<p>Thanks for all the help, my son has recently been taking his running less serious, he has gotten many injuries in the past year, and I am sure he will not get anything for any involment in these activities, not a concern now.</p>
<p>Ninerrya--</p>
<p>To give you an idea of what it takes to get Div I scholarship. One of D's friends (Ben Johnson) is ranked #2 in the country and is an NMF scholar.</p>
<p>He ran 5:39.44 in the 5000m at the state championships in November, a 14:56.00 in the 5000m in the Nike Southwest Regional, a 24:41 in the 8K at the USATF XC Nationals.</p>
<p>Ben was recruited by several Div I schools (including Oregon, Penn, Stanford, Texas A&M and about 5 others). He signed with Stanford.</p>
<p>From conversations with Ben, it's about the whole package--you have to be competitive athlete, but the schools expect a strong academic record as well. Ben took a full load of AP classes, starting his sophomore year.</p>
<p>BTW, Ben's oldest brother, Jeremy, runs for University of New Mexico (on scholarship) and is considered a strong possibility for Beijing this summer.</p>
<p>NCAA Schools That Sponsor Men's Cross Country by division. Scroll down the page to 'Sponsoring Institutions'. </p>
<p>Slippery Rock does give XC scholarships. It would be very valuable for your son to talk to the coach there and find out what he needs to make the team, get any money from them. This would be a rock solid fact that he could work with. He can also look at like schools in PA such as Clarion, Bloomsburg, Edinburgh, etc and see what their polices towards the sport are. He can also find out about what he needs to have a chance at money or to run or run for college at all. His XC coach should know something about this too, and it might be a good idea to meet with him, you, son and coach, and find out what the realistic prospects are for him. </p>
<p>First of all when you fill out FAFSA, you get a number called EFC which is based mostly on your family income and somewhat on your assets. That number tells you if you are eligible for government grants such as the Pell and the SEOUGH. Not all schools have the SEOUGH. PA residents also have state money they can get based on that number. It also determines if your son is eligible for some subsidized loans, the Stafford, and maybe the Perkins. The only 2 programs that I know that are guaranteed for your EFC are the Pell and Stafford subsidized (and the PA state money). The rest has to come from the college, and most colleges that just require the FAFSA do not tend to meet 100% of EFC. Schools also have merit money that they give out based on how much they want your son. Test scores (SAT) and grades come into play there along with a "whole person" appraisal as to what he can add to the school. </p>
<p>Many private schools also require another form, the PROFILE which is more extensive than than the FAFSA. When you complete that form, you get whatever government money that FAFSA's EFC make you eligible for, and then they come up with their own need number which they try to meet with their resources. D3 colleges tend to be private schools, that tend to be more expensive but if you can find schools that meet close to 100% of need, you can sometimes do better than with a state school since they tend to gap. </p>
<p>You should run your numbers through the sample FAFSa here on the CC site and see what you get. Find out what the PA grant rules are. What are your son's SAT/grades? That can have an effect on the financial package. </p>
<p>I too am over run with sons. My oldest has a good friend who had an athletic scholarship at Slippery Rock.</p>