If your athlete plays lacrosse, understanding lacrosse scholarships is the first financial decision you need to get right. The reality is thinner than most families expect. D1 men's lacrosse programs get 12.6 scholarships to split across rosters of 45–55 players. Women's programs get 12.0. That math alone tells you the story: full rides in college lacrosse barely exist, and partial scholarships are the overwhelming norm.
This surprises families who see lacrosse growing rapidly and assume more money is flowing in. More programs, yes. More scholarship dollars per player, not necessarily. Lacrosse is an equivalency sport at every level that offers athletic aid, which means coaches divide a fixed pool of scholarship money across the roster however they choose. Understanding how the full scholarship system works across all sports is the foundation for making sense of what lacrosse offers.
Here's how the scholarship landscape breaks down across every level of college lacrosse.
Lacrosse scholarship numbers by division
The number of scholarships available to your athlete depends on the division, the gender of the program, and how many roster spots that coach needs to fill.
| Division | Programs (men's / women's) | Scholarships per program | What that means |
|---|
| NCAA D1 | ~78 / ~126 | 12.6 (men) / 12.0 (women) equivalencies | Partial scholarships for most; full rides extremely rare |
| NCAA D2 | ~79 / ~80 | 10.8 (men) / 9.9 (women) equivalencies | Smaller pool, often combined with academic merit aid |
| NCAA D3 | 245+ / 245+ | None | Zero athletic scholarships — merit and need-based aid only |
| NAIA | ~38 / ~38 | No set maximum | Flexible scholarship pools; smaller rosters improve per-player value |
The math at D1 is straightforward and sobering. A men's program with 12.6 equivalencies and a roster of 50 players means the average award is roughly 25% of a full scholarship. Some starters will get 40–50%. Many contributors will get 15–20%. Walk-ons get zero. The women's side is similar: 12.0 equivalencies spread across 40–50 players produces the same thin distribution.
Multiply those per-program numbers across all D1 programs and lacrosse still has far fewer total scholarship dollars than the revenue sports. For a detailed look at when coaches start making these offers, see the lacrosse recruiting timeline.
Men's vs. women's lacrosse scholarship differences
Women's lacrosse has significantly more D1 programs than men's — roughly 126 compared to 78. This gap is largely driven by Title IX compliance. As universities added women's sports to meet proportionality requirements, women's lacrosse became one of the most popular additions. The sport saw approximately 97% growth in D1 programs between 2003 and 2018.
More programs means more total scholarship dollars.
Even though women's programs receive slightly fewer equivalencies per team (12.0 vs. 12.6), the larger number of programs means there are more total scholarship opportunities in women's lacrosse at the D1 level. Roughly 126 programs times 12.0 equivalencies equals about 1,512 total equivalencies for women, compared to 78 programs times 12.6 equivalencies equaling about 983 for men.
Geographic concentration differs.
Men's lacrosse programs cluster heavily in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. Women's programs are more geographically distributed, with growing pockets in the Southeast, Midwest, and West Coast. If your athlete is willing to expand the geographic search, women's lacrosse offers more options.
The per-player math stays similar.
Despite the differences in program count, the scholarship math at any individual school is nearly identical. Both men's and women's players should expect partial awards averaging 15–30% of total cost at most D1 programs.
Why most lacrosse scholarships are partial
Lacrosse is an equivalency sport at every NCAA and NAIA level that offers athletic aid. This is the single most important fact families need to understand.
Equivalency vs. head count.
In a head count sport like D1 women's basketball, every scholarship is a full ride — 15 scholarships, 15 full rides. Lacrosse doesn't work that way. A coach receives a set number of full-scholarship equivalents (12.6 for D1 men's) and can divide that money any way they choose, as long as the total doesn't exceed the limit.
What that looks like in practice.
Take a D1 men's program at a school where total cost of attendance is $60,000 per year. The coach has 12.6 equivalencies to distribute across a roster of 50 players. If 35 players receive some scholarship money, the average award is about 36% of a full scholarship — roughly $21,600 per year. But averages are misleading. In reality, a few top recruits might receive 60–75%, most starters get 25–40%, and role players get 10–20%. At $60,000, a 25% scholarship means your family is still paying $45,000 per year.
Full rides are exceptionally rare.
A coach who gives one player a full ride has already used 8% of the entire scholarship budget on a single athlete. Most coaches won't do it. The economics push toward spreading money across more players to build roster depth.
