Team support, academic scholarships, and coach-association awards can have different applications. Start with your intended college and graduation year, then verify each funding route directly.
Compare selected cheerleading funding
Checked October 14, 2026. This is a selected list, not a claim that only two routes exist.
| Opportunity | Who should investigate | Published support/status | Next action |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Kansas cheerleading scholarships | Eligible KU cheer team members | Public page lists $650/year plus $100 with 3.0 GPA; not a personalized future offer | Ask the current coach for your entry-year amount and conditions |
| WACPC Scholarship | Graduating seniors whose team coach is a current WACPC member, with GPA and other criteria | 2027 application opens January 1 and closes March 5, 2027; new individual amount not stated | Read association eligibility and prepare seven-semester transcript |
WACPC reports twenty-two $1,000 awards for the class of 2026. That is historical award evidence—not a promise of the same amount or award count in 2027. WACPC current application and past recipients.
Ask for the current team offer in writing
Kansas’ page lists other benefits and says team members must fundraise costs associated with UCA nationals. Its 2025–26 tryout packet describes a $325-per-semester academic stipend for eligible full-time members with at least a 2.0 GPA and no summer-session scholarship. Do not blend details from different years into one guaranteed 2027 offer. KU scholarship page · Prior-year tryout packet.
Ask the program what applies to your entry year: selection criteria, amount, payment term, academic requirements, renewal, and effect of injury, leave, or leaving the team. Do not assume a successful tryout guarantees a particular financial package.
Coach-association awards have a separate process
WACPC requires a graduating senior, cumulative 3.25 GPA, extracurricular involvement, and a current member coach. Its application asks for an activities list, essay of at most 500 words, official seven-semester transcript, photo, and two evaluations. Applicants enter evaluator email addresses; evaluators submit their own forms through the platform. WACPC requirements.
Confirm your actual association connection before preparing the application. Do not describe it as a universal national award for any cheerleader.
Ask evaluators early and give them the exact instructions. Your essay is not a complete application if the independent evaluations or required transcript are missing.
Beware old full-tuition claims
Kentucky has an archived 2002 policy describing particular tuition awards. Its later 2020 overview instead describes variable support based on GPA, skills, years in the program, and need. Neither old page should be converted into a guaranteed current full-ride offer. Contact the current program. Archived policy · Later overview.
An official source can still be old. Check the date, current team page, and actual offer before making a college decision around it.
Prepare a truthful athletic and academic record
Follow the actual program’s video and tryout instructions. Identify your role and show skills you can perform safely under appropriate supervision. Do not attempt new skills solely to produce an application clip or imply an entire team’s title was an individual award.
For essays, use a concrete example of teamwork, responsibility, or leadership. Explain your contribution and learning rather than inventing results or exaggerating the number of people affected.
Keep academic aid separate from team aid, but ask whether both may be combined under your institution’s rules. Record tuition, fees, living costs, travel, and required team costs relevant to your situation.
Next step
Choose two colleges, contact the current cheer staff about entry-year funding, and verify any association award separately. Keep pending applications and hoped-for team support out of confirmed funds.
