August 25, 2015
By Glenn Osborne
Most schools from the so-called “Power Five” conferences downplayed the impact that new cost of attendance scholarships would have on recruiting, particularly in football.
The prevailing argument seemed to be that a player who wanted to play for Nick Saban at Alabama or Steve Spurrier at South Carolina or Urban Meyer at Ohio State wouldn’t change his mind over a few hundred extra dollars of spending money.
That’s why a recent news release from the University of Louisville caught my eye.
It trumpeted the fact that UofL “leads the way on cost of attendance, financial literacy.” Louisville’s cost of attendance gap for the coming school was was determined by the Financial Aid Office as $5,364, a figure projected to be one of the highest in Division I, the school said.
Louisville’s athletics department announced that its cost of attendance scholarship was among the most generous in the nation (UofL Athletics Photo)
UofL’s Financial Aid Office determines the COA gap annually as part of a broader calculation to determine financial aid eligibility for all students, including student-athletes.
According to the release, UofL student-athletes on athletic scholarship participating in “head count” sports, those that offer full-athletic scholarships per scholarship student-athlete, will receive the full COA gap. UofL’s head count sports are men’s and women’s basketball, football, women’s tennis and women’s volleyball.
UofL’s equivalency sports, which have a pre-determined number of full athletic scholarships to divide among an entire roster, will receive additional funding in their respective scholarship budgets also based on the new, full cost of attendance figure. NCAA Student Assistance Funds are also available to help support student athletes.
“This was a landmark change to Division I financial aid rules and, most importantly, a change that will enhance the support we provide our student-athletes,” said athletics director Tom Jurich.
For comparison’s sake, Kentucky scholarship athletes will receive an additional $2,284 this year while he total at Georgia is slightly more, $3,221. If you go to Tennessee, its financial aid office has set the cost of attendance at $5,666. Eastern Kentucky scholarship athletes will receive as much as an extra $4,600.
Hedging their bets and seeking every advantage possible, the Louisville athletics department apparently believes the extra money will provide incentive for at least some of their recruits to choose to wear the Red and Black.
By Glenn Osborne
Most schools from the so-called “Power Five” conferences downplayed the impact that new cost of attendance scholarships would have on recruiting, particularly in football.
The prevailing argument seemed to be that a player who wanted to play for Nick Saban at Alabama or Steve Spurrier at South Carolina or Urban Meyer at Ohio State wouldn’t change his mind over a few hundred extra dollars of spending money.
That’s why a recent news release from the University of Louisville caught my eye.
It trumpeted the fact that UofL “leads the way on cost of attendance, financial literacy.” Louisville’s cost of attendance gap for the coming school was was determined by the Financial Aid Office as $5,364, a figure projected to be one of the highest in Division I, the school said.
Louisville’s athletics department announced that its cost of attendance scholarship was among the most generous in the nation (UofL Athletics Photo)
UofL’s Financial Aid Office determines the COA gap annually as part of a broader calculation to determine financial aid eligibility for all students, including student-athletes.
According to the release, UofL student-athletes on athletic scholarship participating in “head count” sports, those that offer full-athletic scholarships per scholarship student-athlete, will receive the full COA gap. UofL’s head count sports are men’s and women’s basketball, football, women’s tennis and women’s volleyball.
UofL’s equivalency sports, which have a pre-determined number of full athletic scholarships to divide among an entire roster, will receive additional funding in their respective scholarship budgets also based on the new, full cost of attendance figure. NCAA Student Assistance Funds are also available to help support student athletes.
“This was a landmark change to Division I financial aid rules and, most importantly, a change that will enhance the support we provide our student-athletes,” said athletics director Tom Jurich.
For comparison’s sake, Kentucky scholarship athletes will receive an additional $2,284 this year while he total at Georgia is slightly more, $3,221. If you go to Tennessee, its financial aid office has set the cost of attendance at $5,666. Eastern Kentucky scholarship athletes will receive as much as an extra $4,600.
Hedging their bets and seeking every advantage possible, the Louisville athletics department apparently believes the extra money will provide incentive for at least some of their recruits to choose to wear the Red and Black.