Bowling
Scholarships
That You Earn
Elite Youth Tour bowlers win real college scholarship money by competing — paid straight into a USBC SMART account in their own name. No essay. No deadline. You earn it on the lanes.
Compete.
Place.
Get Funded.
Most scholarships ask a teenager to write an essay about themselves and then wait six months for an answer. This one works differently — the scholarship is the prize fund, and it pays out at every single Elite Youth Tour event.
Join the Tour
Become an Elite Youth Tour member for the season. You’ll need a current USBC Youth membership, which also creates the SMART account your scholarship money is paid into.
Bowl a Tournament
Events run monthly across Chicagoland at nine host centers. Singles, doubles, majors and youth-adult formats — every skill level has a division, so you compete against bowlers your own age and ability.
Earn Scholarship Funds
Place in your division and the award is deposited into your USBC SMART account. It grows with every event you cash in — then it goes to the college or trade school you choose.
What Is a USBC SMART Account?
If you’re new to youth bowling, this is the part worth understanding — it’s what makes a bowling scholarship genuinely different from a trophy.
SMART = Scholarship Management and Accounting Reports for Tenpins
SMART is the national scholarship fund administered by the United States Bowling Congress. When a youth bowler wins scholarship money at a certified event, the awarding organization deposits it into SMART rather than handing over a cheque — and that is precisely what protects the bowler’s amateur eligibility.
The funds stay in the bowler’s own account and accumulate across every tournament, every season, from any organization that awards through SMART. When they enrol at a college, university or trade school, the money is released directly to that institution for tuition and educational expenses.
Elite Youth Tour is USBC SMART Provider #12370. Every dollar on this page was deposited through that account — it is auditable, and it is real.
It Compounds
A bowler who cashes a few times a season, across several seasons, can build a meaningful balance long before senior year. Small awards add up.
It Protects Eligibility
Because the money never passes through the bowler’s hands, earning it doesn’t jeopardise amateur status or the ability to compete at college level.
It Travels With Them
The account belongs to the bowler, not to us. Funds earned anywhere that awards through SMART pool into the same balance.
Who Can Earn Them
Elite Youth Tour is built for youth bowlers who want real competition — not just the ones already averaging 220. Divisions split by age, so bowlers face their own peers.
What You Need
A current USBC Youth membership and an Elite Youth Tour membership for the season. No minimum average, no invitation, no tryout.
Where We Bowl
Nine host centers across Chicagoland, spanning Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin, with events running monthly through the season.
What You Bowl For
Scholarship funds in every division at every event — plus a shot at a tour title and a place in the Elite Youth Tour champion record.
If Entry Fees
Are the Obstacle
A scholarship you can’t afford to compete for isn’t an opportunity. That is exactly why Elite Impact exists.
Elite Impact provides free Elite Youth Tour entries to bowlers of color and to families facing financial hardship — so the cost of walking through the door never decides who gets to earn scholarship money. Same competition, same divisions, same SMART awards.
If entry fees are standing between your bowler and the lanes, apply. That’s what it’s for.
Bowling Scholarship FAQs
How do youth bowlers earn scholarship money?
At Elite Youth Tour, scholarship money is the prize fund. Bowlers who place in their division at a tour event have the award deposited directly into their USBC SMART account. There is no application form and no essay — you earn it by competing.
How much scholarship money has Elite Youth Tour awarded?
$474,444 has been awarded through USBC SMART since the tour began in 2012, across 131 tournaments. Every dollar is deposited and auditable through SMART Provider #12370.
What can bowling scholarship money be used for?
Funds held in a USBC SMART account are released directly to an accredited college, university or trade school for tuition and educational expenses. The money is paid to the institution rather than to the bowler.
Does winning scholarship money affect amateur or collegiate eligibility?
No. That is precisely why the SMART system exists. Because the award is deposited into a managed scholarship account instead of being paid to the bowler directly, earning it does not affect amateur standing or eligibility to compete at college level.
What age do you have to be to compete?
Elite Youth Tour runs divisions from U12 through U23. Bowlers compete within their own age division, and a current USBC Youth membership is required.
Do I need a high average to enter?
No. There is no minimum average and no tryout. Divisions are structured by age so bowlers compete against peers, and every skill level has somewhere to compete.
What if we can’t afford the entry fees?
Apply to Elite Impact, which provides free tour entries to bowlers of color and to families facing financial hardship, so cost isn’t what decides who competes.
Where are Elite Youth Tour events held?
Events run monthly at nine host centers across Chicagoland, including locations in Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin. The full schedule is on the tournaments page.
Your Mark
Every season, Elite Youth Tour bowlers walk away with more than a title. Come earn yours.
Elite Youth Tour is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, EIN 46-3943092. Scholarships are administered through the USBC SMART program, Provider #12370. Support the scholarship fund by becoming a sponsor.