Merit aid and the D3 recruited athlete

Parents Forum
1

<p>D3 athletes do not receive athletic scholarships so what impact does being a D3 recruited athlete have on merit aid? Do D3 athletes receive more merit aid than traditional students?
(Also assuming parents can pay COA)</p>

2

<p>You may want to post this athletic recruit subforun found here <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/athletic-recruits/[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/athletic-recruits/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

3

<p>I have a D who is a recruited DIII athlete. She received several great merit aid packages from several schools. Her GPA was good, not top, and her ACT was good but not CC great. We believe her merit aid would not have been as good if she wasn’t an athlete.</p>

4

<p>Private schools (DIII) can do pretty much anything they want to do. And yes, I agree that there is probably more leeway for recruited athletes or other “highly desireable” students. My oldest D got a pretty hefty scholarship based on her community service in HS, but she was also recruited to play a sport. Seems to me that there are all kinds of “scholarships” in the mix. The only schools where being a DIII athlete doesn’t really help you financially are those schools that only offer need-based aid. </p>

<p>Now… could they look at an athlete and meet their aid more generously than if he/she were not an athlete? Yes. But if you don’t qualify for aid at a DIII need-based only school, than there are no merit scholarships regardless of your grades or success on the field.court. Your athletic prowess, however, probably did help you get admitted - need or not. In our case, however, the coaches my son spoke to were clear to say that most of their slots and tips were used up via early decision I and if they had it, EDII. They were very interested in him playing for them, but since he had committed to apply ED elsewhere (independent of sport), he was then left to get in “on his own.” When he did get into several of these schools, all of the coaches called him almost immediately to try to woo him into coming to theirs. He gets no money - aid or merit - but he is going to a school he has fallen in love with!! (and we hope we don’t go broke sending him!!) :)</p>