JUCO Scholarships

Don't be mislead by the fact that jucos ARE ALLOWED to give 24 scholarships. I've not heard from any recruiters over the last 6 years that had more than 12 scholarships funded by their school. I also think that there are conference agreements on how many they have. I've not talked to all of the jucos in Texas, but this is true at the school my son plays for, and 3 more that players I have coached have played for. I have heard many more recruiters say that they have 12, but I can't verify the facts at all of them. If anyone knows schools that give more, then let us know, so recruits can be more informed. (oh yes, and parents)

I can say for a fact that Texarkana and Seminole St in Oklahoma have 24 full rides for the 2010-2011 season unless they were lying to my son when they talking to him

Division I Junior Colleges can legally only award 24 scholarships (athletic grants in aid) per year. It does not matter if the scholarship is full or partial. It does not matter if a player is getting a Pell Grant, Student loan etc.. Some players who get need based state or federal assistance with their scholarship can even end up putting some cash in their pockets.

Any other type of scholarship awarded to a player must be termed a competitive scholarship. Most of these scholarships would fall under academic. A brief definition of a competitive scholarship would be one that all students enrolling at or attending the college would be elgible to apply for and possibly receive. These types of scholarships should be awarded by a committee assigned by the college or sometimes a Foundation Board supporting the college. A coach should not be able to guarantee a recruit this type of scholarship until a player goes through the application process like all other eligible students attending or planning attend the college. (NJCAA Rules)

But there are some Junior College administrators who need dorm rooms filled and residental college students on campus. These colleges are easy to recognize by just looking at their sports rosters and other extracurricular programs.
This fact has been brought up in other discussions on this board.

I'm trying to be informative and not trying to argue right or wrong. If a college has 40 players on their roster, to me it's an opportunity for forty young men to play the best sport on earth. Who knows, the next Nolan Ryan may be one of those 16 players who were not on an athletic scholarship.
Maybe he was a walk on or on an Academic Scholarship.

It definitely takes at least 32 (20 position/12 pitchers) players in the fall to have a productive fall season. This number will allow you to intrasquad (two full teams) and play your 20 Fall games. This number should be lower in the spring because all the players have been given the opportunity to make the spring roster.

Each player and his parents have to decide what is best. The recruiting process is fun!!! Right?

hasbeen is right on with his post in every part.

If you offer 24- $1 schollies, then you are done recruiting.

If NLIs are not turned in, then that is illegal. In the old days of JUCO, things were a whole lot looser. Now, everything is turned in through the computer so it keeps track of how many you have signed. Unless, you don't ever turn them in.

Has been, thanks for the info. That cleared up a lot of questions on my part. That's the great thing about this site.

The NCAA allows each division 1 baseball program 11.78 scholarships and in division 2 there are 9 on offer.

NAIA colleges can offer a maximum of 12 scholarships.

That means there are only 12 FULL RIDES. How many kids you sign from those is usually about 24. 24 half scholies.

There is access to academic financial aide to enhance the athletic scholarships. If you qualify for academic scholarships, a coach wants to know so he can save on the 11.7.

In JUCO, is a Baseball Activity Grant Agreement signed by the Director of Athletics the same as a NLI?

I've never heard of a Baseball Activity Grant. The National Letter of Intent is the only Grant in Aid the NJCAA recognizes as an athletic scholarship. Some Division 1 JC's have used the name Presidental or Dean scholarship to offer athletic aid to players outside the legal 24 awards.

Don't be surprised that JC's are offering more than 24 awards each year. At some JC colleges the coaches are required to bring in a certain amount of players (quota) to keep their jobs. This stems from the fact that most JC's in rural areas are commuter colleges and there are very few residental students. Junior College Presidents (administrators) use not only baseball but other sports (EX: Rodeo)to bring students to the campus to live in the dorms and generate state contact hour reimbursement for the college. A student who is taking 15 hours a semester generates approximately $1,200.00 in state aid for the college. Over a fall/spring semester this player brings in approximately $2,400.00 in funding by the state. Add tuition/fees, books, room/board costs to this figure and you have an idea as to how much a residental student is worth to a JC.

As stated in a previous post, I personally don't have a problem with having more than 24 players recieving athletic aid from the JC's. Where the problems occur is when a coach signs a player to a Letter of Intent and does not turn it in to the National Office to count towards one of their 24 Grants in Aid. It's not fair to a player or another JC college to have the player and parents think they're committed to a college through a Letter of Intent but it's not turned into the National Office. Because the rules of a Letter Intent state that another JC cannot recruit you or have any contact with you after you have signed a Letter of Intent with another Junior College. Basically this stops you from being recruited by another JC that may have a better scholarship situation (money, playing time, ect..) for you. This situation is not fair to the majority of the JC coaches who play by the rules.

You can bet players who coaches think will make an impact to their program get their LOI turned in promptly and on time to the NJCAA.

You can go to the NJCAA website and see what Letters of Intent from all the JC's have been turned into the National Office.

So what I hear you saying is that an Activity Grant for Baseball is not athletic and is not recognized on the NJCAA website. If another JUCO is making a better offer, then you certainly are in your rights to allow the discussions to continue?

hasbeen, that's great information you provided. I have a family member that found this out the hard way. Coach just wanted to fill numbers. Didn't have idea that they did this to make money. Hope other parents read this so they know what to look for in a JUCO. Sounds like if you don't sign a NLI then you "May" be a number for the JUCO.

If a school gives a "Presidential schollie" or anything else other than the NLI, it is illegal unless:

1. It is given to any student (they have the same access: non-athletes)

Just check out fall rosters. That tells you which ones are dorm fillers.

Thanks to everyone here who is sharing information on this topic. More and more people are finding these things out and truthfully, many people appreciate the quality information which is being shared here. It seems a lot of folks don't really want to speak about these matters and that reason is no real clear. It would sure be helpful to families on tight budgets. Finding out after a fall semester is not the time to find out that there boy was just recruited to fill a spot financially, especially if he was never really going to get a shot to play for the school who "recruited" him. If they'd known differently, maybe they would have chosen to keep their son here locally in one of the community college baseball programs. It could have been less expensive for the same education and in some cases a boy may have a better shot at playing. In any event, thanks to everyone who has shared their experiences and please continue to do so.