Cost of college and scholarships

[TwoPitcherFam]

A lot has been covered but just went through D1 process so here‘s some fresh feedback:

D1 has up to 12 scholarships for about 20 players PLUS academic merit for many schools PLUS financial. We see kids getting mixes of 20-100% merit + financial aid and some athletic, we see kids getting true full athletic rides, we are seeing all kinds of mixes but many D1 schools have this money, it is there. The sum total of money available is a sliding scale based on the financial and athletic standing of the school. So when choosing camps, take some time to evaluate the specific school first to make sure it would line up with your various goals. Your club coach should be aware or can ask around in regards to the financial packages of schools as you get further.

FWIW- I don’t see your point in this recruiting cycle about minimal scholarships in regards to D1 and not worth lumping the 3 divisions together as they are differvent. It is better to develop strategies for each division, possibly targeting a couple athletic conferences in each with like schools of interest.. Also, since D1 is generally looking 6 months to a year ahead of other divisions, you can stage it to have shots at all divisions if desired.

I would also add one specific thing… I highly advise that you as a parent stop pegging your player‘s level if she is in 8th grade. Unless parents are both P5 D1 athletes or there is a specific genetic marker, it is too early. We have a teammate who was our #3 pitcher on our 12U club team where coach actually had the hard conversation about playing a new position who is now a top 50 pitcher in the country, full ride at a top 25 school. She grew taller than the rest (much taller than parents too), she worked her A$$ off and loved the grind. We also had the 12u 60mph pitching prospect who started going to the big P5 camps in 8th grade who got stuck in the mud and still throws that the same speed headed to D2. Had our 12u second baseman who hit 6th at best also committ to a P5 school. Our 3B stud quit, our SS probably going D3. This is all the same team!

I firmly believe that their path will still be largely determined by THEIR love (not yours), THEIR mental ability/desire to stay focused on success in a world of failure, and if they outwork others because they want to. Any kid with above average club talent and those genetic desires will be in a position to eventually evaluate offers or serious coach interest.

Pick schools that are reasonable academically and given general recruiting odds, pick mid majors and d2/d3 that are drivable. Camps at that age are the fun part. Enjoy it and re-evaluate later.

 

[Bernmoll]

A lot has been covered but just went through D1 process so here‘s some fresh feedback:

D1 has up to 12 scholarships for about 20 players PLUS academic merit for many schools PLUS financial. We see kids getting mixes of 20-100% merit + financial aid and some athletic, we see kids getting true full athletic rides, we are seeing all kinds of mixes but many D1 schools have this money, it is there. The sum total of money available is a sliding scale based on the financial and athletic standing of the school. So when choosing camps, take some time to evaluate the specific school first to make sure it would line up with your various goals. Your club coach should be aware or can ask around in regards to the financial packages of schools as you get further.

FWIW- I don’t see your point in this recruiting cycle about minimal scholarships in regards to D1 and not worth lumping the 3 divisions together as they are differvent. It is better to develop strategies for each division, possibly targeting a couple athletic conferences in each with like schools of interest.. Also, since D1 is generally looking 6 months to a year ahead of other divisions, you can stage it to have shots at all divisions if desired.

Great feedback on having strategies at multiple levels and the recruiting timelines. Regardless if athletic money is involved, it just is frustrating to not know how much you might have to shell out for your kids education. I'm trying to temper my kids expectation too.

 

[tim_s]

DD1 & DD2 are both going to the same private university, D3

DD1 is there now......total cost is around $67k - DD1's net is $17,500 with $5500 this year off that in federal guaranteed loans - she had some local scholarships year one that knocked another $5k off that total - she will graduate with roughly $65k in loans, she is working now and paying off her interest on the private loans already....

DD2's grades were just a little lower, but still top 10 in her class......he package looks to be the same-ish, with a similar net as of right now.......but waiting on FAFSA for '24-25, and waiting on school bill......with 2 students in college FAFSA will end up with more aid, and the University will give us a discount for having 2 enrolled

what's interesting is if they had gone to UMAINE Orono, their cost would have been similar to possibly higher......

biggest thing IMHO is get those grades as high as they possibly can be......work as hard or harder on the academic side as the softball side, and don't rule out any school without getting at least a pre-read on the finances - DD's and several teammates all found their best deals financially at some of the more expensive schools they looked at

 

[LEsoftballdad]

now.......but waiting on FAFSA for '24-25, and waiting on school bill......with 2 students in college FAFSA will end up with more aid, and the University will give us a discount for having 2 enrolled

I hate to break it to you, Tim, but the Department of Education, in their infinite wisdom, eliminated the credit for having multiple children in school at once. They still ask the question, but according to guidance, it no longer helps you. Your EFC used to get cut in half with two in college, but the new SAI doesn't have that same feature. Now, the CSS Profile hasn't made that change, and many colleges are still giving the credit for multiple students in school, but the federal aid no longer works that way.

