I am a high school senior currently going through the d3 football recruiting process. Financial aid is going to be a big factor in my college decision, and I need some help. So far, the best aid I have received at any of the institutions was from my GPA and test score. However, at all of the colleges I am looking at after the initial aid I receive still leaves the price at $30,000+. I do not expect to receive anything from FASFA, as my parents make a good amount of money. How much more money can I expect the college to provide me? Will playing football help me receive any more aid at all? Any more advice?
NCAA does not allow a school to give athletic scholarships in D3, so I’m afraid playing football will not help you financially. I’m sure there are stories out there about athletes getting a better deal, but those stories are, for the most part, urban legend or perpetuated by parents/students who don’t understand that there is no athletic money for D3. Finding sneaky ways around that rule puts the school at risk of sanction. Additionally, since a student can stop participating at any time, the school would risk getting nothing in return for its investment.
FAFSA doesn’t award aid. It’s just an application or Fed (and sometimes state) aid, and most colleges use the numbers it generates to make some of their own awards. If your EFC (index generated by the FAFSA) is around 30K, that is the least amount you can expect to pay, unless you go up to D2, which can give athletic money, or you get huge merit for those grades and test scores.
You need to talk to the College Coach and the College Financial Aid office about those options. It varies by school and how much they want you. And we don’t even know what school you are talking about. Call the college.
Does the coach know that you will not be able to play for hi without sufficient financial aid?
Really…the coach can advocate for you, but the school puts itself in a precarious position if it awards you need based aid you are not eligible to receive.
Would you qualify for these other merit awards? And how much would they be? Enough for you to attend the school?
My son was a top D3 athletic recruit and a lower-tier D-1 recruit. Several D3 coaches really wanted him to come and asked how important the financial package was to his decision. They made offers that were very very difficult to turn down.