I'm in process of deciding with DD which college camps to attend in the summer, fall, etc. While researching, I'm finding out more and more that the scholarships given out to softball athletes are minimal in value, in comparison to total cost of attendance. My kid isn't a D1 blue chip athlete but has solid grades and if she continues to play, possibly smaller D1, but more likely a D2, D3 level player. for those of you farther along in the process, those with seniors on track with possibly having a DD ready to commit and play, how are the financial aid packages looking like? Have you or your DD turn down offers to play because of not having a large enough financial package? I'm running NPC calculators and aside from a public school in state, I'm worried it's looking like $25-35K a year for us. I don't want DD to walk out with a $100k in loans from a school.
Cost of college and scholarships
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- May 27, 2013
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What year is your dd? Has she taken the SAT/ACT yet? I know many schools don’t require them anymore but they can help determine academic scholarships for kids. If she is a solid student and can handle AP classes in subjects that she is interested in they can help to boost her chances of an academic scholarship.
We are still very early in the process. DD is in 8th grade but committed to her that we would go maybe 1-2 this summer and fall, depending on distance and cost. She has taken the PSAT as her school encourages them to start taking it at 8th grade.
A great question with no specific answer. Financial aid packages vary widely and don't include everything available, which is a wide array of private loans and scholarships along with education tax credits.
Understand the athletic scholarship structure for softball among the different classifications (D1-3, JUCO, and NAIA). All that can be found with a basic web search, and you'll find that athletic money at D2 is sparse, and non-existent in D3. If your kid does well academically and studies something that is in demand, you'll probably find some extra institutional scholarship money. If she really wants to play and money is a concern, JUCO is a great option. JUCO costs are much less and the availability of athletic scholarships generally much greater. If she does well there, she could transfer to a D2 or even a D1 softball program. I've seen that happen a bunch lately.
I've got one that just graduated and another in her final year at a private mid-major D1. On paper, it's a pretty expensive place, but both are debt free. The cost was tackled with a wide variety of assistance. Some of that came from the school, and some from private scholarships and tax credits. For example, the American Opportunity Education tax credit can provide up to $10K per student over four years. I looked at paying for college as a search for a series of singles and doubles rather than a HR. On occasion, I got a triple. I also found that there can be a substantial difference between private and public institutions in terms of willingness to negotiate and compete for students.
Understand the athletic scholarship structure for softball among the different classifications (D1-3, JUCO, and NAIA). All that can be found with a basic web search, and you'll find that athletic money at D2 is sparse, and non-existent in D3. If your kid does well academically and studies something that is in demand, you'll probably find some extra institutional scholarship money. If she really wants to play and money is a concern, JUCO is a great option. JUCO costs are much less and the availability of athletic scholarships generally much greater. If she does well there, she could transfer to a D2 or even a D1 softball program. I've seen that happen a bunch lately.
I've got one that just graduated and another in her final year at a private mid-major D1. On paper, it's a pretty expensive place, but both are debt free. The cost was tackled with a wide variety of assistance. Some of that came from the school, and some from private scholarships and tax credits. For example, the American Opportunity Education tax credit can provide up to $10K per student over four years. I looked at paying for college as a search for a series of singles and doubles rather than a HR. On occasion, I got a triple. I also found that there can be a substantial difference between private and public institutions in terms of willingness to negotiate and compete for students.
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- Jan 22, 2011
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There is an excellent facebook page on recruiting called “Educating Parents of HS Athletes On The College Recruiting Process”.
Yes- i discovered this page a while back. Very helpful with a lot of info regarding the recruiting process but would like to hear more anecdotal experience of those getting offers and understanding the financial piece.
It's actually pretty complicated: D1 and D2 teams have budgets set by the school for athletic scholarships. Each school funds these scholarships differently and smaller or less competitive schools are often NOT funded as fully as the NCAA allows. The most desirable players--pitchers usually--can be recruited and receive a "full ride" but that is the exception rather than the rule. The scholarship money is usually doled out to those the coach determines need it most given team needs and it can change from year to year.
A player qualifying for financial aid and academic scholarships can be very desirable because that leaves the coach with more money to dole out to those who don't receive academic or other financial aid. D3 programs offer no athletic scholarships but often have other academic scholarships. Ivy League schools, which are D1 offer no scholarships but all will meet your financial need if admitted.
Somehow, it all works out to be about the same. Here's an example, my DD was a D1 prospect at a state school and a D2 private college. What she would have paid at either is about the same amount we are paying for the D3 school she decided on attending because of her academics and institutional financial aid. She chose the D3 school because of (prioritized in this order) the academic reputation/program, the coach, and her likelihood of being an impact player right away.
When someone tells you his utility player daughter got a full ride scholarship at a D1 program for just softball you should take that with a grain of salt. It's not the reality for the vast majority of players.
A player qualifying for financial aid and academic scholarships can be very desirable because that leaves the coach with more money to dole out to those who don't receive academic or other financial aid. D3 programs offer no athletic scholarships but often have other academic scholarships. Ivy League schools, which are D1 offer no scholarships but all will meet your financial need if admitted.
Somehow, it all works out to be about the same. Here's an example, my DD was a D1 prospect at a state school and a D2 private college. What she would have paid at either is about the same amount we are paying for the D3 school she decided on attending because of her academics and institutional financial aid. She chose the D3 school because of (prioritized in this order) the academic reputation/program, the coach, and her likelihood of being an impact player right away.
When someone tells you his utility player daughter got a full ride scholarship at a D1 program for just softball you should take that with a grain of salt. It's not the reality for the vast majority of players.
- Nov 29, 2009
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There are a limited number of scholarships at the D1 and D2 levels. The coaches will/can divvy up the scholarships between the players on the team as they feel best for the team. A BIG caveat is if the softball program is fully funded also comes into play. Not all are. The "Full Ride" is usually for the absolute impact players. Pitchers and strong catchers usually top the list of players getting the most scholarship dollars. A phenomenal SS who hits well or has a very high on-base percentage may fall into that category as well. If a player is a monster hitter at the plate that can earn them more scholarship dollars as well. The rest of the players can have varying amounts of scholarship money available to them. The coaches will/should have knowledge of other types of financial assistance opportunities available to students to help with the cost of attending school.
When my daughter(Pitcher) played she attended a D2 school. With her scholarship and other financial help the coach was able to steer us to she ended up owing about 5K a year after the tuition, housing, books and other expenses that are involved with attending college were totaled up. We were able to pay for a lot while she was in school so she graduated with minimal debt and her degree. That's my DD's story. Your experience may vary.
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- Dec 18, 2014
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DD is at a private D2. Half of her cost was covered by softball scholarship. Half of her cost was covered by academics. Classroom was just as important as the field in her case. As far as "minimal value", the overall cost covered will be in the 6 figures. There's even talk about graduate (stipends/coaching) but that's too soon to account for now.
It was actually cheaper to send my daughter to college to play softball than it was to pay for another year of travel ball. How crazy is that?
It was actually cheaper to send my daughter to college to play softball than it was to pay for another year of travel ball. How crazy is that?
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