P.S. the new FAFSA is much more simplified, but it has to be done in multiple steps now with two-step verification every time you login.

 

[Dabears17]

The new FAFSA eliminated not having to report the assets of a small business with under 100 employees.

 

[tim_s]

i did not see where they eliminated the two in school benefit......but we do pretty well regardless; one of the advantages to being divorced and a teacher i guess, haha

school does give a discount, not sure how much yet

and yes, new FAFSA was super easy

 

[Strike2]

Great feedback on having strategies at multiple levels and the recruiting timelines. Regardless if athletic money is involved, it just is frustrating to not know how much you might have to shell out for your kids education. I'm trying to temper my kids expectation too.

I was right where you are a few years ago. Both my kids wanted to go to a private D1. I don't qualify for anything as far as need-based aid goes, and the sticker price reached into six figures annually. Fortunately, their academic strength and goals qualified them not only for some hefty tuition assistance, but also for a range of assistance from outside sources. Identifying and applying for those outside scholarships was a time consuming annual task, but the effort fully paid off.

Evaluate all options in terms of net cost, not just how much athletic money is offered. Schools vary widely in terms of what merit aid they'll offer to individual students. An aid package can look good at first glance, and then you see it's only for the first year. Some things are negotiable, especially at a private school. It is possible that your kid could be a walk-on and do better financially at one school rather than going to another school with a partial athletic.

 

[YoungBuck]

I highly advise that you as a parent stop pegging your player‘s level if she is in 8th grade.

This is great advice. As you pointed out so much can change.

Soak in the experience while it lasts.

 

[DryHeat]

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?

No kidding! That will be us next year.

DD has a D1 deal where academics cover a certain amount of tuition, and athletic covers the rest of tuition, books, fees, and most of room and board. I say 'most' because there is a stipend involved and the percent it covers is up to what she spends for dorm/apartment/meals.

Of course we will still have costs for travel, furniture, insurance, etc. It is not a full ride, but to us it feels like it.

Part of the deal is what level she is capable of playing. DD likely could have gone to a higher-level softball school. She had a preference for a smaller, college-town school and accepted that players she is better than would go to the big, shiny schools. I believe this significantly improved her position for scholarships. Plus, she is unlikely to sit and rot at the end of the bench.

Sent from my SM-G990U1 using Tapatalk

 

[LEsoftballdad]

i did not see where they eliminated the two in school benefit......but we do pretty well regardless; one of the advantages to being divorced and a teacher i guess, haha

school does give a discount, not sure how much yet

and yes, new FAFSA was super easy

Most schools honor the two in-school discounts. Only the Dept of Ed changed it, so it would impact federal grants, but you need to be a very low-income family to get a Pell Grant. You certainly couldn't afford travel softball!!!

Number of Children in College​

Two important changes relate to the number of children in college (NIC). One increases aid eligibility, while the other decreases it when two or more children are simultaneously in college.

The previous FAFSA focused on cash flow more than wealth, reasoning that parents with two children in college simultaneously do not have twice as much money to pay for college. The simplified FAFSA changes this, no longer providing families with any benefit from having children overlap in college.

More than half of families will be affected by this change. About a fifth of families have one year of overlap, about a quarter have two years of overlap, and 14% have three or four years of overlap.

On the previous FAFSA, the Income Protection Allowance (IPA), which shelters a portion of parent income, was simultaneously reduced by a factor based on the number of children in college. For example, the IPA was reduced by $3,610 per child in college on the 2023-2024 FAFSA. Using the simplified FAFSA, the IPA will no longer be reduced when two or more children are enrolled in college simultaneously. This will yield a higher IPA, sheltering more parent income from need analysis.

However, the simplified FAFSA will no longer divide the parent contribution portion of the Student Aid Index (previously, Expected Family Contribution or EFC) by the number of children in college. This will yield a higher Student Aid Index when there are two or more children in college at the same time.

This change will not yield much difference in the student aid index for low-income students because half of zero is still zero. However, it will decrease aid eligibility for middle- and high-income students when there are multiple children in college.