There is an NCAA rule against it, @BrownParent. You can’t take institutional need based aid. If the schools could just award need based aid to athletes, it would basically allow schools to stretch the $10-12-15k scholarships allow in each sport to $20-25-30k by making every award 1/2 need based, 1/2 athletic.
Federal aid isn’t the issue (it’s allowed), it’s the school need based grants. Merit is okay. Why would the student want athletic aid if he can get more as need based aid? Probably wouldn’t, but as I said above then the ‘student athlete’ would be a walk on and not an athlete until he/she makes the team, including perhaps not being allowed to join summer practices, move in early, and until last year, eat with the team (including at practice). A walk on isn’t treated the same as a scholarship athlete, especially by the team. It’s just a fact. If the awards were very close, I’d take the athletic.
Athletic awards are not withdrawn for the academic year if the athlete is dropped from the team, injured, or even if the athlete quits. Once awarded, they are the student’s to keep. Rules are also changing to guarantee them after sophomore year, even if the athlete quits.
If it is truly need based institutional aid, it would be granted in the following years too, right? It’s NEED based, so available to any student who meets the conditions, even an athlete who has quit a team, even a sophomore student who had need met through an outside scholarship as a freshman but now has need for years 2-3. The student athlete who takes a $12,500 athletic award or a $12,500 need based aid award is in the same position, and the same offers should be there the next year.