College cheer money, school by school

Colleges With Cheerleading Scholarships and Cheer Scholarships by What Each School Pays

We read the cheer pages of 24 colleges. Most pay a set amount a year that grows with seniority, from $500 at Morehead State to $7,000 in a fourth year at Tennessee. Hawaii gives full tuition to 12 to 14 cheerleaders. Oklahoma State pays nothing, and Utah Valley charges its members $2,400.

See all 20 schools

Every figure below links to the school's own page, read September 30, 2026.

College cheerleaders with pompoms on the field during a game

Top published awards

Hawaii: Full tuition, 12 to 14 spots
Tennessee: Up to $7,000 a year
Arkansas: $2,000 to $3,200 a year
Western Kentucky: $2,000 plus waiver

college cheer pages read

publish a current dollar amount or tuition benefit

program with full tuition awards

$0 to $7,000

range of yearly cash awards we found

How the money works

Five ways colleges pay cheerleaders

Game day and competitive cheer are not NCAA sports, so there is no NCAA scholarship count and no common rule. Each spirit program decides from its own budget. On the pages we read, every award falls into one of five patterns, and knowing which one a school uses tells you what four years there will really cost.

Grows with seniority

A set award that rises each year on the team.

Tennessee, Arkansas, LSU, Clemson

Flat stipend

The same amount each semester toward tuition and fees.

Kansas, Auburn, Arkansas Tech

Out of state waiver

Pays the gap so a non resident pays in state rates.

Western Kentucky, Angelo State, Navarro, Texas Tech

Full tuition

A small number of complete tuition awards.

Hawaii

Costs covered, no award

No scholarship, but uniforms, camp and travel are paid. One program charges a fee instead.

Oklahoma State, Utah Valley

School by school

Colleges that offer cheerleading scholarships in their own words

Twenty programs whose own pages say what a cheerleader receives, ordered roughly from the largest award to none. Each school name links to the page we read. Amounts change, so confirm the current figure with the program before you plan around it.

range of yearly cash awards we found

College	Division	What a cheerleader receives	Who gets it	How the team is picked
University of Hawaii at ManoaHI	NCAA D1	Between 12 and 14 full tuition scholarships set aside for cheer, in state and out of state	12 to 14 members	Recruiting through the program
University of TennesseeTN	NCAA D1, SEC	First year $0 to $1,500, second up to $3,000, third up to $5,000, fourth up to $7,000. No out of state waiver	By years on the team, grades and compliance	Registration opened July 15, 2026, evaluation through spring, roster April 2027
University of ArkansasAR	NCAA D1, SEC	First year $2,000, second $2,600, third and fourth $3,200	Spirit squad members, by year	Application and skills video by March 5, 2027, or invitation from a clinic
Western Kentucky UniversityKY	NCAA D1	$2,000 per academic year plus an out of state tuition waiver	Every athlete on the roster	Recruitment application with video
Mississippi State UniversityMS	NCAA D1, SEC	A scholarship for every member in good academic standing, by years of service, plus ten 25% out of state waivers	All members in good standing	Not stated on the page
University of MississippiMS	NCAA D1, SEC	"All members of the cheer squad will receive a scholarship", amount not published	All members	Recruitment clinics September 13 and October 18, 2026, teams set late spring 2027
University of KentuckyKY	NCAA D1, SEC	"Everyone in our program receives some type of scholarship", set by GPA, skill, years and need	All members	Spring tryouts for the Blue squad
Eastern Kentucky UniversityKY	NCAA D1	"Everyone in our program receives some type of scholarship"	All members	One clinic required before tryouts
Texas Tech UniversityTX	NCAA D1, Big 12	Coverage for out of state tuition and leadership scholarships, plus meal plan and travel	Squad members	Application January 2027, video April 20, tryouts May 14 to 16, 2027
Auburn UniversityAL	NCAA D1, SEC	Not a scholarship. A stipend of $900 in fall and $900 in spring toward tuition and fees	Auburn cheerleaders (21)	Open to enrolled full time students
Morehead State UniversityKY	NCAA D1	Most all girl members get $500 a year, most coed members $750, more for returners, 3.0 GPA and need	Everyone who makes the program is eligible	Recruited through clinics, no traditional tryout
University of LouisvilleKY	NCAA D1, ACC	Set by the head coach using factors such as years in the program, amount not published	Head coach decides	Registration opens March 2027, invitation only tryouts
University of KansasKS	NCAA D1, Big 12	Academic stipend of $325 per semester with a 2.0 GPA and full time status	Eligible members	Spring tryout (May in the 2025 packet)
Iowa State UniversityIA	NCAA D1, Big 12	"Scholarship opportunities", amount not published for cheer	Not stated	Auditions usually the third weekend in April
Angelo State UniversityTX	NCAA D2	Up to $1,000 a year and a waiver of out of state tuition, no out of pocket cost to join	Up to 32 scholarship spots, 5 to 10 without	Summer video deadline July 1, 2026, December tryouts too
Arkansas Tech UniversityAR	NCAA D2	$725 per semester, settled in August after camp	Members in good standing, not alternates	Spring tryout, set after summer camp
Navarro CollegeTX	NJCAA	Amounts set after the team is finalized, out of state fees waived	Team members	Five tryout dates from November to April ($40 each), video by May 7
Dodge City Community CollegeKS	NJCAA	Awards vary with skill set at tryouts, plus an academic award at 3.5 GPA	Members	Not stated on the page
Oklahoma State UniversityOK	NCAA D1, Big 12	"We do not have a scholarship program in place for cheerleading." Uniforms, camp and all travel are covered	Nobody receives a cheer award	Videos due April 26, live selection May 9 and 10
Utah Valley UniversityUT	NCAA D1	Members pay a $2,400 annual participation fee, with payment plans	Not stated	Recruit videos due January 1, recruits announced March to April

