Financial Aid - Division 3 and Ivy League!

Can Division 3 and Ivy League Schools offer Athletic Scholarships?
No! Division 3 and Ivy League schools cannot offer Athletic Scholarships – these schools offer need-based and academic financial awards.
Athletic departments are staffed and funded like any other department in the university.

Should Athletes consider D3 schools if they need a Scholarship?
Many schools offer attractive financial aid programs therefore don't overlook any school, even if they don't offer athletic scholarships.

What are Division 3 Financial Aid Packages?
Division 3 financial aid packages consist of need based grants, loans and work study programs, plus academic and leadership scholarships.

How do you apply for a Financial Aid Package?
Speak to your Guidance Counselor and/or go to FAFSA web site.www.fafsa.ed.org
It is the form you fill out to apply for federal grants and loans.www.fedmoney.org
Applying for financial aid may sound daunting, but in reality, the form is short and painless.
Don't let the idea of applying for financial aid scare you away.
You may be surprised by everything financial aid may have to offer you.

Defining a College Athletic Scholarship

Athletic Scholarships - Division 1 and 2

Do all four-year colleges offer Athletic Scholarships?

Not all four-year colleges offer athletic scholarships.
Only NCAA Division 1 and 2, NAIA schools and Junior Colleges offer Athletic Scholarships!
The three Athletic Associations mandates how many scholarships a school can offer for a particular sport.
It is up to the school whether or not they want to and can offer the maximum number of scholarships allotted to them.

What is a full-ride Athletic Scholarship?

It provides full tuition, fees, room, board and course-related books in exchange for the athlete's performance.

Are all Athletic Scholarships full rides?

Full scholarships are very rare.
The only guaranteed full scholarships are for NCAA Division 1 Basketball and Division 1 Football programs.

What is a half-and-half or Partial Scholarship?

Half and half or Partial scholarships may offer financial aid for both athletics and academics.
Most sports and teams divide scholarship money up between players.

How long do Athletic Scholarship last?

Most people think a full scholarship is good for four or five years.
Athletic Scholarships are renewed every year and may not be guaranteed (in writing) for more than one year.

Who decides if you get to keep your Athletic Scholarship?

Ultimately, the decision as to whether you'll keep your scholarship and for what amount is made by the Head Coach.
Student-Athletes must be notified by July 1 each year.

NCAA Eligibility Center - MUST REGISTER!!

NCAA Eligibility Center use to be known as the NCAA Clearinghouse.

The NCAA Eligibility Center is an agency which will provide initial-eligibility certification for all prospective student-athletes wishing to compete as a freshman at NCAA member institutions offering Division 1 or 2 athletics.

The NCAA Eligibility Center is not a recruiting service, just because you register doesn't guarantee that a college will take an interest in you. What it does is review your transcripts to determine if you are eligible to play as a freshman athlete at NCAA Division I and II schools. Your official transcripts must be sent directly from your high school’s guidance department. The NCAA Eligibility Center will not a copy of your grades sent by you.

If you have dreams of receiving any kind of athletic scholarship, you must register with and be certified by the NCAA Eligibility Center.

Find link tO NCAA Eligibility Center in http://www.mygamefilm.com/ Recruiting Guide / Academic Requirement section.

What does a Recruiting Letter mean?

If you receive a letter from a college, are you being recruited?

• Be honored but realize that College Coaches send out hundreds if not thousands of letters to prospects.

• Receiving a letter means a coach knows your name and that you play his/her sport.

• Until the coach calls you and tells you he/she is interested or invites you to visit the school, the letter means very little.

• Respond to the letter or questionnaire and follow-up with the coach.

The Basics of College Athletic Scholarships!

Do all four-year colleges offer Athletic Scholarships?
• Not all four-year colleges offer athletic scholarships.
• Only NCAA Division 1 and 2, NAIA schools and Junior Colleges offer Athletic Scholarships!
• The three Athletic Associations mandate how many scholarships a school can offer for a particular sport.
• It is up to the school whether or not they want to and can offer the maximum number of scholarships allotted to them.
What is a full-ride Athletic Scholarship?
• It provides full tuition, fees, room, board and course-related books in exchange for the athlete's performance.
Are all Athletic Scholarships full rides?
• Full scholarships are very rare.
• The only guaranteed full scholarships are for NCAA Division 1 Basketball and Division 1 Football programs.
What is a half-and-half or Partial Scholarship?
• Half and half or Partial scholarships may offer financial aid for both athletics and academics.
• Most sports and teams divide scholarship money up between players.
How long do Athletic Scholarship last?
• Most people think a full scholarship is good for four or five years.
• Athletic Scholarships are renewed every year and may not be guaranteed (in writing) for more than one year.
Who decides if you get to keep your Athletic Scholarship?
• Ultimately, the decision as to whether you'll keep your scholarship and for what amount is made by the Head Coach.
• Student-Athletes must be notified by July 1 each year.
Find more scholarship information on http://www.mygamefilm.com/

Which Schools Should I Contact?

The first step to promoting yourself to college coaches is an honest evaluation of your talent level. Are you a NCAA Division I, II, III or NAIA prospect? In sports like track and swimming you have times and distances to rely on. However, in subjective evaluated sports there are no charts or graphs that can tell you what division you should try to compete. There the beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Your high school and club coaches can be excellent judges. Opposing coaches, camp evaluations and comparing yourself with players who you have competed with or against and seeing how they are doing in college can help. Talk with people who have nothing to gain in the recruitment process.

In determining which schools to email your profile and highlight film, make sure you research the school and have an interest. Speak to your guidance counselor to make sure you can meet the school's academic standards. Another factor you might consider is the region or state the school is located.

Gather all the information you can, be realistic but don’t to sell yourself short, and get the ball rolling!

GET YOUR FILM OUT EARLY AND OFTEN

If you are receiving a personal phone call from Jim Tressel or Charlie Weis, you probably don’t need to promote yourself. All the colleges know the big high school stars, especially in football and basketball.
There are other boys and girls in other sports who are good enough to play in Mid Major, D-IAA or D-II, where scholarship money is available, but two things happen. The smaller schools don’t know about them because they don’t have the recruiting budgets, and neither the kids nor their parents know how to market them.
Major programs have huge recruiting budgets for travel and research.
Schools like USC and Notre Dame recruit nationally but schools like Elon or Illinois State recruit regionally. Somebody’s got to get the word out. High Coaches don’t always have the time and budgets. They’ve got the next game to get ready for. They’ve got a full teaching load. They’ve got their own families to take care of. Who’s most interested in a kid? The parents. What do they do? When it comes to recruiting, they sit and wait.
Don’t be misled if you receive a letter of interest from a college. Receiving a letter means a coach knows your name and that you play his/her sport. Letters are mass mailings.They might send out hundreds of letters. Until they invite you for an official visit, they’re not recruiting you.
Get your film out early and often and to many schools as you see fit....and 10 is definitely not enough...get yours out to 50 plus schools that can see your skills. Click on http://www.mygamefilm.com/. Utilizing today's technology this site has made it easy to email recruiting video. This Do-It-Yourself recruiting tool provides both the guidance and resources for athletes to email their highlight film and profiles directly to college coaches across the country. It also provides a Feedback Scoreboard showing them when coaches click on a link (in the email) to view their film. No more sending tapes/DVDs and wondering if anyone has seen them!
Be proactive make sure college coaches are aware of your desire to play and find out where you fit!