full ride

full ride (plural full rides)

1. (idiomatic, education) A scholarship that covers all tuition, and in some cases fees or other educational and living expenses as well.
   • 2007, Applying Amateurism in the Global Sports Arena, →ISBN, page 22:

     The Ivy Group and the Big Ten were the most notable conferences to initially avoid full ride scholarships.

   • 2009, James E. Davis, 2049, →ISBN, page 233:

     If you showed half the interest in school as most of the kids, you could get a full ride to any college in the country.

   • 2012, Kaira Rouda, All The Difference, →ISBN, page 121:

     For some reason, his college counselor saw talent in Ron that he didn't see himself, and when the SAT scores came out, Ron was offered a full ride to Louisiana State.

   • 2014, Ron Perlman, Easy Street (the Hard Way): A Memoir, →ISBN, page 52:

     But because we didn't have any money, the notion of applying to a college that specialized in theater— by that time the die was fully cast—seemed a waste of time unless I was going to get a full ride.

2. (idiomatic) A total and complete experience of something.
   • 1997, New Monologues for Mature Actors, →ISBN, page 65:

     You had better get off your ass and be my husband because I signed on for the full ride.

   • 2008, Charles H. Staples, Cancer Ain't Nothing But a Pimple Ta God, →ISBN, page 45:

     Only this time, I knew I was going for the full ride. The only thing was that I didn't know was what kind of ride I was going on.

   • 2010, Thomas R. Lindlof, Bryan C. Taylor, Qualitative Communication Research Methods, →ISBN, page xii:

     Advanced readers may, as a result, wish to read selectively, but we believe that novices will benefit from taking the full ride.

3. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see full,‎ ride.