Scholarship Follow Up

Question: To make sure I understand this correctly, say a school has 10 scholarships and carries 20 players, and they distribute the money evenly---5 in each class---and the coach gives each kid 50% (10/20), and the tuition/room and board is $50,000 annually, does each kid get $25,000 per year for 4 years?

Answer: Unfortunately, there still isn't a simple answer to this question because coaches often administer their money differently. So, unless the coach in question has specifically told you that that is how he/she spends the scholarship allotment, there's no guarantee your suggested scenario will be accurate. IF, however, the coach has said your player will get $25,000 a year for 4 years, then that should be the case. Just be sure you find out in advance under what circumstances a scholarship might be revoked.

Also, it's rare that a team is broken down into 5 players in each class. More likely there will be 4 seniors, perhaps 6 juniors, 3 sophomores and 7 freshmen. (Or some other distribution.) Also, a coach might offer players less money as freshmen (this is very common) and then if they perform as hoped for over the next four years, the coach may increase the scholarship amount every year.

Frankly, it's nearly impossible to generalize how every college team will spend its money. So, I suggest that you ask the coach at the school in question what his/her policies are regarding scholarships. This is something it's very important for parents to be clear about regardless of the college or how much money the program may have.