Tag Archive for: Scholarship Strategies

,

Is Your Athlete’s NCAA DI Coach Threatening to Take Away Their Scholarship?

We’ve recently been contacted by some athletes who have been told by their NCAA Division I head coach that their scholarship won’t be renewed for next year.

Others have told us that their coach is telling them that they should transfer and that “we’ll help you with your transfer to another school.”

We encourage athletes and families to consider their possible options and not react too quickly to such news. Reacting too quickly without knowing your options may place you in an even worse position.

For example: If a Division I coach is telling your athlete that they aren’t renewing their scholarship for next year, what they might NOT be saying is that the athlete has the right to appeal that decision to the campus Financial Aid Appeal Committee.

However, if the athlete enters the Transfer Portal before the hearing takes place, the athlete may be forfeiting their right to request an appeal hearing. That’s because the university has the right to terminate the scholarship of an athlete who enters the Transfer Portal at the end of the semester in which the athlete enters the Portal.

Do You Need Help?

If you would like to discuss the rights and options that an athlete can consider when their scholarship is being threatened, schedule a Scholarship Strategies consult online. Or you can send an email to rick@informedathlete.com or call 913-766-1235 to schedule a session.

/by

Does your student-athlete want to de-commit from their signed scholarship?

Each year about this time, we receive a few inquiries from parents whose son or daughter is having second thoughts about attending the college with which they’ve signed a scholarship or made a commitment to.

The most common reason that a student-athlete wants to de-commit from their signed scholarship offer with a university is because the coach that recruited them has left for a job at another school.

In these situations, we strongly advise the student-athlete to decide what they want to do BEFORE the semester starts.

There are a few important reasons for this:

  • If your athlete starts attending classes and then wants to leave, it could potentially cost thousands of dollars in withdrawal fees, dorm charges, etc.
  • Starting the semester and then withdrawing could also result in zero credit hours on their transcript for the semester. This will damage their eligibility for the spring semester at their current college or at another college as a transfer student.
  • When a student-athlete starts attending classes, it triggers the start of their “five-year clock” if they are currently (or hope to be in the future) a Division I athlete. If they are a DII or DIII athlete, it will be counted as using one of their 10 semesters of full-time enrollment.

If your athlete is having “second thoughts” and you’d like to discuss possible options and consequences, contact us at 913-766-1235 or send an email to rick@informedathlete.com

To schedule a phone consult or an email consult online, click Scholarship Strategies Consult Options.

 

/by

NCAA Athletic Scholarship Renewal Notice Deadline July 1st

An NCAA Division I or II athlete who was on scholarship during the 2017-18 academic year must be notified no later than July 1 if their scholarship will be reduced or not renewed for the 2018-19 academic year.

The official notification must come from the university’s financial aid office, and must include information about the opportunity to appeal the reduction or cancellation.

If your athlete has been verbally informed by the coach that their scholarship is being reduced or won’t be renewed for next year, but has not yet received the official notice described above, I suggest that you request information about the hearing opportunity as soon as possible.

Otherwise, if you wait to receive the official notification from the financial aid office, you could be waiting until near the end of July before a campus committee hears your appeal.

Here’s an example of how much delay could occur:

– Athlete is verbally informed by the coach at the end of their season in May that their scholarship won’t be renewed for next year.

-But, the athlete is waiting for the written notification, and assumes that it may come after final exams, so doesn’t act on the word from the coach.  The official notice actually isn’t sent to the athlete until late June.

-When the athlete receives the notice, he/she considers it for a couple of days, and now it’s early July when the athlete wants to request the appeal, but the campus is closed for the July 4th holiday.

-The university may have up to 30 days from receiving the athlete’s request for appeal in which to conduct the hearing (depending upon school policy), so it’s now late July or early August before the hearing takes place and a ruling is determined.

Obviously, not much time to plan for the 2018-19 school year!!!

Contact us at 913-766-1235 or send an email to rick@informedathlete.com if you have questions about scholarship reductions or non-renewals.

/by