I am trying to get a better handle on how combined academic and athletic scholarship packages could work in "hopeful" anticipation of offers coming this summer. 2012 has a 30 ACT and a class rank of 15/535 (top 3%) in large suburban public HS and also on Student Council and class president. I have searched this forum and have seen many posts on the subject (some from several years ago that may no longer be relevant) but am having a hard time sorting it out in my head. How academic and athletic scholorships are used or combined seems to vary a lot - at least that is what I have been able to glean. I am trying not to put the cart before the horse but rather want to be as informed as possible when (if) the situation presents itself later this summer.
2012 position player is looking at (and has been seen by with varying degrees of interest - we have a pretty good idea on the level of program he fits athletically) several D1s including some higher academic publics and privates. Also looking at and has interest from some not as high academics but still reasonably strong academically - ie, think middle Big Ten/ACC/Big 12 on the academic spectrum.
If he goes out of state to a large public or private the cost of attendance for either is around $50k now that states have really jacked up out of state tuition as an attempt to solve their budget issues. What I am trying to figure out is will he have a shot at any academic money in addition to let's say a 25% athletic scholarship if his test scores are just in the middle 50% range for that institution (such as a higher end academic) or will his ACT realistically need to be in the top 25%+ of the institution (such as it is at a middle academic) to receive any hope of academic aid as an athlete? Or, is it possible (realisic) they could come in with no athletic money and instead a preferred walk on with a roster spot and some sort of academic package based on where his is academically?
By the way, a site I have found helpful regarding where does an ACT score fit within various institutions is at: http://collegeapps.about.com/o...t/f/goodactscore.htm which has good comparision charts sorted a variety of ways including by athletic conference.
We have provided (and will continue to provide) regular updates (transcripts and test scores) to several schools that have shown real interest, some of whom have confirmed that he should not have problem getting admitted. Our thinking is to make sure as the spring ends and travel season starts to make sure the programs, regardless of where they fall on the academic spectrum, have as much academic information on him as possible at their disposal when they see him play again early in the summmer so that if they make an offer, that if possible or applicable, it will have whatever academic money he qualifies for as part of it as well so that we can really assess the cost of attending (assuming this is how it works having not been through any of this before).
I may be seeking an answer to a question that simply cannot be answered with any specificity (ie, every school/situation is different) and if that is the case would appreciate knowing that as well. On the otherhand, if there are some general conclusions that can be drawn on the above facts or if there is an appropriate way to extract more specific information (not guarantees but "this is how it generally works") from the universities or perhaps the coaching staffs without sounding presumptuous, I would be interested in those thoughts as well.
If he has no shot at getting academic money from a high academic without being above the mid 50% (25% - 75% range) group that would be useful information to have as we head into the important summer season and would allow us to better adjust expectations and focus on making sure he gets in front of possibly a different subset of schools that would fit better from a potential academic aid package perspective.
If you have made it this far through my ramble (I thank you), any similar personal experiences or thoughts or specific threads I may not have seen?
Thanks!
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