Question about scholarship % for the ones that have made it to college.

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Apr 16, 2010
924
43
Alabama
I know most softball scholarships are on a percentage basis. I was just wondering when you here a girl is getting 25% or 50% what does that cover?

My DD's #1 choice at this point is in state which helps as it is. To keep the math simple if the cost of tuition, room & board, and books equaled $10,000 (I wish) would a 50% scholarship be $5,000? Or would it be 50% of her tuition only? I have seen so much discussed on here about scholarships it has my head spinning.
 
Dec 6, 2016
70
18
Also, are scholarships based on in-state tuition? Does an athlete get special status just because they are an athlete and considered in-state?
 
Nov 18, 2013
2,255
113
I know most softball scholarships are on a percentage basis. I was just wondering when you here a girl is getting 25% or 50% what does that cover?

My DD's #1 choice at this point is in state which helps as it is. To keep the math simple if the cost of tuition, room & board, and books equaled $10,000 (I wish) would a 50% scholarship be $5,000? Or would it be 50% of her tuition only? I have seen so much discussed on here about scholarships it has my head spinning.

The coaches are allocated a specific dollar amount based on the number of allowed scholarships (ie 12 @ D1). How they allocate that to players will vary. Some will use a percentage including tuition, plus room & board, some just tuition, other may use a specific dollar amount. Percentages are preferred over dollar amounts. In your example of $10,000, at 50% she’ll receive $10,000 * .5 = $5,000. In year two when costs rise if she’s at 50% she’ll get $11,000 *.05 = $5,500. If she’s on a straight dollar amount she’ll only get $5,000 and be at 45%.

The important thing is ask specific questions and don’t assume anything.


Also, are scholarships based on in-state tuition? Does an athlete get special status just because they are an athlete and considered in-state?

Athletes don’t get any special status based on in or out of state. Giving an out of state athlete in-state tuition would be considered aid and count against the schools scholarship dollars. In-state athletes don’t receive any preferential treatment for theoretically saving the school money by their lower tuition fees.
 
Feb 15, 2016
273
18
The coaches are allocated a specific dollar amount based on the number of allowed scholarships (ie 12 @ D1). How they allocate that to players will vary. Some will use a percentage including tuition, plus room & board, some just tuition, other may use a specific dollar amount. Percentages are preferred over dollar amounts. In your example of $10,000, at 50% she’ll receive $10,000 * .5 = $5,000. In year two when costs rise if she’s at 50% she’ll get $11,000 *.05 = $5,500. If she’s on a straight dollar amount she’ll only get $5,000 and be at 45%.

The important thing is ask specific questions and don’t assume anything.




Athletes don’t get any special status based on in or out of state. Giving an out of state athlete in-state tuition would be considered aid and count against the schools scholarship dollars. In-state athletes don’t receive any preferential treatment for theoretically saving the school money by their lower tuition fees.

So it is a set dollar amount regardless of in-state or out of state? That is not how I understood it.

Example 50% at in-state school with total cost of $10,000 = $5,000 scholarship and you pay $5,000

50% at out of state school where total cost for an out of state student is $20,000 = $10,000 scholarship and you pay for $10,000

Please correct me if I am wrong.
 
Nov 18, 2013
2,255
113
So it is a set dollar amount regardless of in-state or out of state? That is not how I understood it.

Example 50% at in-state school with total cost of $10,000 = $5,000 scholarship and you pay $5,000

50% at out of state school where total cost for an out of state student is $20,000 = $10,000 scholarship and you pay for $10,000

Please correct me if I am wrong.

You have it correct. Assuming the 50% scholarship is total cost.

Where the set dollar amounts comes into play are the second year when the scholarship is renewed. Some schools take the dollar amount of what 50% is for freshman year and use that exact amount for subsequent years. So an in-state kid would get $5k for four years and an out of state kid would get $10k a year for four years. Its preferred to have it written where it’s 50% of total costs each year so when prices go up, the scholarship dollar amount also increases. Sorry if that’s confusing. I didn’t understand it either until DD went through it. I realized I’d have to pay more each year because they switched her to a set dollar amount for sophomore, junior and senior year using the percentage amount of her freshman year. Thankfully that’s been changed now.
 

JAD

Feb 20, 2012
8,231
38
Georgia
College coaches like to use percentages instead of dollar figures because if tuition changes, the percentages stay the same. If scholarships were based on specific dollar amount the "value" of the scholarship would dimension if the cost of tuition rises, which it does at 98.2% of schools...

Most scholarships will cover tuition, room & board, and book/fees. Meals may or may not be negotiated into the package. Not all schools count things equally, so make sure you understand EXACTLY what the coaches are offering. We found that calculating our anticipated out-of-pocket expenses was better for comparison between offers than calculating the $ value of the scholarship.
 
Nov 18, 2013
2,255
113
College coaches like to use percentages instead of dollar figures because if tuition changes, the percentages stay the same. If scholarships were based on specific dollar amount the "value" of the scholarship would dimension if the cost of tuition rises, which it does at 98.2% of schools...

I'd be curious how common it really is. DD HS & Travel coach (former D1 coach) warned us to get a percentage instead of flat dollar amount. I didn't really know what she was talking about until year two of the scholarship came around. What they did at DD's school is during freshman orientation they had her sign paperwork for sophomore, junior and senior seasons that her scholarship would be the dollar amount equal to the percentage amount of her freshman year. I was thrilled to see her get a guaranteed four year scholarship. Not so much about the percentage decreasing. As I said previously it's been addressed and I'm a happy camper now.

Most scholarships will cover tuition, room & board, and book/fees. Meals may or may not be negotiated into the package. Not all schools count things equally, so make sure you understand EXACTLY what the coaches are offering. We found that calculating our anticipated out-of-pocket expenses was better for comparison between offers than calculating the $ value of the scholarship.

Exactly
 

JAD

Feb 20, 2012
8,231
38
Georgia
I'd be curious how common it really is. DD HS & Travel coach (former D1 coach) warned us to get a percentage instead of flat dollar amount. I didn't really know what she was talking about until year two of the scholarship came around. What they did at DD's school is during freshman orientation they had her sign paperwork for sophomore, junior and senior seasons that her scholarship would be the dollar amount equal to the percentage amount of her freshman year. I was thrilled to see her get a guaranteed four year scholarship. Not so much about the percentage decreasing. As I said previously it's been addressed and I'm a happy camper now.

If I was a parent I would insist on a percentage instead of a fixed $ amount.
 
Mar 26, 2013
1,934
0
Athletes don’t get any special status based on in or out of state. Giving an out of state athlete in-state tuition on any basis that is related to athletics ability would be considered athletically related aid and count against the schools scholarship dollars.
FTFY Just clarifying that it is possible for athletes to receive tuition discounts that don't count against scholarship limits (e.g. interstate agreements, tOSU's National Buckeye Scholarship).
 

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