Older official pages we did not put in the table: LSU's 2019 FAQ listed $1,000, $1,500 and $2,000 for second, third and fourth year members, Clemson's 2011 notice listed $750 to $1,500 a year, and Alabama's 2020 tryout form refers to scholarship money without an amount. Ask those programs for the current figure.

Four year value

Best colleges for cheerleading scholarships over four years

A yearly figure hides the real difference between programs. Tennessee pays little or nothing in the first year and up to $7,000 in the fourth, so the athlete who stays four years collects up to $16,500. Arkansas pays more in year one and less at the top. Out of state waivers can be worth more than any cash award: at a school with a large non resident surcharge, Western Kentucky's waiver is often the bigger half of its package.

Hawaii is off the scale. Full tuition for 12 to 14 cheerleaders, in state or out of state, is the closest thing to a full ride cheer scholarship we found on any official page.

A college coach reviewing a recruit's skills video beside the gym

Published awards over four years on the team

Tennessee $16,500

Up to $16,500 over four years at the top of each tier
Arkansas $11,000

$2,000 + $2,600 + $3,200 + $3,200
Western Kentucky $8,000

$8,000 plus an out of state waiver every year
Auburn $7,200

$1,800 a year if the current stipend holds
Arkansas Tech $5,800

$1,450 a year
Angelo State $4,000

Up to $4,000 plus an out of state waiver
Morehead State $3,000

$3,000 coed or $2,000 all girl, before returner raises
Kansas $2,600

$650 a year

Totals use each school's current published rate and assume four years on the team. Waivers are not included in the dollar figure because their value depends on the athlete's home state.

The 2027-28 recruiting calendar

When college cheer programs pick next year's team

The award follows the roster spot, and the roster is being built now. For a high school senior, the window for 2027-28 opened in the summer of 2026.

July 2026

Tennessee opened recruitment registration on July 15 and recommends a video by August 15. Angelo State took summer videos until July 1.
Fall 2026

Ole Miss runs recruitment clinics on September 13 and October 18 instead of a tryout. Morehead State recruits only through clinics. Eastern Kentucky requires one clinic before tryouts.
January to March 2027

Texas Tech opens its application in January. Utah Valley wants recruit videos by January 1. Arkansas needs the application and skills video by March 5.
April to May 2027

Tennessee announces its team in April. Oklahoma State takes videos until April 26 and selects on May 9 and 10. Texas Tech tries out May 14 to 16.

Getting the award

How to get a cheer scholarship at these colleges

At every school on this page the money comes with the roster spot. Nobody applies for a cheer scholarship separately, so the work is getting seen and making the team. College coaches find recruits in three places: their own clinics, club competition and skills video sent to them directly. They rarely scout high school games.

