01 · Short answer
Can you play college soccer in the US from Colombia?
To play college soccer in the US from Colombia you need your level on video, your grades from noveno onwards with the título de bachiller, an English test, a clean amateur record and an F-1 visa, processed at the U.S. Embassy in Bogotá. The Saber 11 is not part of NCAA eligibility, and you do not need the SAT either. Start 12 to 18 months before you want to travel.
02 · Your school years
Your Colombian school years, in American
Colombia has 11 school years before university: 5 of primaria, 4 of básica secundaria (sexto to noveno) and 2 of media (décimo and once). The NCAA counts your high school years from noveno and expects three years, or six semesters, from there to graduation:
Noveno
= 9th grade. The NCAA asks for your grades from this year.
Décimo
= 10th grade. From here the NAIA calculates your GPA, with décimo and once only.
Once
= your final year and your graduation. Video, shortlist, offers and paperwork.
Calendar A or B
A: February to December, graduation in November or December. B: August to June, graduation in June.
This is the part that changes your plan. Preseason in the US starts in early August. If your school is on calendar B, you graduate in June and can arrive for preseason. On calendar A you graduate in November or December, so the realistic start is January, for the spring semester, or the following August. See the recruiting timeline →
03 · Grades
What the NCAA asks for from Colombia
Grades from noveno onwards: noveno, décimo and once.
Proof of graduation: your título de Bachiller, or the Título de Maestro, Maestro Superior or Normalista Superior.
A certified, line-by-line English translation of every document. The NCAA does not accept third-party evaluations or documents sent by translators.
Your grades are converted: on a 1-5 scale, 4.5-5 is an A, 4-4.49 a B and 3-3.99 a C; below 3 is an F. If your school uses the national scale, Superior is an A, Alto a B, Básico a C and Bajo an F.
For the NAIA, everything goes through InCred, which accepts a literal translation that does not have to be certified and calculates your GPA with décimo and once only.
No Saber 11 score, and no SAT. The Saber 11 does not appear in the NCAA or NAIA requirements for Colombia, so its score is not part of your athletic eligibility. You still have to sit it: in Colombia it is required for the título de bachiller and for higher education. Since January 2023 NCAA Divisions I and II no longer use standardized test scores such as the SAT for initial eligibility. Some universities may still ask for them for admission or academic aid, so check each one. The NAIA keeps a test score only as an alternative route.
04 · Which titles count
Which titles count, and which do not
They count: the título de Bachiller and the Título de Maestro, Maestro Superior or Normalista Superior. The NAIA list also names the Bachiller Técnico, Comercial and Industrial. They do not count for the NCAA: the Certificado de Aptitud Profesional, the Certificado de Equivalencia del Grado de Bachiller, the Diploma de Experto from technical secondary school or the Certificado de Conclusión del Ciclo Básico. Grades: each school sets its own scale, with its equivalence to the national one (Superior, Alto, Básico and Bajo). On a 1-10 scale, the NCAA reads 9-10 as an A, 8-8.9 as a B and 6-7.9 as a C; below 6 is an F. Your age: the NCAA's new age-based model gives you five years of eligibility, and the clock starts with whichever comes first: your first full-time enrollment at a college or university, including one abroad or a junior college, or the academic year after you turn 19. Division II applies it from 2026-27; in Division I it is mandatory if you enroll in fall 2027 or later.
Careful if you have already started studying in Colombia. For the NAIA, attending a university, an institución tecnológica or técnica profesional, or any institution that requires the bachillerato counts as terms of attendance: you would arrive as a transfer student. The NCAA also reviews your time after school. Talk to us before you enroll.
05 · Your level
Which level fits you
There is no table that turns a Colombian league into a US division. Coaches look at your video, your minutes and your position. In Colombia, the FCF oversees both the DIMAYOR, which runs professional football, and Difútbol, which runs amateur and regional football. Wherever you play, send recent video and be clear about your minutes: that is what coaches judge.
