Fencing Scholarships
Fencing isn’t as obscure a sport as you may think, although you’ll have to do your
research with a college search first if you’re serious about applying to a school
with a varsity team and scholarship opportunities. Traditional fencing scholarships
are competitive and require minimum GPA requirements, partly due to the fact that
the sport is not found at many colleges. As the sport grows in popularity in the
United States, so will competition for scholarships. So if you’re at all serious
about fencing and your skill level is high, the sport could be something that not
only gets you a good amount of scholarship money but lands you at a top university
because of your unique skill. The college-based scholarships you will find will
most likely be partial scholarships, as schools with a tradition in the sport are
more interested in having a strong fencing team rather than one strong player they
would award a full ride to.
If you’re not one of the top fencers in your state, it may be a wise move to opt
for a college where you could still play on the club or intramural level and seek
out scholarships based on your other talents, such as academics, or based on financial
need. Also, local fencing scholarships do exist, so check with local organizations
that sponsor fencing tournaments. Many of these scholarships may put more weight
on your financial needs, academic achievements, or community service than the more
competitive college-based awards.
Check out some examples of where to find fencing scholarships below. For additional
information about awards based on different criteria, try conducting a free college
scholarship search at Scholarships.com.
NCAA Scholarships
About $1 billion in full and partial athletic scholarships are awarded each year
by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to more than 126,000 undergraduate
student-athletes at Division I and Division II schools. Although these scholarships
are awarded and administered directly by each academic institution, not the NCAA,
you’ll be required to meet the requirements of the NCAA to receive any funding.
Those requirements include a minimum GPA for both the college-bound and those already
on campuses, and qualifying standardized test scores. Contact your intended school’s
athletic department for more information if you have the academics and the skill
to play on a college team.
College-Based Scholarships
If you plan on pursuing fencing in college, whether on the school-sponsored team
or club level, your intended college could have funds and endowments for the sport,
often set up by alumni who have participated in the sport before you ever set foot
on that campus. The Herbert C. Spiselman Memorial Endowment for Fencing at Columbia
University in the City of New York, for example, is an endowment set up for athletes
at the college who wish to participate in the Fédération Internationale d'Escrime
World Cups and World Championships. The school’s program is very competitive – the
program has won more NCAA Fencing and Ivy League Fencing Championships than any
other team – so you’ll need to be an impressive athlete to compete. Make sure you
do your research, and talk to your financial aid office and athletic departments
about local and college-based awards you could be eligible for.
State-Based Scholarships
Many state fencing associations will reward their members or high school athletes
from that state with scholarship opportunities to help them continue fencing while
in college. The Grand Canyon State Fencing Foundation, for example, awards scholarships
to athletes 25 years old and younger who wish to continue participating in the sport
while studying in Arizona. Funding awards vary based on the money available to the
foundation in any given year, but applications for the awards are accepted four
times a year. All applicants must be or become active members of the Arizona Division
of the United States Fencing Association, so if you’re serious about the sport or
already belong to the organization, make sure you know of any funding opportunities
available to you to help you pursue the sport on a college level.
United States Fencing Association
The United States Fencing Association has a number of scholarships available to its members through its member clubs across the country. If you’re a member of U.S. Fencing or a U.S. Fencing-sanctioned state association or club, investigate whether you’re eligible for awards through the organization, since you may as well take advantage of your membership status. If you have proven financial need, many of the local clubs will take that into consideration if you’re really interested in joining. Presidio Fencing Club in Santa Barbara, for example, offers members scholarships through its Youth Fencers Assistance Program. Applicants are required to show a copy of their family’s tax returns as proof of financial need, and maintain a GPA of at least 2.5. Consider all of your options when looking for funding to help you stay in fencing, as funding for the sport on the college level is not as plentiful as it is for more high-profile sports.
Fencing Tournaments
In fencing, as with sports like wrestling, there is a good amount of prize money available to the best athletes out there who do well at tournaments and competitions. The Williams Scholarship Fencing Tournament, for example, is held each November at Reed College. The top three finishers in the tournament who are eligible for financial aid share a $10,000 scholarship award. The financial aid awards are $5,000 to the first-place winner, $3,500 to the second-place winner, and $1,500 to the third-place winner. If you enjoy competition, or your school’s fencing team has an interest in participating in more outside fencing tournaments, consider competitions that could lead to a generous amount of funding to help you continue fencing and find money for college.