Guide to Basketball Scholarships

By Ryan Wood, Active.com

Knowledge is power in the recruiting process. The more you know before the letters and the phone calls start arriving, before you start filling out questionnaires, and before you send out highlight videos, the more likely you are to make the best decision for your future in basketball and life.

The problem is, you probably haven't been recruited before. You have dream schools but aren't sure where your realistic options are. You're not even sure how many scholarships a certain school can give out to figure if you have a chance at one.

Knowing the numbers is a good start, so here's a breakdown of scholarships for each level of college basketball:

NCAA Division I

How Many Schools: There are 341 schools playing Division I men's basketball. Programs like North Carolina, Kansas and UCLA are well-known on the men's side. Division I women's basketball features 338 programs, including powerhouse teams like Tennessee and Connecticut.

Scholarship Count: Division I women's programs are allowed 15 scholarships. Men's programs are allowed 13 scholarships.

Scholarship Breakdown: Scholarships in Division I basketball must be full rides. No partial athletic scholarships are given in Division I basketball.

NCAA Division II

How Many Schools: There are 290 men's programs and 291 women's programs in Division II basketball. Winona (Minn.) State is one of the top men's programs in D-II, while Washburn University in Topeka, Kan., has a strong women's program.

Scholarship Count: Both men's and women's programs at the Division II level are afforded 10 scholarships.

Scholarship Breakdown: Scholarships can be split up among the entire roster. Both full and partial rides can be offered in Division II.

NCAA Division III

How Many Schools: There are around 395 Division III men's programs and 425 women's programs nationwide.

Scholarship Count: Athletic scholarships are not offered at Division III schools.

Scholarship Breakdown: Though athletic scholarships aren't available, many student-athletes can earn an academic scholarship or receive a need-based grant while playing basketball.