Junior colleges are two-year institutions that student-athletes attend for a variety of reasons- one of these being improving grades to become eligible to compete at a higher level. Improving swim times to become eligible for a scholarship from the school of your choice is the ideal situation. Being able to earn credits while improving in the pool can allow an athlete to be given opportunities to swim at more competitive universities. The NJCAA is the governing body of junior college athletics encourages athletes to use JUCO sports as a steppingstone in their athletic and academic careers.
With 21 NJCAA women’s swim teams, this division can offer the largest number of scholarships per team with 15. Reaching out to a coach can be extremely valuable, since junior college recruiting coaches usually don’t have large budget unlike larger institutions. Contacting a coach with interest could land a scholarship at a JUCO where swimmers can improve and possibly transfer to the four-year institution of their dreams. CCCAA is the California Community College Athletic Association and offers an additional 56 junior college swimming options.
Indian River State College is a great example of a JUCO where swimmers go to improve both in the pool and classroom. Two years at this school only accounts for one year of eligibility on the D1 level. Being able to swim competitively for two years and only use on year of eligibility has led this school to produce transfers that have won D1 swimming individual championships.