The D3 lacrosse advantage: academic and need-based aid
D3 has the most lacrosse programs of any division — over 245 per gender. None of those programs can offer a single dollar of athletic scholarship money. But writing off D3 on that basis is a mistake many families make.
Well-endowed private institutions.
Many D3 lacrosse powerhouses are private liberal arts colleges and universities with substantial endowments. Schools in the NESCAC, Centennial Conference, and Liberty League often have sticker prices of $70,000–$85,000 but also robust financial aid budgets. A family with demonstrated need can receive $40,000–$60,000 in grants and scholarships at these institutions.
Coach influence in admissions.
At selective D3 schools, a coach's support can make the difference between admission and rejection. Coaches submit priority recruit lists to admissions offices, and athletes on those lists receive favorable consideration. At a school with a 20% acceptance rate, that admissions edge has real financial value — you can't receive any aid from a school that doesn't admit you.
The net cost comparison that surprises families.
Consider two scenarios. A D1 school at $60,000 per year offers your athlete a 15% scholarship — $9,000 off, family pays $51,000. A D3 school at $75,000 per year offers a $45,000 need-based and merit aid package — family pays $30,000. The D3 school with zero athletic scholarship dollars costs your family $21,000 less per year. This happens more often than you'd expect. For a deeper look at how D3 financial aid works for athletes, see our guide to D3 athletic scholarships.
How to maximize your lacrosse scholarship offer
The scholarship you're initially offered isn't always the final number. Equivalency sports give families more room to negotiate than most realize.
Start early on the showcase circuit.
Coaches identify and evaluate recruits at showcases, camps, and club tournaments. An athlete who shows up on a coach's radar as a sophomore or early junior gives that coach time to allocate scholarship dollars. Late arrivals to the recruiting process often find the budget already committed.
Target programs where your skill level matches.
A top player on a mid-tier D1 roster is more likely to receive a meaningful scholarship percentage than a bottom-of-roster player at an elite program. Be realistic about fit. A 35% scholarship at a program where your athlete will start is often better financially and developmentally than a 10% offer from a bigger name.
Apply to multiple programs and leverage competing offers.
Coaches expect this. If one program offers 20% and another offers 30%, it's appropriate to let the first coach know. This isn't gamesmanship — it's how equivalency sports work. Coaches build their budgets knowing that recruits are comparing offers.
Stack athletic and academic aid.
At many D2 and NAIA schools, athletic scholarships can be combined with academic merit awards. Ask every coach directly: "Can athletic and academic aid be stacked at your school?" The answer varies by institution, and it can change the financial picture dramatically.
Ask the right questions.
Before committing, get clear answers to: "What percentage of a full scholarship is this offer?" "Can it be combined with merit or need-based aid?" "Is it renewable for four years, and under what conditions?" Our guide to comparing scholarship offers walks through exactly how to evaluate these answers on a net-cost basis.
The bottom line
Lacrosse scholarships are real money, but they are almost never a free ride. The equivalency system at D1, D2, and NAIA means coaches are dividing a limited pool across large rosters, and most players receive between 15% and 35% of total cost. At a $60,000 school, that still leaves your family responsible for $39,000–$51,000 per year.
The families who navigate this well are the ones who understand the math before the process starts. Calculate net cost, not scholarship percentage. Compare D1 partial offers against D2, NAIA, and D3 alternatives where the per-player financial value may be stronger. Ask direct questions about stacking, renewability, and what happens if your athlete gets injured.
For the full breakdown of how athletic scholarships work across all sports and divisions, start with college athletic scholarships explained. When offers arrive, use our guide to comparing scholarship offers to evaluate them side by side. To understand when coaches start reaching out and when your athlete needs to be visible, review the lacrosse recruiting timeline. And if D3 is on the radar, dig into how D3 financial aid for athletes actually works — the numbers may surprise you. For guidance on which showcases and camps are worth your investment — and how to avoid spending thousands on events that don't match your athlete's division target — see our guide to whether lacrosse recruiting camps are worth it. And when you're ready to research specific D1 programs, our guide to D1 colleges for lacrosse maps the full landscape by conference tier — from traditional powers to emerging programs where scholarship money is most accessible. For the position-specific evaluation criteria that determine which division fits your athlete, the lacrosse recruiting standards guide covers what coaches look for by position.