These next two weekends I will be going on back to back official visits. My second OV is to my dream school and at this point, where I will verbally commit. Is it appropriate to commit at the end of the trip? How would you go about this? Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated!
I am assuming this is a Division I/II school, and some level of scholarship money is involved? If so, be sure you understand exactly what is being offered and document what the coach tells you in an email to the coach before you accept. For example:
• Is any of the scholarship dependent on a merit scholarship that hasn’t been awarded yet?
• Is the scholarship a defined amount of money, or a percentage?
• If there is a travel trip over Christmas, is it covered by the scholarship?
• Can the scholarship increase based on performance, and are there defined criteria?
Once you know those details, I think you can give a verbal commitment!
Are you sure those things can even be promised in writing before the NLI and award offer? I don’t think the athletic office can promise merit aid at all. I do not believe NCAA scholarships can be increased because of performance (although I’m sure they do) so I don’t think a coach would put it in writing that it will.
I know at least 2 situations where swimmers were specifically promised an increase in scholarship if they made an Olympic Trials time or an NCAA qualifying time. If that’s not allowed under ncaa rules I would be very surprised.
15.3.4.1 Increase Permitted.
institutional financial aid may be increased for any reason prior to the commencement of the period of the award. Once the period of the award begins, institutional aid may only be increased if the institution can demonstrate that such an increase is unrelated in any manner to an athletics reason. (Adopted: 1/11/94, Revised: 2/26/03, 4/23/08)
The increase has to be awarded prior to the start of the school year if based on performance.
Don’t be in any rush to commit. Almost every coach would welcome you saying “I really want to discuss things with my parents” and “what is you timeframe for an answer from me?”. Even if you are deadset, 100% on board, give it a couple of days.
Also, don’t let your enthusiasm for this school cause you to miss asking some questions that might be very important.
It is very common for coaches to increase the amount of aid in sports that aren’t full ride scholarship sports. Had coaches tell my D if she hit certain marks during her Senior HS season the amount of her scholarship would increase by X. Then this year after a very good freshman season her coach raised her scholarship significantly.
But you are correct, none of this would have occurred during the school year. All was awarded and would have been determined prior to the start of the school year.
Coaches can also cut aid. Most will tell you they have never done so except for extraordinary circumstances. But it can and does happen, much more often at large and extremely competivie D1 programs. Nick Saban is well known for “processing” players out of the program. If a players aid is cut there is an automatic appeal process through the school which they can participate in, depending of course if they want to stay at that school or not.
The D1 coaches have all told my daughter that they are not permitted to reduce scholarships for athletic or injury reasons (see below). However, as I understand it, those restrictions only apply during the period of the athletic award, which is typically one year. If you sign a multi-year award, then it is difficult for the coach to reduce it.
Per Rule 15.3.4.2: aid can only be reduced if the athlete:
(a) Renders himself or herself ineligible for intercollegiate competition;
(b) Fraudulently misrepresents any information on an application, letter of intent or financial aid agreement
(see Bylaw 15.3.4.2.3);
© Engages in serious misconduct warranting substantial disciplinary penalty (see Bylaw 15.3.4.2.4); or
(d) Voluntarily (on his or her own initiative) withdraws from a sport at any time for personal reasons; however,
the recipient’s financial aid may not be awarded to another student-athlete in the academic term
in which the aid was reduced or canceled. A student-athlete’s request for written permission to contact
another four-year collegiate institution regarding a possible transfer does not constitute a voluntary withdrawal.
An institutional financial aid agreement may include nonathletically related conditions (e.g., compliance with academics policies or standards, compliance with athletics department rules or policies) by which the aid may be reduced or canceled during the period of the award. (Adopted: 4/23/08, Revised: 8/7/14)
Multiyear awards have only just recently become available again, so we’ll have to see what the coaches will do. I think only Power Conferences in D1 give multiyear awards.
My daughter’s team just had a player removed from the team and I see that her money cannot be redistributed (which is what I was told by a coach when we were in the recruiting year, that if someone leaves that scholarship is just forfeited, and it was that coach’s reason for not giving money to freshmen). Boo! I thought maybe the coach could give that out next semester, not for performance, but maybe split among all upperclassmen, or to someone who lost other FA. Guess not.