Academic Money

A lot depends on the coach and the school. Some coaches have more pull at their school than others.

There is also a thing called Melt. Most kid apply to more than one school and receive financial packages with academic money. Well they cannot go to all the schools they applied to. So as students pick schools money becomes available at the schools they declined.

So apply to the schools he is interested for Early Acceptance. If another school comes in late they may or may not have academic money, but you will still be able to compare and make a decision on the best fit.

quote:

What happens if a new school calls in Jan / Feb and wants son to play on team. Will coach be able to get academic money (and hopefully baseball money) for son past the deadline?

First off, the coach is not "getting the academic money"....your son will need to apply for it one way or another. We learned that lesson early in my son's recruitment. The coach can point you in the right direction but the heavy lifting will be yours to handle.

In my experience, most of the big ticket merit scholarships are for EA & ED applicants only but there were some merit scholarships available at some schools with RD applicants. It will depend on the school, their merit award policies and how your son stacks up against the incoming freshmen at a particular school. If he is top 5% than he stands a much better chance of getting merit scholarship than top 30% of getting the merit scholarship money if it is available. In other words, it gets tougher to get academic money when you apply to a more academically inclined college. I hope that helps.

Best of luck.

It was our experience that if the school is concerned with NCAA violations they don't intercede in academic money nor financial aid process and as Fenway says, best they can do is point you in the right direction but really can't/don't/shouldn't get involved with ANY special treatment of athletes. I think if you research it, which I haven't done, you will find that the NCAA rules would consider a coaches help with a missed deadline a violation.

quote:

Originally posted by BishopLeftiesDad:
A lot depends on the coach and the school. Some coaches have more pull at their school than others.

There is also a thing called Melt. Most kid apply to more than one school and receive financial packages with academic money. Well they cannot go to all the schools they applied to. So as students pick schools money becomes available at the schools they declined.

So apply to the schools he is interested for Early Acceptance. If another school comes in late they may or may not have academic money, but you will still be able to compare and make a decision on the best fit.

We have found this to be completely accurate. 2013 has applied to 6 schools that offer Early Acceptance (which is non-binding, as opposed to Early Decision). So far he has been accepted to five, with the sixth expected any day. In each case he has been provided with his merit award amount, with the caveat that his GPA does not drop during his senior year of high school.

Obviously 2013 will not be attending all of these schools, and his award will be placed back into their coffers. The award letters all ask that he let them know if he decides to attend a different school so they can re-award the money.

He seems to be following 2013Parents path and applied early for several schools.

I understand EA - Early Acceptance and ED Early Decision. What is RD?

On MELT - that's what I am are hoping for. He has applied for several schools, however the baseball has not offered yet. So for those schools we appear to be covered.

I'm more looking at outlyers that come calling that we didn't know were looking or last minute offers. He can still apply for those (after deadline) and hope MELT money is available.

FYI Academics are very good Top 7% (>4.0) with good ACT. He already has academic money offerred at several places and just as 2013 says - he can't attend them all.

So what I'm understanding is that if baseball coach comes calling with offer at school we have not applied for - get on the stick with Admin and try to get MELT money immediatley. It may be available but coach can't legally help obtain. Correct?

quote:

I understand EA - Early Acceptance and ED Early Decision. What is RD?

Regular Decision

quote:

FYI Academics are very good Top 7% (>4.0) with good ACT. He already has academic money offerred at several places and just as 2013 says - he can't attend them all.

We found certain schools weighed academics differently in their merit awards. Some put more emphasis on standardized scores (SATS in our case) and the type of school and rigor of classes (magnet school with AP) than the GPA and class rank. We found out because we asked.

quote:

So what I'm understanding is that if baseball coach comes calling with offer at school we have not applied for - get on the stick with Admin and try to get MELT money immediatley. It may be available but coach can't legally help obtain. Correct?

That is my understanding.

Hi Guys - I never heard the term "melt money" that is a good one. It fits.

I can share some thoughts (and it will distract me from worrying about the storm in Jupiter!)

