This University Will Pay You To Join Its Surf Team

Historically, a competitive surfing career and a commitment to higher education haven’t gone hand in hand. Both are time-consuming and demanding of time and resources. This article about a merging of both avenues may not be the path for everyone, but it is certainly unique.

Westcliff University is a small private college with seven North American campuses offering degrees in business, nursing, education and engineering. But for our purposes, we’re focusing on one particular campus in Irving, California, where for the past five years, the school has offered scholarships for its surf team, akin to how colleges support athletes in major varsity sports like basketball, football and soccer. Some of the surfers are even getting full rides.

“We get full funding for the surf team; they treat it like any other sport at the college,” said head coach Lucas Taub. “We’re basically trying to give surfers the opportunity to chase the QS and still get a college education.”

Lucas would know. He competed on the team as a Westcliff student for two years and benefited from the scholarship. While getting his Business Administration degree, he helped the Warriors win the 2023 NSSA State Championships in Huntington Beach in his final year. In return, the school gave every team member a fat championship ring with enough glitter to rival that of a Super Bowl. Coach low-key rips. 

“I had two other friends who said they had gotten scholarships for surfing. I was like, 'Wow,'” Lucas said. “Then the coach approached me. And at 24 years old, that’s what I wanted. I was already coaching, but I wanted to stay home, get my degree and surf on a road team. The surfing was really a bonus.”

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This past season was Lucas’s first at the helm of his alma mater, and it went pretty darn well. The college circuit has seven events at a variety of points and beachbreaks, including Blacks (San Diego), Steamer Lane (Santa Cruz), Oceanside and Ventura. About 20-30 schools are in the mix. Then comes the big time. In March, Westcliff finished fourth overall at the NSSA State Championship at Seaside but had two Warriors, Taylor Stacy and Jordy Collins, win individual titles. 

Then at the NSSA National Interscholastic College Championships at Salt Creek in June, Westcliff finished second overall. Taylor again won the women's title while Jordy admirably finished second with a nasty dose of E. coli in his system. If the latter name sounds familiar, you may remember Jordy for the scintillating video he dropped a few years back before his two-year Mormon mission in Missouri. 

There are clear perks to having the backing of a well-funded university. Travel expenses for events are covered, and surfers get access to the training and PT facilities. New wetsuits are an email away. Boards are a different story, however, because (understandably) surfers have their preference. “I still have to ask about that one,” Lucas said. 

Classes are offered online and in-person at the Irvine campus. Practices are scheduled as needed. Westcliff isn’t alone in offering scholarships for surfing. UC San Diego has done it. Westcliff also doesn’t offer the classic tropes of a college experience (dorms, greek life or enormous stadiums), but if you really want to surf and study, maybe that’s not so bad. 

“I tell kids, if you want a full college experience or be in a fraternity or sorority, we’re not that school,” Lucas said. “But if you want to get a degree, stay home, work, better your surfing and get a scholarship, we’re the school for you.” 

Related: Go On A Surf Trip, Get College Credit

The NSSA and QS contests are separate but related lanes. That said, in what may be an unprecedented move, Westcliff is paying for Lucas and four surfers to compete in the East Coast Surfing Championships QS at Virginia Beach next month. But with the online class structure, surfers on the team can travel on their points on their own time throughout the year.

Interestingly, Westcliff is making such an impact while adjacent to major Division 1 schools in Southern California with solid surf teams of their own: UCLA, USC, and UC San Diego to name a few. As a small player among other large fish, Lucas recently snagged Westcliff a big one by signing Titus Santuchi, an 18-year-old Filipino American ripper from Encinitas.

With nimble feet and a powerful rail game, Titus already got accolades: NSSA varsity men’s state champ in 2024, National Junior Champion on the US Pro Surf Tour and runner-up at ISA World Junior Championships in Rio de Janeiro. 

“I am truly grateful for such an amazing opportunity with Westcliff University,” Titus said. “I didn’t think it was possible to continue my campaign on the WSL Qualifying Series and receive a university education. I’m amped to be part of such a solid team and truly honored they believe in me.”

Related: Would You Break Your Wedding Vows To Score the Best Waves of Your Life?

This University Will Pay You To Join Its Surf Team first appeared on Surfer on Jul 28, 2025