School me on D3 softball

Amy - we were dissapointed at first, don't get me wrong. But we walked away saying better to find out now, than after you're here and they're telling you to change your major.

Sluggers - great points. And I'm sure you're right - if a top player drops into their lap, they'll make room for her.

Softsocdad - they probably all don't. I can tell you, though, of D-3 school that is in NY that has seen my DD play in Colorado and FL. A couple of others have travelled that far to see her as well. Her future coach is going to FL and Houston in Oct for exposure tourneys. A couple of other D3 schools have expressed interest, and have invited her to a Fall tryout, because they can't travel. I suppose it must be a very college-specific thing as to how much they travel and recruit.

Anyways - no matter the division or college, I tell my players this - it's an emotional roller coaster ride, so strap in, keep your chin up, and enjoy it for the thrill it is. If you get too high or low along the way, you miss the thrill of the journey.

I attended a DIII school, and they definitely recruit. Although the schools will never admit it, the amount of financial aid a student receives can be influenced by their athletic ability. My roommate was an outstanding high school basketball player, and received enough financial aid to basically get a free ride. He had good grades and his family didn't make a ton of money, but a lot of other students were in the same situation and did not receive the same level of financial aid. His basketball skills definitely (unofficially) contributed to his financial aid package.

The good thing about this is once a DIII school commits, it can't reduce the amount of financial aid if the student decides not to play. To do so would be admitting that they were breaking the law. Because of this, money from a DIII school is more secure than from a DI school.

Have you considered NAIA? They allow athletic scholarships, most schools have exceptional academic reputations and have very liberal coach/player contact and transfer rules. I played and graduated from an NAIA school (now DIII) and went to law school at an NAIA program which won 8 national titles in softball and featured Jay Miller as its coach. They are serious about softball. Just my 2 cents.

I had a young man deliver a tv, yesterday. He was huge. As we talked he said that he had played football at the U of Oregon, and blew out his knee his freshman year.

He said that after he was no longer any good to them, they took away his scholarship.

The good thing about this is once a DIII school commits, it can't reduce the amount of financial aid if the student decides not to play.

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That is not accurate today. Perhaps in the past, but not now.

Here is the way it works:

A D3 school has a primary source of money available for financial aid. This is referred to as the "general scholarship fund" or something like that. This money in the is handed out based strictly on the parents' FAFSA. The more money the parents make, the less money you get from the general scholarship fund. The amount of money available from this fund changes each year based upon the parents' current FAFSA. There is nothing the athletic department can do to influence the amount of money coming from this source. This is by far the largest source of financial aid.

Then, there is an "academic scholarship fund", where the money is handed out based upon a student's academic performance in HS. There are rigid formulas for who gets this money. The athletic department cannot influence money from this fund.

A D3 school also has some privately endowed scholarships. These private scholarships are handed out for something like "citizenship". This money is not based on the FAFSA. So, an athletic department could influence the awarding of these scholarships. These scholarships are generally year-to-year. A D3 athletic department might also help someone obtain campus jobs or summer employment.

The money from the the privately endowed scholarships doesn't have to be awarded logically or fairly. So, a star of the men's basketball team would likely get more than a star of the softball team.

I have a friend who went to a D1 school as a SB pitcher. She blew out her
elbow during a game and finished out her education. The school (in the 1990's),
switched up her funding to a 'grant' status rather than athletic so they could use the remaining
athletic scholarship $$ for incoming athletes. Grades were not a problem for her
as she finished with a 3.8 GPA.

Regarding D3- some of the best academic programs in the country are at D3 schools, they can be taken
very seriously

Coach JV said:

Regarding D3- some of the best academic programs in the country are at D3 schools, they can be taken
very seriously

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Regarding any college choice, you are short changing your future if your choice is solely based the (perceived) quality of the athletic program. Your goal should be to get a good education first and foremost.

sluggers said:

A D3 school also has some privately endowed scholarships. These private scholarships are handed out for something like "citizenship". This money is not based on the FAFSA. So, an athletic department could influence the awarding of these scholarships. These scholarships are generally year-to-year. A D3 athletic department might also help someone obtain campus jobs or summer employment.

The money from the the privately endowed scholarships doesn't have to be awarded logically or fairly. So, a star of the men's basketball team would likely get more than a star of the softball team.

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Men's basketball and football definitely get more than the other sports. The endowed scholarships at the DIII college I attended were not year to year, however. My roommate quit the basketball team after his sophomore year (he was a biology major, and needed the extra study time), but retained his scholarships for his junior and senior year. It would be too obvious if the college "just happened" to remove the scholarships after he quit playing basketball.

A DIII school may not provide a full ride for softball like a DI school would. I do believe (maybe incorrectly), however, that whatever financial aid is offered will be there for all four years. Anyone considering a DIII financial aid package should definitely clarify whether the financial aid is year to year or all four years before making a decision.

I think there is some of both. Some academic awards are 4-year guarantees based upon your high school record (subject to maintenance of minimum GPA and progress towards a degree), and some are renewable 1-year awards (some of the foundation-type things, professional societies, music, special talents, etc). Also, need based aid is reapplied for every year, and definitely subject to change (based upon income changes, additional kids in college, etc).

As someone else said, you have to understand the sources, their conditions, and their renewability (automatic or recompete).

There are no full rides for athletics of any type at a D3. It is arguable, as someone else said, that athletic ability may help you find some pots of money that others might have a harder time finding, but any aid you get is not directly tied to athletic ability.

Wow! Thanks to all of you for some great information. This is exactly what we needed to know.
Slugger, you are absolutely right. It should be my daughters decision and it will be. I will support whatever she wants to do. That includes not playing ball and focusing on school, which could very well happen.
Jacketsfan, your daughter sounds remarkably similar to mine. Great to hear from someone who is already in the next phase of the process.
I am going to re-read some of this and will probably come up with more questions. Thanks again for all the help!