Walk-On, Preferred Walk-On, or Scholarship — What Each Means

The Three Ways onto a College Roster

Scholarship athlete — You receive athletic aid and are a recruited, counted part of the program. Preferred walk-on — The coach wants you and guarantees a roster spot, but there's no athletic money this year. It's often a "prove it and earn aid" path — and in equivalency sports like track, athletes regularly earn scholarship money after they start scoring.