Scholarships by Sport: STUNT

STUNT is one of the most rapidly expanding scholarship opportunities in all of college athletics. Recognized as an NCAA emerging sport for women, STUNT has grown to over 90 programs in just a few years — more than many established NCAA sports — with new programs being added every season. For athletes with backgrounds in competitive All-Star cheerleading, STUNT is the most direct college scholarship pathway available, and the recruiting window is wide open for athletes who move quickly.

Understanding Athletic Scholarships

STUNT is an equivalency sport offered exclusively for women under NCAA emerging sport status. Scholarship equivalencies vary considerably by program maturity — established programs offer between 8 and 14 equivalencies while newer programs may offer fewer as they build their budgets. Because STUNT is still in rapid expansion, the scholarship landscape changes each recruiting cycle as schools upgrade the sport from club to varsity status. Contacting coaches directly at every program on your target list — and asking specifically about their current scholarship availability — is essential in a sport where the numbers are moving year to year.

Key Insight: 90+ Programs and the Pool Has Not Caught Up

STUNT's program count has outpaced its recruiting pipeline. There are more STUNT scholarship spots available right now than there are athletes actively pursuing them through the college recruiting process. This is the defining structural advantage for any athlete who moves quickly: coaches are actively seeking recruits, response rates to outreach are high, and the competition for each scholarship spot is lower than in virtually any other college sport of comparable size. This window will narrow as the sport matures — the athletes who act now benefit most.

Scholarship Numbers at a Glance

LevelScholarshipsPrograms NCAA Division I Women8–14 equivalencies (varies by program)90+ programs NCAA Division II WomenVaries (emerging)Growing number of programs NAIA WomenVariesLimited programs

How STUNT Competition Works

STUNT is a head-to-head sport where two teams compete simultaneously in four quarters, each focused on a different skill set: Partner Stunts, Pyramids, Basket Tosses, and Jumps and Tumbling. Judging is objective and skill-based — teams earn points by executing skills at higher difficulty levels with greater precision than their opponent. There are no crowd-engagement or performance elements; STUNT is purely athletic competition. This structure makes All-Star cheerleaders and gymnasts the natural STUNT recruit, since they have developed the stunt, pyramid, and tumbling vocabulary the sport requires.

STUNT vs. Acrobatics and Tumbling

STUNT and Acrobatics & Tumbling (A&T) are distinct NCAA emerging sports that both recruit from the competitive cheer and gymnastics athlete pool. The key differences: STUNT uses a head-to-head quarter format with jump and tumbling quarters; A&T uses a side-by-side format with acro and pyramid sequences. Many high school athletes are strong candidates for both. When building your target program list, research which sport each school sponsors — some schools offer both, and being flexible about which sport you compete in maximizes your total scholarship opportunity.

NIL — An Early but Growing Opportunity

NIL in college STUNT is early-stage but expanding rapidly. Athletic apparel brands, cheerleading equipment companies, and lifestyle brands are beginning to engage STUNT athletes who build social media followings around their competition and training content. The visual appeal of STUNT — high-flying stunts, synchronized basket tosses, and powerful tumbling — generates strong engagement on short-form video platforms. Athletes who build their content presence now, during STUNT's growth phase, are well positioned as the sport's NIL landscape matures.

How to Maximize Your Scholarship Opportunities

• Contact coaches at every STUNT program directly — with 90+ programs and a short recruiting pool, a personalized email to every school in your target region is entirely realistic
• Send video of your competitive All-Star cheer performances, highlighting your role in stunts, pyramids, basket tosses, and tumbling — coaches evaluate all four STUNT quarters from recruiting footage
• Know your tumbling level and stunt position — coaches need to understand where you fit on the roster by skill set, not just by general athleticism
• Research which programs are newly added — programs that have recently elevated STUNT to varsity status are actively building rosters with more immediate scholarship availability
• Be open to both STUNT and A&T programs — if you are a strong candidate for one, you are likely a strong candidate for the other, and pursuing both maximizes your total opportunity
• Stack athletic and academic merit aid — many STUNT programs are at universities with strong merit scholarship offerings that can supplement athletic funding significantly

The Bottom Line

STUNT is the single fastest-growing scholarship sport in women's college athletics, and the recruiting window is wider right now than it will ever be again. Athletes with competitive All-Star cheer backgrounds who pursue STUNT recruiting proactively — reaching out to coaches, sending footage, and attending showcases — will find an unusually open and receptive market. The programs are there, the scholarship money is there, and the competition for each spot is lower than in any comparable NCAA sport. The only thing missing is athletes who know to pursue it.