Need based aid

[dadof4kids]

I know that need based aid from the college can’t be combined with athletic scholarships. At schools with no scholarships like Ivy and D3, no problem. No one gets an athletic scholarship, so need based aid can be given to everyone.

What about a school like Duke, Stanford, Northwestern, UVA, etc. that is generally full need for regular students but also gives out athletic scholarships? I am guessing that at all of those places S would be better off getting need based aid than getting a 1/2 or less scholarship, which seems to be what I am hearing is most common in his sport. Can he forgo athletic scholarship and just get the school’s regular need based aid?

[twoinanddone]

I think it depends on whether the student is a ‘counter’ for the team. A student becomes a counter a lot easier in football and basketball than other sports.

Counters are normally any student-athlete who receives an athletic scholarship, partial or full. But in sports like football and basketball, counters also include any student-athlete who was recruited and who receives financial aid from the school. This is to prevent abuse by schools who might have “walk-ons” who were recruited then given “non-athletic” scholarships from the financial aid office.

In NCAA-speak, recruited does not mean what it normally means. A prospect is recruited for financial aid purposes if one of the following things happens:

A coach has in-person contact with the prospect off-campus;
The prospect takes an official visit to the campus; or
The school sent the prospect a National Letter of Intent or other written athletic scholarship offer.

Because of this definition, there’s a lot of recruiting that can happen without a prospect being considered “recruited”:

Coaches can evaluate prospects any number of times.
Coaches can call prospects any number of times.
Prospects can take unlimited unofficial visits to the campus.
Coaches can make verbal scholarship offers to prospects. 

…

In sports other than football and basketball, student-athletes who do not receive an athletic scholarship can receive non-athletically related aid without restriction.

http://www.athleticscholarships.net/2012/07/25/schools-flexible-scholarship-limits-athletes-aid.htm

[nhparent9]

He can forgo the athletic money, and if your family financial situation yields a better result, that may be the best approach. Just always bear in mind that if the coach is committed to your kid via athletic scholarship, that can be better in some situations than being what is essentially a walk-on. Depends on the school, depends on the sport, but mostly depends on the coach. Your mileage may vary.

[dadof4kids]

That’s what I needed to know. Thanks.