The DIfferent ways to get a "Full-Ride" athletic Scholarship

Key Terms

COA - Cost of Attendance 

• Tuition and fees 
• Room and board (Or living expenses for student that does not contract with the school for room and board)
• The cost of books, supplies, transportation, loan fees and misc expenses. (includes cost of personal computer) 
• Allowance for child care or other dependent care
• Costs related to a disability; and/or 
• Reasonable costs for eligible study abroad programs. 

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EFC - Expected Family Contribution

• Index number used to determine how much financial aid you will receive at each institution. 
• The information you report on you FAFSA is used to calculate your EFC. 
• These include you families taxed and un-taxed income, assets, and benefits (such as unemployment and social security) 
• Also considered are your families size and how many family members will be attending college or career school that year. 
• Click HERE for a 36 page pamphlet on how your families EFC is calculated. 

How to get financial aid for college

Every year I hear that so-and-so got a full scholarship to [insert team here] for four years and everything is paid for. Knowing how these "full-rides" are calculated, many times the football program winds up paying for a considerably small percentage of the "athletic scholarship" money to obtain that student-athlete's services in exchange for a free education for four years. For example, when I transferred from a D2 to a D1 football program, I had to sit out a full year before I could become eligible, per NCAA transfer rules. I then was considered an "independent", as I was 19 years old and not under my parents roof. I was able to get my total cost down to $780, which included books and other school expenses. Well, how is it that the cost to attend was 28,000 roughly, per year and by claiming I was a broke 19 year old (independent), I was eligible for substantial financial aid from our United States Government? Let's go over how you can get this number down before any football money is awarded, as well. 

Types of financial aid

Grants

These are known as "FREE MONEY", when it comes to grants or scholarships, grants tend to be need-based and scholarships are based on "merit" or performance. You do not have to repay these and it is your money to pay for your schooling. These can be awarded by the federal government, your state government, your college, or a private or non-profit organization. Always read the fine print, as some of these grants have stipulations and if you do not finish school or drop out, you will have to repay all of grant money. 

Types of Federal Grants

Federal Pell Grant - Maximum amount $6,095

• You can receive 150% of your "year-round pell" if you take summer classes
• Your "EFC" or Expected Family Contribution and "COA" or Cost of Attendance will determine what amount of the pell grant you qualify for. 
• You may not receive the pell grant for more than 12 semesters, which is equivalent to 6 years. 
• In some situations, there is another pell grant awarded to those who lost a parent of guardian in Iraq or Afghanistan. Some students, even with a high "EFC", will still be eligible for this financial award. 
• Your school will issue your pell grant for either your "COA" or pay you directly. 

Federal Supplementation Educational Opportunity Grant
"FSEOG"

• Participating colleges and universities allocate funds for students with severe financial aid needs. 
• Once a school awards all of its FSEOG awards, no more FSEOG awards can be given that year. 
• This program works differently than the federal pell grant, which provides funds to every eligible student. 
• Make sure to apply for your FAFSA, as early as you can, as each school sets its own deadlines for campus based funds. 

The Teach Grant 

If you want to be a teacher in a area where skilled teachers are needed, look into the TEACH Grant. Do not use this grant for extra money if you do not plan on becoming a teacher, as the department of education will turn this into a un-subsidized loan that you will have to pay back, plus interest. 

Types of Scholarships for Student-Athletes

Outside of athletic scholarships, there are many options to obtain more scholarship money for your education. Which is money awarded that you will not owe back upon graduation. Here are the different scholarships you can be hunting for and where to hunt! 

• Merit based academic scholarships - many schools dealing with our athletes over the years give financial awards based on GPA and Test scores. 
• Scholarships may also be given for a special talent, trait or interest, combined with your academic performance. 
• Scholarships can be in any amount. 
• Search in the U.S Department of Labors "scholarship finder" tool. 
• Search the US Department of Education and find your states scholarship awards HERE! 
• National and Community Service - Segal AmeriCorps Education Award
• Visit your guidance counselor or colleges financial aid office to see what is available. ​

State Scholarships and Grants list

Alabama - Central Alabama Community Foundation
Colorado - Department of Higher Education
Kansas - Kansas Board of Regents
Michigan - Michigan.Gov
Texas - College For All 
New York - Higher Education Services Corporation 
Visit Collegescholarships.org to view over 100 different types of scholarships

