I stopped by a pizza place in my college town recently and ran into a high school junior who, despite being a strong local tennis player, was not being highly recruited by colleges. Although he lives in a town where there’s a major state university, the high schooler mentioned that he is looking at a couple of smaller colleges elsewhere in Georgia.

Why? Because there’s a greater chance of him being able to actually play tennis and receive financial assistance to do so at those schools. He and other students who run track, play softball and baseball, and compete in other sports recognize that larger universities often save their scholarships and funding for top players in the country and international students.

If your dream is to compete athletically in college, you’re probably also making your college choice based on who will give you the greatest chance of playing and getting financial aid for athletics.

The reality is that few students get enough in athletic scholarships to cover their entire college cost. A New York Times analysis a couple of years ago found that the average NCAA athletic scholarship was $8,707, while annual tuition at NCAA institutions can be more than two to five times that much.

How many students receive athletic scholarships? Only 2 percent get a Division I or Division II scholarship, according to CBS MoneyWatch.com. The MoneyWatch.com expert also provides six tips for pursuing a sports scholarship.

Do an Internet search and you’ll find plenty of websites set up by recruiting companies who make money helping students get athletic scholarships. You’ll want to be careful about paying one of these companies too much and not getting the results you desire. You will want to research these companies’ reputations and those of  the schools, too, to learn where you could have the advantage as an athlete.

–Lori Johnston