Athletic vs. Academic Scholarship

OnTrack2013
Mon, 06 Apr 2015 19:15:42 +0000

Based on what you have shared, you are interpreting the offer correctly. Being recruited does not always mean you will receive athletic money. Athletic money is typically awarded separately and can be given, if at all, in addition to academic money. There is very little athletic scholarship money in track. The coach is recruiting you to pick their school vs. another. He/she is trying to get the best roster within their budget and it will be a mix of athletes who get in on their own and pay full price to attend, needed the coach to help them get in, are on some type of academic scholarship and those who need athletic money to be able to afford the school.

If you receive athletic money however, you are normally asked to sign an NLI and an additional financial agreement. Coaches can always offer athletic money in addition to academic, but if the schools award letter does not include any reference to other aid and already has the option of work study called out, it seems unlikely that there is any additional scholarship money coming. You do need to verify where the work study job comes from, make sure it is not an “athlete only” job that was arranged by the coach, if so, that may have a commitment to the team.

Your academic money probably comes with a minimum GPA requirement and some stipulations about progress toward a degree, but is not dependent on remaining on the team. The terms of your academic scholarship and its yearly renewal, should be clearly called out somewhere, if not in that letter, at least on the school website. You likely earned that award based on your HS GPA and test scores or it is need based. Even if the coach helped you get admitted, unless you are given athletic money, you do not have to remain on the team to keep it. This is one of the advantages of getting academic money, if you find that being on the team doesn’t work out or is too much, you can leave or take a semester of competition off. Once you accept athletic money, however, you are not “free to go” in the same way.