Student Aid Resources

Create FSA ID (1st Step)

College Football Players Cost of Attendance

America has produced a system for everyone to be able to afford college without playing football and most athletes fail to realize that they might have other talents that could deem a financial award if they look in the right places. If you are lucky enough to play Division One FBS football, you will be awarded a full athletic scholarship and each individual institution's financial aid office will deem your cost of attendance, which is awarded on top of your scholarship. Tennessee's "COA" this year is the most in the SEC, as they will receive $5,666 allocated toward costs of attending the university. 

How is this calculated? Per CollegeFootball.ap.org.

• Direct Costs - anything paid to university i.e; tuition,  books, fees, room and board.
• Indirect Costs - travel, misc personal expenses, which could cover clothes, food and entertainment. 
• Miscellaneous expenses - resources from College Board, U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics, costs from local and national businesses and student surveys are used to assess this value. 
• What a student spends money on is based on each student-athlete's individual lifestyle. Students may use their money for whatever they want, which lessens monies needed from parents or guardians. 
• In-State students and out-of-state students normally will have different COA values. 
• Institutions' COA assessment may vary based on the students a school's financial aid department would like to target. Or they may use a broader range of students. 
• Schools make adjustments year to year of their individual cost of attendance. ​

Cost of Attendance at D1 Schools

Money allocated at each program on top of full athletic scholarships. 

Tennessee - $5,666
Auburn - $5,586
Louisville - $5,202
Mississippi State - $5,126
Texas Tech - $5,100
Penn State- $4,788
TCU- $4,700
Oklahoma- $4,614
Oklahoma State - $4,560
Ole Miss - $4,500
Wisconsin - $4,316
Texas- $4,310
South Carolina - $4,151
Kansas State - $4,112
Arkansas - $4,002
Florida State - $3,884
Baylor - $3,882
Nebraska - $3,726
Missouri - $3,664
Clemson - $3,608
Utah - $3,574
Cal- $3,552
Washington State - $3,542
Arizona State - $3,358
Florida- $3,320
Arizona - $3,300
Pitt - $3,300
Maryland - $3,162
LSU - $3,096
Kansas - $3,076
Indiana - $3,036
Rutgers - $2,921
Alabama - $2,892
Miami - $2,780
Vanderbilt - $2,780
Virginia Tech - $2,770
Texas A&M - $2,706
Washington - $2,679
Stanford - $2,625
Ohio State - $2,602
Georgia - $2,598
UCLA - $2,595
Virginia - $2,564
Illinois - $2,500
Northwestern - $2,492
Oregon State - $2,484
Iowa State - $2,430
N.C. State - $2,430
Wake Forest - $2,400
Oregon - $2,340
Colorado - $2,294
Kentucky - $2,284
North Carolina - $2,236
 Duke- $2,206
Michigan- $2,204
Minnesota - $2,194
West Virginia- $1,971
Notre Dame- $1,950
Iowa - $1,938
Michigan State - $1,872
Purdue - $1,760
Georgia Tech - $1,720
Syracuse - $1,632
USC - $1,580
Boston College - $1,400

902 Universities provide football programs
(Not Counting PREP Programs)

• 130 Division One FBS Programs (Listed Above) 
• 124 Division 1AA FCS Programs 
• 169 Division 2 Programs 
• 250 Division 3 Programs 
• 96 NAIA Programs 
• 133 Junior College/Community College Programs 

Your individual Path

Only the big time D1 schools have large recruiting budgets to go after so-called top-rated recruits. Making sure the entire world of college football knows about you is pivotal to landing offers and obtaining optimal results in recruiting process. About 25%-30% of college football coaches change jobs each year. With many moving up levels of football, mostly all of college football is in communication, as information is exchanged daily. If your information is left out of this circulation being exchanged, early and often, your chances of playing college football at a high level diminish quickly. Does that mean you can't get a scholarship to one of the other 772 programs that offer football programs in some form or fashion? NO! The choice is and always will be yours and yours alone. With football season vastly approaching, do you have what it takes to take your game to the next level? 

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