NCAA Basketball Recruiting: What Earning a Scholarship REALLY Means

Going to School is not Cheap 

At the Division I level, basketball is a head count sport, which means all 13 scholarships are full scholarships. There is a difference in Division II, where basketball is considered an equivalency sport, which means that coaches can divide the value of the 10 total scholarships allotted to them between as many players as they want.1 Due to the high cost of education, (about $15,000 per year at an in-state public university)2 parents and students must fully understand what their scholarship covers before signing on the dotted line. Here is an in-depth look at the three financial opportunities for players that make up rosters, as well as what coaches think about their immediate and potential team contribution.

Full Scholarship: Covers the full cost of attendance for the student-athlete including tuition and fees, room and board, meal plan, and books. If full scholarship players are eligible for financial aid, they are awarded the qualifying amount (up to $5600 per year). Players are expected to be major contributors to the team immediately or have the ability to be an impact player in a short period of time.

Partial Scholarship: Options can include where the school covers half of the student-athlete's bill, provides one or any combination of tuition and fees, room and board, meal plan, and/or books, or covers the bill after all aid has been applied. Paying after all aid has been applied uses all federal aid, grants, and academic scholarships first, then applies the athletic scholarships. Players are viewed as reserves that may have the ability to come in and spare minutes to more prominent players. These players are also viewed as ones that have the ability to contend for an increased role later in their career.

Walk-On: Student-athlete must take full responsibility for college expenses. Since the school does not pay for anything, the S-A does not affect the team’s equivalencies. Players will more than likely see insignificant playing time, but are looked at to raise the moral of the team in all aspects.                    

Since less than 6% of high school boys basketball players make a collegiate roster, just being a part of a team is a tremendous feat. For those that are not fortunate financially, the coveted scholarship (partial or full) aids in the task of paying for college to allow an education and possibly a better life.

References

1Athletic Scholarships. (n.d.). Retrieved June 29, 2015, from http://www.athleticscholarships.net/basketballscholarships.htm

2Zurowski, R. (2013, March 14). March Madness: The Value of NCAA Basketball Scholarships - NerdWallet. Retrieved July 30, 2015, from http://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/nerdscholar/2013/march-madness-basketball-scholarships/