Since I first addressed this subject in 2013, rules and practices relating to some athletic scholarships have been updated to provide for multi-year scholarships, cover more expenses, and limit reasons for non-renewal. Also, many of the questions I receive from readers deal with scholarships, so it seems to be time to revisit this topic.
Basically, each family is responsible for and should expect to pay for their student's education. No one is entitled to a scholarship. The NCAA advises that "according to recent statistics, about 2 percent of high school athletes are awarded athletics scholarships to compete in college. This small number means high school student-athletes and their parents need to have realistic expectations about receiving an athletic scholarship to play sports in college."
The NCAA doesn't provide or fund scholarships—if and when scholarships are available, individual schools fund them. Student-athletes are eligible to receive scholarships for up to four seasons within the maximum five-year eligibility period (and in case of a documented severe injury, upon NCAA approval, possibly six years) ("Eligibility Period"). Scholarship money can be used only for tuition and fees, room, board, required course-related books—and starting August 1, 2015, at some Division I schools, the incidental costs of attending college, such as transportation and miscellaneous personal expenses.
When they are available, in awarding scholarships to athletes, coaches consider a variety of factors, including playing ability, work ethic, leadership skills, seniority, and whether the players have proven themselves and their value. Still, some people believe that good water polo players automatically get athletic scholarships. "Good" is a relative term. In the sport of water polo, you must be
very good to be considered for and receive an athletic scholarship. As of Fall 2015, there will be about 46 men's and 63 women's varsity programs in the United States. Only Division I and II schools are allowed to offer scholarships—a maximum of 4.5 scholarships for men, and 8 for women. Many schools don't even offer them. Ivy League institutions and Division III schools do not provide any athletic aid, as all their financial assistance comes through academic sources or is based on demonstrated financial need.
Of the teams that do offer water polo scholarships, many distribute awards among—but not necessarily equally—their four classes (freshmen, sophomores, juniors, seniors). Coaches decide who actually receives a scholarship, its duration (one or if permitted, multi-year), what it will cover, and whether it will be renewed.They also may elect to use funds to retain their strongest and more senior players—incoming freshmen do not receive favorable treatment. Coaches often don't want to risk "putting all their eggs in one basket" and award all available scholarship funds to a single player. Accordingly, when a program has a big roster, it's easy to figure out that generally, there is not much money to spread around. By virtue of the fact that there are more women's water polo programs and scholarships, they have better chances of receiving scholarships than men. But as the NCAA has pointed out, for the majority of student-athletes, the odds of receiving a scholarship at all are very low.
If an athlete is lucky enough to be awarded a scholarship, it is unlikely to be a "full ride" covering all expenses. In the "recruiting wars," coaches understand scholarships are powerful, as they can gain persuasive leverage to obtain better talent. Sometimes the satisfaction an athlete derives from being able to say he or she is attending school on a scholarship (in any amount) can be a deciding factor in a college decision. Because of this, and for the reasons noted previously, coaches will often split their scholarships into smaller increments in order to convince more student-athletes to attend their schools. The result is that few full rides are offered, and most water polo scholarships are awarded for partial amounts, covering some portion of tuition, fees, room, board, and books. As indicated previously, starting August 1, 2015, some Division I scholarships also may include incidental costs of attending college, such as transportation and miscellaneous personal expenses.
In January 2015, significant rule changes related to the duration of athletic scholarships were adopted by some Division I colleges, applicable to scholarship agreements set to begin in the 2015-16 academic year. Although the NCAA Division I Board of Directors acknowledged in late 2011 that a multi-year scholarship "gives student-athletes greater assurance their education will continue even if they suffer an injury, their athletics performance does not live up to expectations or the coaching staff changes." And starting August 1, 2012, Division I schools were allowed to offer student-athletes multi-year grants for the full term of their eligibility; but still many schools continued to offer only one-year scholarships, renewable annually.
But a new trend emerged in late Fall 2014, culminating on January 17, 2015 at the NCAA's annual convention: It allowed the largest Division I colleges (Atlantic Coast, Big 12, Big Ten, Pacific-12 and Southeastern Coast conferences) to offer four-year scholarships to recruited athletes who remain in good academic and athletic standing, ensuring that student-athletes attending colleges in those conferences will not lose their athletic scholarships due to injury, poor play, or coaches' judgment. It remains unclear whether some of the colleges bound by this new rule will limit its application to Tier 1 sports such as football and basketball, while other schools might not make such a distinction and will offer multi-year scholarships to their student-athletes in all sports.
Division I colleges in other conferences are not bound by the new rule and likely will still offer one-year scholarships, reviewable and renewable annually, throughout an athlete's full Eligibility Period. Division II athletic scholarships are not affected by the new rule and also are likely to continue awarding one-year scholarships during an athlete's full Eligibility Period, also reviewable and renewable annually.
Even in cases of multi-year scholarships, a coach or school could cancel an athletic scholarship during an athlete's Eligibility Period if a:
- Student-athlete becomes ineligible.
- Student-athlete commits fraud.
- Student-athlete engages in misconduct.
- Student-athlete quits the team for personal reasons.
A student-athlete must be notified in writing by July 1 of any changes to an athletic scholarship during the upcoming school year. If a school reduces or cancels an athletic scholarship, the student-athlete is entitled to appeal the decision. But under the new rules, reductions or cancellations for athletic reasons are not permitted.
As noted above, not all varsity programs offer athletic aid. Division III institutions and Ivy League schools do not offer any, in compliance with school and NCAA policy. However, it would be a huge misunderstanding to believe that these institutions cannot provide similar aid based on financial need and academic ability. Throughout the United States, much more money is awarded through financial aid (based on demonstrated financial need) and academic related aid (merit) than athletic aid, which often means a partial athletic scholarship offered by one institution might actually add up to fewer total dollars when compared to the total amount offered by a school without athletic aid.
Outside scholarships from community organizations, parents' employers, and so forth may also be available, but NCAA or financial aid requirements may prevent students from accepting certain types of financial aid. They should check with their athletic departments or college financial aid offices; any specific questions regarding athletic scholarships should be thoroughly addressed during the recruiting process with coaches, athletic directors, and financial aid officers
before signing financial aid or other scholarship agreements. Athletes need to carefully consider entire financial-aid packages that schools offer and not automatically conclude that athletic scholarships mean more money.
Sources
- http://www.nationalletter.org/documentLibrary/athleticScholarship.html
- http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/29/sports/colleges-shift-on-four-year-scholarships-reflects-players-growing-power.html?_r=0
- http://www.ncaa.org/about/frequently-asked-questions-about-ncaa
- http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/18/sports/ncaas-top-conferences-to-allow-aid-for-athletes-full-bills.html?_r=0