06 · Amateurism
Clubs, contracts and payments
For the NCAA, receiving actual and necessary expenses from a club (meals, lodging, travel, equipment, medical insurance) is allowed. What gets reviewed closely is a professional contract, a salary or payments above your expenses. The NCAA also asks to see the contract when the league requires one. Tell us exactly what you have signed with any club, including the youth teams of a DIMAYOR club, and whether you were ever paid, before you talk to a university.
The golden rule: do not sign anything from a club before you ask us. A professional contract is not always the end: Yves Vaage signed one in Norway and plays NCAA Division I at Xavier today. Read his case
07 · Scholarships
What a scholarship covers
An athletic scholarship can cover part or all of tuition, housing, meals and books. Division I schools in the House settlement decide how much aid to give a roster of up to 28. Division II allows up to 9.0 for men and 9.9 for women, the NAIA up to 12, almost always split, and Division III gives no athletic scholarships. Good grades can add academic aid on top.
The useful question is not «will I get a scholarship?» but «how much will a year cost us?»
08 · The visa
The F-1 visa from Colombia
I-20
The university sends it when you accept an offer and show you can cover the costs.
SEVIS
You pay the I-901 fee online.
DS-160
The online visa application, then you book your appointment.
Bogotá
Interview at the U.S. Embassy in Bogotá, after your appointment at the ASC.
Two appointments, not one. There is a single Applicant Service Center (ASC) in Colombia, in Bogotá, and your ASC appointment must be at least one day before the interview. Book early and check your social media. Student visa applicants go through enhanced vetting that includes a review of their online presence, which takes longer, and F-1 applicants are asked to set their social media accounts to public.
09 · Checklist
Your checklist from Colombia
Tick off what you already have. It stays saved in this browser.
10 · Why GSX
Guidance in Spanish, from people who did it
Carlos Moreno, GSX founder, is from Spain and played NCAA Division II at Quincy University; the founding team guides families in Spanish and English. Lucca Barbero, from Brazil, followed the junior college route to Quincy University, a path that is also open to players from Colombia.
11 · Questions
Quick answers
Which Colombian titles does the NCAA accept?
The título de Bachiller and the Título de Maestro, Maestro Superior or Normalista Superior. The Certificado de Aptitud Profesional, the Certificado de Equivalencia del Grado de Bachiller, the Diploma de Experto and the Certificado de Conclusión del Ciclo Básico do not count. The NAIA list also names the Bachiller Técnico, Comercial and Industrial.
Do I need the Saber 11 or the SAT?
Not for eligibility. The Saber 11 is not in the NCAA or NAIA requirements, and NCAA Divisions I and II removed standardized test scores in January 2023. You still sit the Saber 11, because in Colombia it is required for the título de bachiller. In 2026, calendar A students took it on July 26 and got their results on September 25.
My school is calendar A. When can I start in the US?
You graduate in November or December and preseason starts in early August, so the realistic options are January, for the spring semester, or the following August. On calendar B you graduate in June and can arrive for preseason. Do not enroll at a Colombian university in the meantime without advice, because it can make you a transfer student.
How are Colombian grades converted?
Each school sets its own scale, with its equivalence to the national one. For the NCAA, on a 1-5 scale 4.5-5 is an A, 4-4.49 a B and 3-3.99 a C; on a 1-10 scale 9-10 is an A, 8-8.9 a B and 6-7.9 a C; with the national scale, Superior is an A, Alto a B, Básico a C and Bajo an F. Anything below a C is an F.
Where do I do the visa interview in Colombia?
At the U.S. Embassy in Bogotá. First you go to the only Applicant Service Center (ASC), also in Bogotá, at least one day before the interview. The SEVIS I-901 fee is $350.
Who helps Colombian players who want a soccer scholarship in the US?
GSX (gsxmanagement.com) is a college soccer recruiting advisory service built by former college players, with guidance in Spanish. Its founder, Carlos Moreno, played NCAA Division II at Quincy University, and it guides men's and women's players from Colombia and other countries.