must plan for injuries and low form. On the other hand, you can lose your scholarship if you cheat on a school exam, your grade point average falls below a minimum (around 4 on average), you are unfair at sports, or if you don't follow college rules.

College coaches are constantly looking for good athletes for their teams. Each semester, they receive hundreds of applications from potential candidates from all over the world who dream of a sports scholarship. A coach needs very specific information so that he can even look at your application. The dream often fails because of certain documents that, for example, are not translated correctly. Scholarbook not only searches for and selects talents from German-speaking countries for coaches, but we also help you to get the best offers. Our personal contact with coaches from universities spread across the USA is also particularly important.

The amount of the sports scholarship depends primarily on your sporting performance. The better you are, the higher the chances of receiving a full scholarship. Since we carefully check which athletes we work with in advance and always give a fair assessment of opportunities, you already have a very good chance of receiving a full scholarship with a positive assessment. For example, even if you receive an 80% scholarship in your first year, this can be increased to a full scholarship in the next year if you have good academic and sporting performance.

The Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) consists of a math and an English section. Every student must take this test at the start of the process. It is necessary so that you can register with the NCAA Clearinghouse and apply to universities.

The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is a language test for students whose native languages are not English. It is required by almost all universities in English-speaking countries when a student applies.

The test consists of four parts and takes approximately 4 hours.

Reading: 60-100 min, 36 — 70 questions
Listening: 60-90 min, 34 — 51
Break: 10 min
Speaking: 20 min, 6 tasks
Writing: 50 min, 2 tasks

It is best to search for the university domain in the following document. For example: Virginia Tech University search for www.vt.edu
‍‍http://www.ets.org/Media/Tests/TOEFL/pdf/univ0708.pdf

More than 5,000 academic institutions in more than 90 countries accept or require TOEFL scores as proof of academic English language proficiency. This makes the TOEFL the most commonly accepted academic English test in the world. A list of all institutions that accept TOEFL scores (Score Recipients or Designated Institutions) can be found on the international website: www.ets.org/toefl.

There are various exercise options available:
‍
1. the free online tour allows you to view sample questions from all four test parts
2. You can download the TOEFL® iBT Tips brochure free of charge
3. TOEFL® Practice Online also gives you a comprehensive opportunity to practice

This practice test offers a complete authentic TOEFL test for all four language skills with numerous exercises to prepare yourself in a targeted manner and allows you to predict your official result, as you will also receive results from the TOEFL Practice Online Test.
Literature is also recommended in our free help presentation.

We would like to relieve you of the burden of both tests, but unfortunately you will have to complete them both. Since you want to go to the USA as soon as possible and ask the trainers about it, we recommend that you check off the tests early. We can then move on to the fun part of the work.

When preparing, it depends, of course, on how intensively you prepare yourself.
If you study 1-2 hours each day for the two tests, 6 weeks of preparation will probably be enough. If you spend 1 hour doing the tests three times a week, you should prepare yourself for two and a half months.

You can prepare yourself very well for the SAT and TOEFL and thus have a strong influence on your results. There are a total of 2400 points to achieve on SAT and you should score at least 1200 points, i.e. half. In the TOEFL, you should score 80 points, out of a maximum of 120. Of course, in both tests, the higher the better. A decent result will open doors for you at many universities.

You don't have to specify universities that you can exclude right now. You can have the test result sent to up to three universities free of charge. We recommend that you have the result sent to your favorites. If you unexpectedly receive another great offer, it is still possible to send the result later. As a first step, the coaches usually only ask whether you have taken the test and passed it passably. If you do not yet know which university/college is right for you, they will send you a university identification number for the TOEFL and SAT test. This way, ETS knows which university to send your score to.

Yes, you will be sitting in front of a computer with a headset and microphone. The program will then speak to you and ask you to speak as part of a monologue. You can find more information about the oral part on the ETS website and in any TOEFL preparation book.

Be sure to bring the printed admission ticket with you to the TOEFL test. Your ID or passport are also important.

The Institutes insist that the registration must contain exactly the name with which you will identify yourself on test day. So if your middle name is on your identity document, you MUST indicate the change before taking the test, otherwise you will not be admitted to the exam.

The CD player is only for the subject language test and not for the normal SAT. http://sat.collegeboard.com/register/sat-test-day-checklist.

It is best to order your passport immediately from your local Bürgeramt. Processing takes approx. 8 weeks, the cost is 37.50€ and your passport will then be valid for 6 years. In an emergency, you can also request an express passport. Exhibition within 72 hours at a price of 69.50€.

The student's place of residence is decisive for the child benefit office. Since the place of residence remains in Germany while studying in the USA, all our customers who are also entitled to child benefits in Germany continue to receive child support in the USA. Child benefits already cover a large part of the few remaining monthly costs on campus. Another formal requirement is that students must have their own apartment or room in their parents' house during their stay abroad in Germany.

