quote:
Originally posted by 3FingeredGlove:
Let's consider need based aid first and see how it might combine with an academic scholarship. For example, a student plans to enroll at a college that costs $20,000/year. He fills out a FAFSA, and let's say that it is determined that his family contribution is $11,000, and that $9,000 will be provided by a federal and/or state grant, because that is his remaining need. Now let's suppose that he also receives a $5,000 academic scholarship. This doesn't change the amount of his contribution at all-- it just reduces the $9,000 federal or state grant to $4,000, because the academic scholarship reduced his need. He still has to pay $11,000.
Now suppose that instead of an academic scholarship, he has received a 25% baseball scholarship. The same thing applies-- he still has to pay $11,000, because the baseball money reduced his need. Of course, the baseball program is very unlikely to give such a baseball scholarship, because it doesn't help the player financially, and it does cost the program 0.25 equivalencies against the 11.7 allowed in D1 or 9.0 in D2.
Some players may have a financial need that is larger than is available from the agencies that provide need based aid. In that case, it makes sense for the baseball program to provide a scholarship. However, all of the need based aid must come from govermental agencies, and not from the college itself. Most aid that is provided by the college (so-called institutional aid) will be counted against the 11.7/9.0 equivalencies.
Academic scholarships are an exception. These can be based on a player's high school record or on his collegiate record. The NCAA mandates a minimum standard of academic achievement to qualify, but as jdawg_24 says, the award must be fit the usual pattern of the college. Here's the D1 rule for college freshman; D2 has somewhat lower standards. D1 requires that the player maintain a 3.0 GPA during college.
15.5.3.2.2.1 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 the institution, 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).
For example, most baseball players at Stanford meet the above NCAA criteria, but they wouldn't qualify for academic aid at Stanford. So the aid they receive is counted against the 11.7. The same player, if he had enrolled at many other colleges, could have received academic aid that didn't count in an equivalency calculation, assuming he met that college's standards for academic awards for all students.
Thanks for that informative post.
I do have a question as it relates to what is typically given to other students from an academic standpoint. Do they average all students, or are there exceptions for say minority students under affirmative action type of programs? Another words the minorities who do ok academically, but are not up to the overall average of the student population, are they eligible for academic aid? Would it count against the program?
If so it would stand to reason that there are exceptions to the rule/s.
