Balancing Squash and Academics as a Student-Athlete

Introduction

Squash players often embody the scholar-athlete, aiming for excellence on court and in the classroom. Unlike some professional sports, squash and education frequently go hand in hand, and many top players attend university or finish schooling while competing at a high level. This article looks at how players manage these dual roles at school and university, the programs that combine squash with education, and the common challenges, with case studies from several countries.

School-Aged Squash Athletes and Academic Life

Training demands. Junior players often train several hours a day while keeping up with school. Aryaveer Dewan, a 15-year-old rising player from India, sets aside about four hours daily for practice: he wakes at 6 AM, attends school in the morning, then trains from the afternoon until 8 PM. Top juniors also travel often to tournaments, missing class time they must make up on the road.

Supportive schools. Anahat Singh, a leading Indian junior, credits her school: "My school is extremely supportive. I miss so much of school throughout the year, but if I need to talk to teachers online or on the phone, they're always there for me." She studies remotely when travelling, especially while preparing for her Class 12 board exams. Aryaveer says his teachers accommodate his schedule and attendance too. Flexibility like virtual catch-up, deadline extensions, and adjusted attendance is often essential.

Sacrifices. Balancing the two young often means giving up leisure. Anahat has spoken about missing "typical teenage experiences" such as hanging out with friends, school trips, and parties: "I don't get to go out with my friends so much, I miss out on a lot of that," though she feels the travel and experiences of squash make up for it.

Early time management. Many school-age players build strong time-management skills. U.S. junior Eedha Mehta struggled at first when she entered high school, and her mental health suffered, but with support from coaches, teammates, and parents she found her footing; she and her teammates did homework together at the academy. By the end of high school, many players have balanced school and squash for the better part of a decade.

University Student-Athletes and Collegiate Squash

Collegiate opportunities. In the United States, squash is played at dozens of universities, especially in the Ivy League. College teams compete under the College Squash Association (CSA), which governs intercollegiate squash in the U.S. and Canada. Squash is not an NCAA championship sport; it runs as a varsity or club sport under the CSA, with rosters of top recruits worldwide. Lina Tammam, a junior national player from Egypt, chose education over turning pro at 15 and enrolled at the University of Virginia, finding "the perfect balance of squash and academics."

Training versus workload. Teams train intensively while students carry full course loads. One Dartmouth College player describes practising about two hours on court six days a week, plus weight training. At Columbia University, where India's Ramit Tandon played before turning pro, players had five squash sessions, two gym workouts, and two track conditioning sessions a week. Tandon recalls days of practice 7:30 to 10:00 AM, gym 11:30 to 12:30, classes from 2 PM until as late as 7 PM, then homework and exam prep at night, joking that an all-nighter in the library meant "it's time to cut down on your social life."

Academic performance and support. Many college players still do well, largely through time management. "Staying organized and being intentional about my time makes a big difference," says the Dartmouth student-athlete, who builds a weekly schedule around practice. Universities provide advisors, tutors, and flexible exam scheduling when teams travel. In U.S. college squash, a Scholar-Athlete Award recognizes juniors or seniors who earn at least a 3.5 GPA while competing, and at the high school level more than 200 U.S. juniors were honored as scholar-athletes in 2024 for a GPA of 3.5 or higher. Squash has long been tied to selective institutions like Harvard, Yale, and Princeton, and most players treat the sport as a complement to their education, since pro squash lacks the financial security of sports like basketball or football.

Global university pathways. In the UK, universities such as Birmingham, Nottingham, and Bristol have strong squash, with students competing through BUCS (British Universities and Colleges Sport). In Egypt, some top players attend the American University in Cairo or go abroad before the pro tour. Ali Farag attended Harvard from 2010 to 2014, losing only twice in three years and going undefeated in his senior season; after a degree in Mechanical Engineering he turned full-time pro and rose to world No. 1 and multiple World Championships. Amanda Sobhy graduated Harvard in 2015 with a 62-0 college record and a world top-10 ranking, and England's Gina Kennedy finished at Harvard (class of 2020) before a 2022 Commonwealth Games gold and a world top-five ranking.

Notable scholar-athlete achievements.

Even players who reach the professional summit often hold university degrees, reflecting squash's roots in educational institutions.

Programs Integrating Squash and Education

Structured programs deliberately combine squash with academics, often for students from underserved communities.