FYI, in admission's jargon the 'melt' is usually a term used in summer time, when admit/confirmed students actually 'melt away' to another college. Summer melt, get it???

What we are all talking about here is the admissions "yield" on offers of merit money. They offer out far more than they can afford, knowing their "yield" on these strong students is fairly low. They are trying to "buy" the better students in the applicant pool. Sounds crass ... don't mean to make it sound that way.... because we all love merit money.

And, in my experience, many (most? hard to say) colleges and universities who use merit money don't give away the store in EA or in ED. They need the merit money pot to recruit the entire class, not just EDs and EAs.So as far as academic money, if a students' app is in PRIOR to admission deadlines, he/she is still fair game for merit money.

(The exception to that are colleges with priority deadlines for merit consideration, and that list is growing. Some of them tell applicants to apply by Nov 1 or Dec 1, and if we pick you as a scholarship candidate then you also need to do this special essay or come for a campus interview.)

As I read the OPs question, your concern is after the general admissions deadlines have passed, can a player still be considered for academic money...and THAT is a great question. I think it is an 'it depends' answer.

Let me take a stab at it, but I would welcome an expert on the NCAA side of this.

For NCAA compliance, as long as the athlete is not treated differently in terms of packaging (ie, in terms of how MUCH money he got for his grades and scores), it would be OK to get merit based money in his package that is comparable to that of another non athlete.

Allowing a late applicant, and how he gets funded, is really up to the college admissions office itself. Deadlines as I understand things are NOT at all a regulated NCAA rule. When I was an admission director ( at a D1) we would get and approve athletes well into the spring and summer (rarely, but we did).

Now, I do NOT think a player can suddenly apply post deadline and get the kind of merit scholarship award that had that December deadline, required an essay etc. That would be treating the athlete differently and would violate NCAA. (Not to mention it would tick off the faculty).

But at many schools, a lot of merit money is placed into financial aid packages without such a process, some as pure merit, and some as 'leveraged financial aid' (where they give more need based aid to a higher academic kid.) Certainly a late applicant can still get merit-based aid in the package ----- IF (big if) the college still has the funds.

And here is where the yield / melt idea is a valid one. At any time of year, financial aid can take a look at what is left, and say "sorry, money is all gone' or "sure, we can still offer merit packages."


So in a nutshell, the answer is, "it depends!"
Hope that wasn't all too confusing!!

Great post Baseballmom.

quote:

For NCAA compliance, as long as the athlete is not treated differently in terms of packaging (ie, in terms of how MUCH money he got for his grades and scores), it would be OK to get merit based money in his package that is comparable to that of another non athlete.

True if the student meets the minimum NCAA requirements. Students who have not previously attended college must have (D1) one of a) rank in the upper 10% of his HS class; b) 3.5 GPA based on a maximum of 4.0; c) SAT/ACT of 1200/105 (sum). D2 has a lower threshold: upper 20%, 3.5, 1140/100.

Wow, I did not know that. I will have to read up on that. I trust you as the "bible" on NCAA regs, 3FG, so I am not doubting you of course!!


So even if the college itself will give merit money to lower profile (academic) kid (and many will......) the NCAA won't let them? That just seems crazy. I can think of lots of colleges that give merit money for top 50%, B students with 1100 SATs. Would those players be left out of that $$??

Well then, here is the complete rule for players coming from high school:

