How Do College Coaches Divide Scholarships?
February 10th, 2010 - byCoach Taylor – Our daughter has been accepted to a D2 school and is being offered an athletic scholarship. The coach has indicated that he does not provide individual full ride scholarships. He said that the school has given him the equivalent of eight full rides which he then divides up amoung the 17 girls. His method of doing this is by negotiation, similar to that of a job interview. Is this common? Where do we begin? We have no ability to help our daughter so with the exception of scholarships, the financial burden will be on her.
Yes, it is common, more so in the last year as many athletic budgets are being cut and just about every student-athlete is looking for an athletic scholarship. Coaches try to maximize their chances of getting their recruits so they often split scholarships up amongst athletes. What you should do in situations like this, is stress to the coach your sincere interest in their school, but that you are concerned about not being able to afford attending the school. Ask if there are any other scholarships you might be eligible for and could apply for. It doesn’t matter where the money is coming from as long as you are receiving some financial help to attend that school.
Your daughter seems to be in a more unique situation than most student-athletes and she needs to explain the situation to that coach and to admissions in order to maximize her chances of receiving financial help from that school. If she has offers from other schools or is being seriously considered by other schools, she should let this coach know about those as well and he will hopefully do what he can to fight for her a bit more.
As always, the more options you have, the more leverage you will have when you negotiate.
Send your recruiting questions to askcoachtaylor@ncsasports.org
If you would like to speak with a NCSA Recruiting Coordinator about your personal recruiting situation, call 866-579-6272.
