Are you health-conscious? Do you like sports? How about making that pastime into a college degree? With excellent grades and reliable scholarship information, you can become one of the recipients of the various financial grants available in the United States. Getting a scholarship will not be a difficult task with all these scholarships that organizations and universities offer to interested students. But in looking for the best scholarship, you should keep in mind that some universities offer scholarships based on academic standing and financial need while some organizations cover expenses only in research work.

Advocate in Exercise Science Studies

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) is one of the organizations actively supporting exercise science majors. Aside from education endowment, it also offers minority scholarships, research grants, regional chapter grants, International Scholar Program, and International Student Award to deserving recipients. In the International Scholar Program, ACSM provides financial support to a health professional traveling to Canada or the United States for research purposes. Annually, ACSM gives the International Student Award to three students from countries outside North America. Each of them will receive $1,000 to pay for their expenses in research abstract presentations at ACSM Annual Meetings.

For information on other ACSM scholarships, please visit their website.

Endowed Scholarships for Exercise Science Majors

Listed below are a few of the universities offering scholarships to exercise science majors. To find out more about the application procedures and requirements, you can look into their websites.

For starters, the East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania has endowed scholarships for particular fields in exercise science. If you’re planning to take up Exercise Science and History, try applying for a George Edward & Grace Rapp Best Scholarship. But if you’re focusing only on Exercise Science, you can qualify for a Dr. Eli Berman Cardian Rehab Scholarship. For Physical Education majors, the university offers the Grace Rapp Best Scholarship.

Another university in Pennsylvania, the Slippery Rock University (SRU), also has a lot of scholarships in store for exercise science majors. To get scholarships worth $1,000 each, try applying for a Fred and Mary Roby Scholarship or the Sheila I. Drohan Scholarship. To qualify in either program, you have to be an exercise science major who has excellent background on physical wellness. Also, you must be an SRU student enrolled on a full time basis, qualified to take exercise science as your major, and maintained a 3.25 QPA or higher. The grant is given in spring and the grantee will have an invitation to the Spring Awards Luncheon. Qualified applicants may apply for scholarship renewal for three years. Resume, letter of application, and financial need are required. You may check their website for deadline of application.

The Colorado State University (CSU) offers a variety of grants to students interested in pursuing a career in health and exercise science. Although some of their grants consider gender as a qualification, there are some that are open to both male and female students. They also have scholarship awards that do not require financial need or a good GPA.

The B. C. Cowel Physical Education Scholarship, meanwhile, is open to juniors and seniors having no financial need but have good academic standing. Qualifications also include leadership, interest, and participation in youth-oriented physical activities. Applicants must be US citizens and live in Colorado. The grant will be awarded to one male and one female.

For male applicants, CSU offers the Eddie Hanna Memorial Scholarship which requires achievements in athletics. Applicants should not have any athletic scholarship and should also submit recommendation letters from physical fitness professionals. Financial need and good academic standing are not required.

The Elizabeth Forbes Memorial Scholarship is given to senior female students with great potential and have engaged in city, campus, and professional activities involving physical education. To qualify, applicants must hold good academic standing and professional membership. They must also have work experience with seniors, preschoolers, and/or disabled for the last three summers. Essays about professional plans and recommendation letters from physical fitness professionals must be submitted.

In Virginia, the Department of Health, Recreation, and Kinesiology at Longwood University offers the Gerald P. Graham Fitness Leadership Award annually. Applicants should be senior students taking up Exercise Science and have excellent academic standing.

Kinesiology-Exercise Physiology majors at Sacramento State may apply for the Dr. Irv Faria Exercise Physiology Scholarship Award worth $500. To become eligible, applicants must be full-time students having a minimum of 3.0 GPA and classified or unclassified graduate student enrollment requirements. Applicants are required to submit a resume including research experience, participation in athletic and community activities, and career objective. They must furnish a letter of intent to take up graduate studies in Exercise Physiology at California State University, Sacramento.

High Employability for Exercise Science Majors

Having had training at a reputable university (and without the financial burden), your chances of employment after college are high. Your degree in exercise science will not only get you a job as a physical fitness instructor or a PE teacher. It also brings you countless opportunities in community and corporate settings. And if you already have a career in medicine or in sports, you can widen your expertise by earning a degree in exercise science.