College Swimming
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Swimming at American universities is hugely demanding for international students, as the requirements are much more than most other countries. Foreign swimmers generally train throughout the year for 3 or 4 major gala's. However, students who compete at the college level will swim at numerous gala's or "meets", throughout the year. These meets can happen every week for an entire season, where four to five colleges compete against each other.
Some of the bigger meets you will experience in college, will be your Conference Championships and National Championship, which will occur at the end of the season. |
University of Georgia Swimming
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College swimming is very much a team-based sport and coaches will strategically tally up points in search of the National Title. This strategy is foreign to most international swimmers, and students may find themselves swimming in events that may not be their strongest, but it will get more points for the team. The ultimate goal for college coaches is to have their team crowned " The National Champions".
Should your team underperform, all hope is not lost, you can compete at Nationals on an individual basis too, should you swim the qualifying times.
Should your team underperform, all hope is not lost, you can compete at Nationals on an individual basis too, should you swim the qualifying times.
Swimming Scholarships
Collegiate swimming in the States is vastly competitive, with well over 900 swimming teams in the country. There are three sporting associations in which swimmers can compete in, the NCAA, the NAIA and the NJCAA.
Potential college swimmers are awarded either a full scholarship or a partial scholarship. Full scholarships will cover the athlete's tuition, housing and meals. Coaches look at a swimmer’s personal best times, video's of the swimmers technique and biometric data such as height & weight.
Aspiring collegiate swimmers have to maintain their grades as well as improve their personal times, on a regular basis. The higher your grade point average (GPA), the better the chances are of you acquiring a top swimming and academic scholarship.
Potential college swimmers are awarded either a full scholarship or a partial scholarship. Full scholarships will cover the athlete's tuition, housing and meals. Coaches look at a swimmer’s personal best times, video's of the swimmers technique and biometric data such as height & weight.
Aspiring collegiate swimmers have to maintain their grades as well as improve their personal times, on a regular basis. The higher your grade point average (GPA), the better the chances are of you acquiring a top swimming and academic scholarship.
How can I get a swimming scholarship in the USA?
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You can get a swimming scholarship to the USA by joining a swimming club and training six times a week, (some top swimmers training twice a day). Training like an elite swimmer and competing at National Galas, will put yourself in an excellent position to earn a swimming scholarship. For most swimmers, getting the chance to study in the USA and compete at the college level is a dream; however, it is not impossible to do with the right preparation and mental fortitude.
To start, you will want to understand the specific swimming times and grades that the institution you are hoping to attend requires from its students. |
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Have a look at the swimming scholarship times on this page for a general and realistic understanding of what is required to win a swimming scholarship at the various levels of college swimming. Remember you are not going to university only to swim, academics are crucial to the recruitment process too, so students should try to score a GPA of 3.0 or better in high school, and aim for an SAT score of 1250 points out of a possible 1600.
What times do I need to get a swimming scholarship?
The times needed to win a scholarship to a USA university will depend on the level each one competes in and how strong the squad is at each university. Your personal best times will play a significant role in earning a scholarship. However, most swimmers will focus on one event when, in fact, the more events you compete in, the better the recruit you are. Aspire Atlantic advises students to strive for excellence in three swimming events to get the best scholarship. Please take a look at our scholarship target times below to see what is required in each division.
