Equivalency Sport
An equivalency sport is one in which a coach has a pool of scholarship money to divide among multiple athletes, allowing partial scholarships. Most NCAA sports are equivalency sports, meaning few athletes receive a full ride and most get a percentage.
Soccer, baseball, softball, lacrosse, track, and most Olympic sports are equivalency sports. In these sports, a coach's scholarship budget is a fixed number of 'full-ride equivalents' that get divided across the roster.
This is why comparing offers requires looking at the dollar amount, not just whether a scholarship was 'offered.' A 30% offer in an equivalency sport may be a strong signal of genuine interest, while a 'full ride' claim in the same sport should be examined carefully.
Equivalency sports reward academic aid: a recruit with strong academics costs the coach less athletic money, which frees budget for other players. This is why academic fit matters even for strong athletes in equivalency sports.