Build a short list from the table, then work backward from each school's date. A clean video filmed on a phone is enough for the first round at most programs. North Texas, for example, says tryout videos do not have to be produced professionally. Put standing and running tumbling, a stunt from the athlete's position, jumps and a short piece of motions or dance on it.

When an offer comes, ask what the award covers, whether it renews each year, what grade it requires and what the athlete still pays for camp, shoes and travel. Our cheerleading scholarships guide lists the questions to ask before you accept.

1 Pick 5 to 8 programs Match level, division and the award pattern that fits your budget.
2 Film the skills video Standing and running tumbling, stunts, jumps, motions. Good light, whole body in frame.
3 Attend each school's clinic Several programs recruit only from clinics or invite from them.
4 Get on the coaches' radar A recruiting profile shows video, level and graduation year to verified college coaches.
5 Try out and compare offers Put each award, renewal rule and remaining cost side by side.

A flyer held at the top of a stunt by her bases

Get seen by the coaches who award it

A recruiting profile college cheer coaches can find

Put skills video, level, graduation year, teams and titles on one private profile. Only college coaches who verified with a college email can see it, a parent runs it for any athlete under 18, and every contact request goes to the parent. The profile is free. Recruiting Pro adds featured placement, up to 10 videos and the list of coaches who viewed it for $39 a month or $228 a year.

Parent plans

Weighing a paid recruiting service? We compared the NCSA cost for cheerleading with the routes cheer families use instead.

Questions

Cheer scholarship questions families ask

College cheer recruiting Cheerleading scholarships guide For college coaches How we protect athletes under 18

Which colleges offer cheerleading scholarships?

Many SEC and Big 12 programs pay cheerleaders, including Tennessee, Arkansas, Kentucky, Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Texas Tech, along with Hawaii, Western Kentucky, Morehead State, Angelo State, Arkansas Tech and junior colleges such as Navarro. Some large programs pay nothing: Oklahoma State says it has no cheer scholarship program.

Are there full ride scholarships for cheerleading?

Full rides are rare. Hawaii is the clearest case we found, with 12 to 14 full tuition scholarships set aside for cheer, covering in state and out of state tuition. Most programs pay a fixed amount a year, often $500 to $3,200, or waive out of state tuition, and combine that with academic aid.

How much are cheerleading scholarships?

On schools' own pages, awards run from $325 a semester at Kansas and $500 a year at Morehead State up to $7,000 in a fourth year at Tennessee. Arkansas pays $2,000 to $3,200 a year and Western Kentucky $2,000 plus an out of state waiver. Hawaii offers full tuition to 12 to 14 members.

Do D1 schools give cheer scholarships?

Many do, but it is each school's choice. Sideline and competitive cheer are not NCAA sports, so there is no NCAA scholarship count for cheer. Tennessee, Arkansas and Western Kentucky publish amounts, Kentucky and Ole Miss say every member gets something, Auburn pays a stipend and Oklahoma State pays none.

How do you get a cheerleading scholarship?

Make the team. At almost every school the award follows a roster spot, so the path is a skills video, the school's clinic and its tryout or recruitment process. Tennessee opened 2027-28 registration on July 15, 2026, Arkansas wants a video by March 5, 2027, and Ole Miss recruits from fall clinics.

Does the NCAA give scholarships for cheerleading?

No. Game day and competitive cheer are not NCAA sports, so any award comes from the school's athletics or spirit budget. STUNT and acrobatics and tumbling are different: NCAA members voted both championship sports on January 16, 2026, with first championships in spring 2027, and those teams recruit separately.

Do junior colleges give cheer scholarships?

Yes. Navarro College waives out of state fees and sets award amounts after the team is finalized, and Dodge City Community College varies awards by skill at tryouts and adds an academic award at a 3.5 GPA.

Cheerleading scholarships

How cheer awards work and what to ask before you accept.

College cheer recruiting

A private profile that verified college coaches browse.

NCSA cost for cheerleading

What families report paying and the cheaper routes.

Private tumbling lessons

Book a coach for the passes college tryouts ask for.

College cheerleaders performing a stunt on a stadium sideline at dusk

The award follows the roster spot

Put your athlete in front of the college coaches who pick the team.