Swimming Scholarship Times
LONG COURSE METERS
EVENTS IN LCM |
DIV 1 |
DIV 2 |
DIV 3 |
50 Free |
22.97 |
23.83 |
24.98 |
100 Free |
50.41 |
52.12 |
53.86 |
200 Free |
1:51.98 |
1:54.51 |
1:57.40 |
400 Free |
3:59.45 |
4:06.87 |
4:15.24 |
800 Free |
8:17.37 |
8:34.12 |
8:51.92 |
1500 Free |
15:55.51 |
16:34.57 |
17:06.10 |
100 Back |
55.03 |
55.91 |
1:00.12 |
200 Back |
1:59.00 |
2:04.52 |
2:13.36 |
100 Breast |
1:01.60 |
1:03.67 |
1:07.58 |
200 Breast |
2:14.96 |
2:17.39 |
2:29.39 |
100 Fly |
54.53 |
55.92 |
58.44 |
200 Fly |
2:01.23 |
2:04.89 |
2:12.45 |
200 IM |
2:03.15 |
2:06.90 |
2:14.16 |
400 IM |
4:25.38 |
4:33.25 |
4:44.99 |
SHORT COURSE METERS
EVENTS IN SCM |
DIV 1 |
DIV 2 |
DIV 3 |
50 Free |
22.17 |
23.03 |
24.18 |
100 Free |
48.81 |
50.52 |
52.26 |
200 Free |
1:47.78 |
1:51.32 |
1:54.20 |
400 Free |
3:53.05 |
4:00.48 |
4:10.24 |
800 Free |
8:04.57 |
8:21.32 |
8:41.49 |
1500 Free |
15:37.13 |
16:10.57 |
16:52.02 |
100 Back |
53.64 |
54.71 |
58.92 |
200 Back |
1:56.60 |
2:02.12 |
2:10.96 |
100 Breast |
59.60 |
1:01.67 |
1:05.58 |
200 Breast |
2:10.98 |
2:14.16 |
2:25.39 |
100 Fly |
53.14 |
54.53 |
57.04 |
200 Fly |
1:58.44 |
2:02.10 |
2:09.85 |
200 IM |
1:59.96 |
2:03.70 |
2:10.96 |
400 IM |
4:18.99 |
4:26.86 |
4:38.59 |
LONG COURSE METERS
EVENTS IN LCM |
DIV 1 |
DIV 2 |
DIV 3 |
50 Free |
25:50 |
27.49 |
27.87 |
100 Free |
56.35 |
59.44 |
1:00.86 |
200 Free |
2:01.86 |
2:09.24 |
2:12.61 |
400 Free |
4:17.14 |
4:33.50 |
4:37.55 |
800 Free |
9:00.62 |
9:19.78 |
9:33.86 |
1500 Free |
17:05.30 |
17:57.46 |
18:02.20 |
100 Back |
1:02.90 |
1:04.15 |
1:06.23 |
200 Back |
2:15.75 |
2:19.28 |
2:25.57 |
100 Breast |
1:10.95 |
1:13.26 |
1:15.69 |
200 Breast |
2:34.60 |
2:39.87 |
2:49.37 |
100 Fly |
1:01.60 |
1:03.60 |
1:05.87 |
200 Fly |
2:14.90 |
2:21.93 |
2:29.10 |
200 IM |
2:18.00 |
2:22.71 |
2:28.59 |
400 IM |
4:53.60 |
5:06.72 |
5:18.29 |
SHORT COURSE METERS
EVENTS IN SCM |
DIV 1 |
DIV 2 |
DIV 3 |
50 Free |
24:59 |
26.69 |
27.07 |
100 Free |
54:50 |
57.84 |
59.26 |
200 Free |
01:58.15 |
2:06.04 |
2:09.41 |
400 Free |
04:07.40 |
04:27.10 |
4:32.11 |
800 Free |
08:47.83 |
09:06.99 |
9:22.61 |
1500 Free |
16:40.57 |
17:33.46 |
17:47.35 |
100 Back |
59:73 |
1:02.95 |
1:05.03 |
200 Back |
2:12.09 |
2:16.89 |
2:23.17 |
100 Breast |
1:08.10 |
1:11.27 |
1:13.69 |
200 Breast |
2:28.17 |
2:35.88 |
2:45.37 |
100 Fly |
59.41 |
1:02.20 |
1:04.47 |
200 Fly |
2:11.31 |
2:19.13 |
2:26.50 |
200 IM |
2:12.05 |
2:19.52 |
2:25.39 |
400 IM |
4:43.89 |
5:00.33 |
5:11.89 |
video recommendations
Video footage is an integral part of the college swimming recruitment process, but it is not crucial. All swimmers are recommended to include the following in their videos, but the most important factors are your times.
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Freestyle & Backstroke
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Butterfly & Breaststroke
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Which universities have swimming scholarships?
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There are plenty of universities in the USA that offer swimming scholarships, and if you are a female swimmer, there are even more opportunities for you. Some universities will have full scholarships on offer, while some swimming programs will only have partial scholarships available. Make sure you select the university and swimming program that is the best fit for you, not necessarily the cheapest. Some of the top Division 1 swimming programs include the University of Michigan, University of Texas, and the University of Tennessee. If you are not quite at the Division 1 level, some great Division 2 swimming programs are Drury University and Queens University of Charlotte. If you would like to find out which swimming programs to target for swimming scholarships, you can contact us.
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a day in the life of a student athlete
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Harvard University Men's Swimming
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University of Texas Women's Swimming
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