The Andrews-White-Cooney Center for Sports Analytics Preferred Internship Program offers exclusive internships to students seeking to complete one of the  sports analytics career preparation tracks. Students should apply at the end of their sophomore year and must maintain a minimum GPA requirement of 3.0 to qualify.

The Sports Industry Program offers a rigorous curriculum paired with real-world sports business experiences, preparing you for a successful career in the highly competitive sports industry. Current Samford students can apply to join this exclusive program at any time after completing one semester at Samford if spots are available. However, with enrollment capped at 20 students per class, early application is strongly encouraged.

Eligibility and Application Timeline

• While there's no strict deadline, applications are reviewed on a rolling basis until all spots are filled.
• Early application is highly recommended to secure your place in this limited-enrollment program.

Program Investment

Students accepted into the Sports Industry Program will be assessed a $250 Sports Industry Program Fee each semester while enrolled at Samford, beginning with their first semester in the program. This fee helps support the extensive extracurricular sports industry experiences, networking opportunities, and professional development activities offered throughout the program.

Application Requirements

1. Academic Excellence: Maintain an overall Samford GPA of 3.0 or above.
2. Character References: Provide references that speak to your personal character and potential.
3. Statement of Purpose: Clearly articulate your educational and career goals in sports business.
4. Extracurricular Activities: Highlight experiences in the sports industry that demonstrate your potential for success.

Applicants should demonstrate high standards of scholarship, outstanding personal character, and serious educational aims. Your application will be carefully analyzed based on your academic records, character references, clarity of educational purpose and relevant extracurricular activities.

Ready to Apply?

To request an application and begin your journey in the Brock School of Business Sports Industry Program, please email Marshal Smith, Assistant Director for the Sports Industry Program, at msmith60@samford.edu.

Entering freshmen and transfer students are eligible to apply for early assurance into the Sports Industry Program.

Steps to Apply

1. Submit The Common Application or the Samford University Application, declaring “Pre-Business” as your major
2. Once admitted to Samford with a declared major of “Pre-Business”, the Sports Industry Program application will appear on your Application Status Page checklist.
3. Complete all materials by the deadlines below.

Application Timeline

• Application Opens: August 1^st, 2026
• Priority Deadline: November 1^st, 2026
• Final Deadline: March 1^st, 2027, if positions remain available

The Sports Industry Program uses a monthly review admission process. This means applications are reviewed monthly, in the order they are received. Rather than making decisions one at a time as applications arrive, we group them into monthly review windows and evaluate each group together:

• Applications submitted before November 1^st, 2026, are reviewed during the first week of November.
• Applications submitted November 1^st – 30^th, 2026, are reviewed during the first week of December.
• Applications submitted December 1^st – 31^st, 2026, are reviewed during the first week of January.
• Applications submitted January 1^st – 31^st, 2027, are reviewed during the first week of February.
• Applications submitted February 1^st – March 1^st, 2027, are reviewed during the first week of March.

Important Notes

• Within each monthly review window, applications are evaluated in the order they were submitted. For this reason, it is still to your advantage to apply as early as possible.
• The earliest that applicants will hear back will be the first week after the review window in which the candidate submitted their application. After that, applicants may still be admitted at any point based on the size and competitiveness of the candidate pool.
• Candidates who have previously attended our Sports Business Summer Camp AND submit their application before November 1^st will receive an admission decision by end of day November 3^rd.
• The program will close to new applicants once all positions are filled, even if that occurs before March 1^st.
• March 1^st, 2027, is also the deadline for any student who has already been offered a position to confirm whether they are accepting or declining it.
• Students not accepted during their senior year of high school may apply again during the second semester of their freshman year at Samford. This will place them on a waitlist to be selected from should spots in the program become available.

Program Investment

Students accepted into the program will be assessed a $250 Sports Industry Program Fee each semester, beginning their first semester in the program. This investment funds experiential opportunities, networking events and professional development programming.