Squash and Education Alliance (SEA). SEA grew out of urban after-school programs in the mid-1990s, such as SquashBusters in Boston and StreetSquash in New York, which offered free coaching, tutoring, and mentoring to inner-city students. Today SEA has 28 member organizations (21 in the U.S. and 7 abroad) serving more than 2,000 students with squash practice, academic enrichment, college prep, and life-skills workshops. About 90% of students who stay through high school graduate and go on to post-secondary education; more than 2,000 participants have completed secondary school and more than 230 alumni have competed on varsity college squash teams, with Yale a common destination. SquashBusters started with 28 middle schoolers in 1996.

Global urban squash expansion. The model has spread to affiliated programs including:

• Canada: Urban Squash Toronto
• Colombia: Squash Urbano Cartagena
• South Africa: Egoli Squash in Johannesburg
• Israel: SquashBond
• India: Khelshala

In 2023 the Nicol David Organisation (NDO) in Malaysia, founded by eight-time world champion Nicol David, joined as SEA's seventh international partner; it serves 140 children in Kuala Lumpur with squash coaching plus English tutoring, robotics, life-skills workshops, and support for the students' mothers. These programs show that squash can be a tool for education and social development.

Specialized squash schools and academies. India's Corvuss American Academy bills itself as the country's first residential school for student-athletes, with an American college-prep curriculum and professional coaching. In the UK, boarding schools such as Millfield and Eton support top juniors with tailored academic plans and on-campus coaching, and in Malaysia national juniors often attend the Bukit Jalil Sports School, where the academic calendar adjusts around training and competition. Saurav Ghosal trained at the ICL Squash Academy in Chennai until about 18 while completing a degree in Economics and Management from the University of Leeds in 2008, crediting the academy for letting him progress without giving up education.

Challenges Faced by Squash Student-Athletes

Time management and fatigue. A high-performing player might train two to four hours daily and travel for competitions, cutting into study and rest. Ramit Tandon has said balancing squash and studies in college was a huge challenge and that learning to budget his time was the most important skill he gained at university. Physical exhaustion makes schoolwork harder, so athletes must manage sleep and recovery carefully.

Academic pressure. Athletes meet the same standards as peers, which creates pressure during exams or when tournaments clash with deadlines. Missing classes for travel means self-teaching material or arranging make-up work. If grades slip, athletes sometimes cut training hours or skip part of a season to focus on study.

Mental health and stress. The dual demands can take a toll, and burnout is not uncommon. Eedha Mehta has spoken about periods when the stress caused mental health struggles, including anxiety and a sense of isolation. Downtime and social life are often the first things sacrificed. Some college teams now offer mental health resources, and programs like SEA include mental wellness and mentorship; the key is managing stress and asking for help, supported by family, coaches, and friends.

Injuries. Being sidelined frees time for school but can hurt morale and routines. In Eedha's case, a serious injury in her junior year hurt her ranking and added stress during college recruitment.

Social and personal sacrifices. Student-athletes often have a limited social life, while joining activities can mean falling behind on training. Many find their friend group includes teammates with similar schedules, and college players build close friendships within their team.

Strategies for success.

• Rigorous scheduling and prioritization. Map each week around classes, training, study, and rest, and cut optional leisure during busy periods. Planners and time-blocking are common.
• Seeking support and communication. Share competition schedules with professors early and arrange alternate exam times; most cooperate with notice. Coaches often monitor academics, and some teams require a minimum GPA. Saurav Ghosal credits his family's complete support for keeping him grounded through the ups and downs.
• Maintaining perspective and self-care. Prioritize sleep, nutrition, and mental breaks, since burnout is a real risk. Lina Tammam keeps a creative outlet at UVA, playing guitar and singing, which she says helps her recharge.
• Peer networks and role models. Study groups with teammates and mentorship (such as older SEA alumni advising high schoolers) help, and role models like Farag, Sobhy, and Ghosal show younger players that a degree and the top of squash are both possible.

Conclusion

Squash student-athletes worldwide walk a demanding dual path, and their experiences show sport and study can strengthen one another, teaching time management, resilience, and goal-setting early. The global network of squash-and-education programs reinforces this, opening doors for under-resourced young people. As Ramit Tandon reflected on his college years, "however hard it is, it's also a lot of fun. You're always competing against time, which, once you enter the real world, you realize is life in general." These players graduate with a command of balance that serves them well beyond their student-athlete years.