15.5.3.2.2 Exceptions.
15.5.3.2.2.1 Academic Honor Awards—Based on High School Record. Academic honor awards that are part of an institution’s normal arrangements for academic scholarships, based solely on the recipient’s high school record and awarded independently of athletics interests and in amounts consistent with the pattern of all such awards made by institutions, are exempt from an institution’s equivalency computation, provided the recipient was ranked in the upper 10 percent of the high school
graduating class or achieved a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.500 (based on a maximum of 4.000) or a minimum ACT sum score of 105 or a minimum SAT score of 1200 (critical reading and math). (Adopted: 1/12/99 effective 8/1/99, Revised: 1/14/08 effective 8/1/08, 1/16/10 effective 8/1/10)
15.5.3.2.2.1.1 Additional Requirements. The following additional requirements shall be met: (Adopted: 1/12/99 effective 8/1/99)
(a) The awards may include additional, nonacademic criteria (e.g., interviews, essays, need analysis), provided the additional criteria are not based on athletics ability, participation or interests, and the awards are consistent with the pattern of all such awards provided to all students;
(b) No quota of awards shall be designated for student-athletes;
(c) Athletics participation shall not be required before or after collegiate enrollment;
(d) No athletics department staff member shall be involved in designating the recipients of such awards;
(e) Any additional criteria shall not include athletics ability, participation or interests; and
(f) There must be on file in the office of the director of athletics certification by the financial aid director or the chair of the financial aid committee that such awards are part of the institution’s normal arrangements for academic scholarships, awarded independently of athletics ability, participation and interests, and in amounts consistent with the pattern of all such awards made by the institution.
15.5.3.2.2.1.2 Renewals. The renewal of an academic honor award (per Bylaw 15.5.3.2.2.1) may be exempted from an institution’s equivalency computation regardless of whether the recipient qualified for exemption in his or her initial academic year enrollment, provided: (Adopted: 1/12/99 effective 8/1/99, Revised: 3/18/10)
(a) The recipient achieves a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.000 (based on a maximum of 4.000) at the certifying institution; and
(b) The recipient meets all NCAA, conference and institutional progress-toward-degree requirements.

Transfer students and other college students can have academic money exempted if their cumulative GPA is 3.0.

quote:

Originally posted by 3FingeredGlove:
Well then, here is the complete rule for players coming from high school:

15.5.3.2.2 Exceptions.
15.5.3.2.2.1 Academic Honor Awards—Based on High School Record. Academic honor awards that are part of an institution’s normal arrangements for academic scholarships, based solely on the recipient’s high school record and awarded independently of athletics interests and in amounts consistent with the pattern of all such awards made by institutions, are exempt from an institution’s equivalency computation, provided the recipient was ranked in the upper 10 percent of the high school
graduating class or achieved a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.500 (based on a maximum of 4.000) or a minimum ACT sum score of 105 or a minimum SAT score of 1200 (critical reading and math). (Adopted: 1/12/99 effective 8/1/99, Revised: 1/14/08 effective 8/1/08, 1/16/10 effective 8/1/10)

Unfortuately, this will not effect keewartson whatsoever, just trying to understand.....

Can't merit/academic money be awarded but will only not be counted toward the "equilivancy" if it meets the standards listed above? In otherwords, if merit money is awarded to those not meeting the criteria above, it will be counted toward the 11.7.

It seems like a coach would like to have a few of these high academic scholarship players on his team so he could divvy up his 11.7 to others not quite so, uh, smart ("lower academic profile kid")?

I'll admit I didn't read everything here, but will offer this:
Son got an "acedemic money" scholarship defined by the state to defray the cost of tuition (it was originally described as a $7000 college scholarship). Son got a baseball scholarship in his NLI for "Tuition, books and fees"

I added everything up and was pretty happy until the NCAA said we were double dipping, since the "academic money" could only be used for tuition and son already had a scholarship that called out tuition being paid for.

The athletic department found a way to apply some of it, but this whole issue ended up costing me about $6500 in "lost" academic money.

Now I get what you are saying, 3FG. They can't ever stop a college from giving academic money to a (less than top 10% lower than 3.5 / certain SAT etc). But if the athlete falls below that mark, it counts against the 11.7 computation.

So this also really explains the excitement of D1 coaches seeing a 4.0+/ high SAT kid, because he is a relative 'bargain' to the coach. If he can get that player for 25%, or 0% all academic, he has that much more left for the kid who doesnt' meet taht bar.

Makes total sense, thanks for the info.



"....such awards made by institutions, are exempt from an institution’s equivalency computation, provided the recipient was ranked in the upper 10 percent of the high school
graduating class or achieved a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.500 (based on a maximum of 4.000) or a minimum ACT sum score of 105 or a minimum SAT score of 1200 (critical reading and math)"