<p>Hypothetical Question:</p>
<p>Tuition/Room/Board cost is $50,000
Athletic Scholarship is $25,000
Family Contribution estimated at $18,000 </p>
<p>Can athlete receive $7,000 in financial aid to offset the "difference"</p>
<p>Yes, you can combine aid - the total just can’t exceed the cost of attendance, of course.</p>
<p>If you get enough scholarship money you can even avoid the “family contribution” part and not pay anything at all…</p>
<p>I was under the impression, however, that if you get $25,000 athletic and $7,000 need based aid that the sport is charged with the full amount.</p>
<p>Is that true?</p>
<p>My understanding is that the NCAA wants to avoid a situation where a booster is giving outside scholarships to supplement a teams athletic scholarships. But if it’s need-based institutional aid, or academic merit money based on meeting a specific standards, that’s okay.</p>