What your kid's sport really costs, and how many players really go on to college.
Pick the sport below. You get what a family typically spends over ten seasons, the NCAA's own count of how many high school players reach a college roster, and what an athletic scholarship actually pays. Free, no sign-up, nothing to sell you.
play in college Division ILit players are rounded to the nearest whole player. The exact rates are printed with the figures.
Of 100 boys playing high school soccer, about 6 go on to play in college. A family that plays 10 seasons spends about $11,880 along the way.
- Play in college, any NCAA division
- 5.9 in 100Division I: 1.4 in 100
- A family spends over 10 seasons
- $11,880at $1,188 a season, the national average for soccer
- The average athletic scholarship pays
- $20,305 a yearDivision I and II average, all sports
Figures come from the NCAA and the Aspen Institute's national parent survey. Every source is linked below and on every tool page. Costs use the national average for one child's main sport; the full calculator lets you type in your own.
Start with your question
How much will this cost us?
A season's fees, gear, travel and lessons, added up across every kid and every year you expect to play.
How many players make it, and what does a scholarship pay?
The NCAA's own counts by sport and gender, and its own average award set next to what a year of college costs.
Is club, travel or private coaching worth the extra?
What the extra spending adds up to over the years, next to the same NCAA numbers. The tools add it up; the call stays yours.
Where the numbers come from
- NCAA — Estimated Probability of Competing in College Athletics2024-25 season
How many high school players go on to play in college, sport by sport. The NCAA compares the national high school participation survey with its own roster counts.
- NCAA — Recruiting Facts (Division I and II athletics scholarships)October 2024
Total Division I and II scholarship dollars and how many athletes share them, which is where the average award comes from.
- Aspen Institute Project Play — State of Play youth sports parent surveys2022 and 2024 survey waves
What families spend on one child's main sport per season, by sport and by category.
Last reviewed: October 2026. Informational only, not financial or recruiting advice. Each tool page lists its own sources, assumptions and limits.
Read up before the next fee is due
All guides →- Boys vs. Girls: Same Sport, Different College Participation RateWomen have the higher college-participation rate in nine of eleven shared sports in the NCAA table. Here is how the ratio is built and what it leaves out.
- How Many Years Until a Sport's Cost Passes Its Scholarship Payoff?The Cost vs. Payoff Calculator's expected scholarship value is fixed per sport and gender while cost keeps climbing — this guide works out the exact year each one crosses the other, sport by sport, from the same NCAA and Aspen Institute figures the calculator uses.
- The Hidden Cost of Sport Specialization Before High SchoolYear-round club membership, travel, private coaching, and camps compound faster than a single season's cost suggests — this guide breaks down the itemized categories behind early specialization spending using published survey averages.
- Why Most Recruiting Promises Don't Show Up in Scholarship OffersCoaches routinely signal interest or offer 'preferred walk-on' status that never becomes actual scholarship aid. This guide explains what counts as an NCAA-tracked award and how to read recruiting conversations with clear eyes.