I don’t know if there is anyone who can help, but thought I’d try. We have had a young man living with us since he was in the 8th grade and he is now trying to start his Sophomore year of college.
He started as a preferred walk-on for Oklahoma State football. Unfortunately, his people grant and minor loans did not come even close to covering the costs for the year. We didn’t know this balance was building over the year and I don’t think he was clear on it either.
He has now decided to accept a full-paid spot at Kilgore Junior College so that he doesn’t incur more unnecessary debt.
Unfortunately, per NCAA rules, he can’t play football at kilgore until he gets an official transcript from OSU- which they won’t release until the balance is $0. The current balance is $34,000 and there is no way to pay that all at once.
Apparently, there were loans he could have taken out while enrolled at OSU, but now that he’s transferred we don’t know how to help him. He has worked so hard to get out of the poverty stricken life he grew up in and I’m worried he will feel defeated and go back if we can’t help him figure this out.
I am very confused as to how this could have happened. It is unusual for a student with a balance from fall to be allowed to register for spring - and even so, I can’t believe they didn’t drop him from those spring classes. How did this happen? Usually, the only way to lift the hold would be if there was financial aid in progress that would cover the balance. I am really skeptical about this scenario, but I will bite: DId he file a FAFSA for 2016-2017? If so, there might be some possibility of a late Pell disbursement. Even so, there would be a huge deficit to pay. A private loan is all I can suggest in this case.
I feel like OSU can’t hold his transcript because he has fees out. Can they suspend him and prevent him from attending? Sure. But transcripts are just records that contain his personal information and therefore he should be able to have full access too. However I’m not fully aware on OSU’s policies and the legality of the situation. I understand that money is tight but I would see if you can at the very least talk to a lawyer about the legality of them refusing to provide an official transcript because that doesn’t make sense to me.
I skimmed through it and from what I gathered since transcripts are documents of the school the school does legally have the right to withhold information. I would still consult a lawyer to see what the best course of path would be. But it seems like a rough situation.
Withholding transcripts is they only way the schools have of assuring they get payment, nothing wrong with that. I don’t understand how the student didn’t know he had an outstanding balance and agree with @kelsmom that it’s unusual that he could have even registered for the second semester with an outstanding balance from Fall semester. Perhaphs he had scholarships that were ‘front loaded’ and covered all his first semester fees but but he didn’t get these scholarships second semester? I know this is the case with my some of my D’s scholarships.
In any case he’s not going to get those transcripts until he’s paid in full.
Withholding of the transcript is common practice with most universities when a student owes money to a university.
The university has to pay its bills too.
The student has to pay his owed fees otherwise the college will never get their payment. What’s weird is that this is NEWS to the student: Usually the universities are very persistent when money is owed.
Agree with @Kelsmom, a private loan seems to be the only out.
He never filed financial aid forms? How did he get his previous loans?
I’m not sure where you are getting the advice or information you are sharing here…but on this…you are very wrong.
This school can most definitely hold this students transcript because of an unpaid balance. In fact…schools hold transcripts for unpaid balances that are MUCH smaller.
What do you think a lawyer will be able to do?
I’m with the others…how did he incur debt that was more than the cost of attendance? And how was he allowed to register for the second term with an unpaid balance from the first.
He will need to get this sorted out with OSU (Oklahoma)…or they will not release his transcript.
I stated I was wrong towards the end of the post after I posted the link. Maybe I should have just not posted in the first place. I was just unaware that schools had this policy and wasn’t really sure if he had any options. Which apparently he doesn’t have any options besides just paying up what he owes. Sorry for speaking on something I’m not informed about.
Even if a school would allow a student to start without a transcript from all schools that student had attended (they won’t, but they could if they wanted to), the NCAA doesn’t allow it. OSU will have to be paid or agree to release the transcript, or the student cannot play.
<<<<He started as a preferred walk-on for Oklahoma State football.<<<
I think it’s horrible that a football coach would agree to an OOS walk-in where obviously he doesn’t have the funding to attend, including no parents paying.
I’m pretty sure I read that they had 45 walk ons, which seems like a lot. These kids don’t get scholarships, so it sounds like a “pay to play” situation. The coaches probably don’t know much the financial situations of the players who take them up on it. I get the impression that their purpose is so the 1st string has an actual team to play against during practice.
Can he take a gap year and work to pay this off? Is he living with you? I don’t understand how this happened. Attending an out of state college without any money to pay for it. And they let him rack up an entire year’s worth of debt without payment. He had no Pell grant or Stafford loans? Not one person at OSU worked with him before he transferred?
Once the student and coach have ‘contact’ (which is defined by NCAA rules), if the student goes to that school he is either a full scholarship student or a ‘preferred walk on.’ The school can give no need based financial aid from the school to a preferred walk-on (federal loans or Pell grant are okay). This rule is very specific for D1 football. I suspect the student didn’t understand that and thought the school could give him more aid. It can’t.
The only thing the team can really give the walk-on is food during practices and games and travel (if they travel, but most don’t), uniforms and other clothing/equipment, and the room and board for the summer camp. It cannot give tuition, room, board, books.
You’re probably thinking ‘why would any student agree to that?’ but 30+ students are non-scholarship athletes on D1 teams every year, with another 100 wishing they could have the opportunity. They are hoping for a scholarship for junior/senior year or just want to play. A Minnesota kicker just got one and there were tears all around (from his mother especially!). ND gave one out last year to a senior who had been an on-field player for 3 years.
@twoinanddone Being a walk-on at an OOS university is clearly a luxury item then that not everyone can afford. I don’t think many people pay the OOS fees. Probably the majority of kids go to their more affordable in state option.
This student should not have more than $34,000 in debt after FOUR years of school. He had maxxed out in his first year. I’m sad for him that there was not an adult in his life who could have guided him financially to a responsible and reasonable plan. Plenty of students have to work and then go to school when they have the money. I don’t see a way around him stopping for a period to pay down the debt.
Going to college is a luxury many cannot afford, but many want it and don’t understand that borrowing all that money is not a good idea.
The preferred walk ons either got no other offers or didn’t like the offers they got and want to go where they want to go- Notre Dame, Cal, Alabama, Clemson. Every single D1 Power 5 school has a full roster of 105 players, and that means at least 30 are walk ons. Instate, OOS, private, they get no money. I think the OP’s student just didn’t understand. If he didn’t file a FAFSA, maybe he wasn’t eligible for it. Someone at the school should have explained the financial situation. It’s very complicated.
If he has lived with your since 8th grade, did you guide him through the college process? Are you an official guardian? Named as a financial source etc? If not. who did help him with the application?
Figuring out who to blame isn’t going to help here. This kid needs money, which means he needs a job, not a way to keep playing football.
In addition, he needs to understand what is happening with his debt to his college – are penalties and finance charges being added on, etc. He may need to look for a loan at better terms than the college is giving him.
For example, see the 30% charges the state of Virginia hit its students with
<<< I’m pretty sure I read that they had 45 walk ons, which seems like a lot. These kids don’t get scholarships, so it sounds like a “pay to play” situation.<<<
Yes, and that’s why these are usually affluent kids, or ones who at least qualify for the school’s merit awards.
Bama had a very good kicker several years ago, a walk on (kickers don’t usually get schollies), but his family was an affluent Alabama family. He played every game and actually was the reason for many wins. He was given a scholarship his senior year.
I still think it’s odd that the coach wouldn’t have had some idea that this was a kid who wouldn’t have the means to pay. He had to know enough about his kid to know that he didn’t even really have a family at all.
And as mentioned how was he allowed to enroll for spring semester after not paying all of fall semester?