The university covers as many expenses as possible. However, there are some regulations set by the college sports governing body. For example, the university is not allowed to pay for flights to and from the USA. On-site, costs for textbooks may arise, but many universities in the USA offer the possibility to buy used books and sell them back at the end of the semester. Training camps and accommodation are completely covered by the university! Private activities, such as cultural events, going out in the evening, or visiting museums, must be paid for by the students themselves. Fortunately, the favorable Euro-Dollar exchange rate benefits us here. A pocket money allowance of around 200 euros, equivalent to the child benefit that will continue to be paid, is recommended.

There is the so-called GED, General Educational Development Test, which can be taken in Germany, for example, at test centers in Hamburg, Frankfurt, Berlin and Munich. Unfortunately, the organization responsible for organizing college sports only admits athletes who have completed a Fachabitur or Abitur in Germany. If you are planning to do this after graduating from secondary school, we would be happy to help you find your dream scholarship in the USA.

Funding in the USA is very pleasant, as it promotes and rewards performance in all forms. This is also the big advantage over the German higher education system. Athletes can also receive academic scholarships in addition to a sports scholarship, provided that they have achieved good grades and a good SAT result.

There is no specific time limit for Section 3 Paragraph 2. The tasks in accordance with Section 3 Paragraph 2 must be completed as soon as possible after conclusion of the contract so that we can obtain offers for you. It is therefore particularly in your interest to complete the tasks promptly.

Of course, only the latest certificates can be translated. Depending on the trainer, it is also sufficient to have the certificates translated as soon as you have received all certificates, including 13.2.

Of course, we only share data for which we have your consent. We would tell you about your sporting successes as well as your date of birth, email address and basic school data (approximate grade point average and date of graduation).

The long holidays in which your child can come home are:
Summer break (summer vacation): beginning of May to mid-August
Winterbreak (winter holidays): Mid-December to Mid-January
In total, you will have your child close to you for around 4 months a year, which is very likely to mean more time together than studying in a faraway city in Germany. In addition, you can visit your child at any time during the year or during spring break in March or fall break in October in the USA.

Even before departure, we try to ensure that your child gets a personal impression of the trainer and that the two get along well beyond sport. In many cases, universities have also paid for the athletes to visit the USA or have personally introduced themselves in Germany. Your child can also finish their studies and return to Germany at any time for personal reasons. The contract is only binding for the university.

Thanks to our presence in the USA, we know most coaches personally and have already personally examined the universities and sports facilities. In this way, we can ensure that your child is very well supported in terms of sport and academia, but definitely not overwhelmed. We work in particular with universities that already have several satisfied international students.

Unfortunately, injuries are part of the life of a competitive athlete, but good medical care can largely prevent them or at least treat them professionally. Research in the Field of Sports Medicine in the USA is as advanced as in any other country. Since universities have very good financial resources, they can hire several physiotherapists and doctors who are available to athletes every day. After all, it also makes no economic sense to invest so much money in athletes if they are not well cared for in the event of injuries.

The student's place of residence is decisive for the child benefit office. Since the place of residence remains in Germany while studying in the USA, all our customers who are also entitled to child benefits in Germany continue to receive child support in the USA. Child benefits already cover a large part of the few remaining monthly costs on campus. Another formal requirement is that students must have their own apartment or room in their parents' house during their stay abroad in Germany.

Yes, that is easily possible. To do this, please regularly send the current enrollment certificate to the responsible clerk. The pension can be transferred to a German or an American account. With an American account, however, all transaction fees from the German border are borne by the pension recipient.

The university covers as many costs as possible. However, there are some requirements here from the College Sports Competition Authority. For example, the university is not allowed to pay for flights to and from the USA. School books may cost locally, but many universities in the USA offer the option of buying used textbooks and selling them again at the end of the semester. Training Camp and Accommodation are completely covered by the University! Private activities, such as cultural events, going out in the evening or museums, must of course be taken care of by yourself. Even here, we are benefiting from the still fairly favorable Euro-Dollar exchange rate. However, pocket money of around 200 euros, corresponding to the child benefit, which continues to be paid, is recommended.

The athlete undertakes to practice the respective sport on behalf of the university and to represent it at competitions. This is also accompanied by regular participation in training. This does not involve financial obligations or other disadvantages.

The NCAA carries out thousands of unannounced doping checks annually. If there was a case of doping, the trainer would be suspended for life and the entire team would be suspended. Since the trainers are usually employed full-time, a case of doping in the team would therefore be absolutely threatening their existence. In addition, there are anti-doping officers at every university who try to prevent doping.

Universities would love to pay for flights to the home of the athletes, but they are not allowed to do so under NCAA statutes. Flights to and from competition venues, on the other hand, are covered by the university as well as other travel expenses on site. Accommodation is usually in very nice hotels, as travel budgets are usually generous.

You can easily pay the scholarship book contribution and the final fee by bank transfer to our German account. If the Scholarbook contribution is refunded, we will transfer the money back to it.

It is quite possible that additional health insurance must be taken out. You will find out about this from the respective universities with which we will put you in contact. Once we've reached this point together, you can get free advice from the experts at CareConcept: https://www.care-concept.de/studentenversicherung_usa.php. They will be able to show you exactly what is the best solution in your case and which insurance you should take out.