Frequently Asked Questions
How did UofL determine its COA gap? Why is Louisville’s COA gap so high?
UofL’s Financial Aid Office determines all elements of the cost of attendance including the miscellaneous expense (COA gap) element. This determination is made for all students attending UofL as it helps determine their overall need level to attend school.
What are the COA gap amounts nationally?
There is a great variation of gaps across Division I. Media reports have indicated a range from an estimated $1,500 to above $5,000. The overall cost of attendance varies by institution based on factors unique to an institution including a school’s size, location, and cost of living. The cost of attendance also includes core financial aid elements like tuition, room, board, and books.
What are the COA gap funds intended to cover?
The COA gap is intended to cover a student-athlete’s other reasonable costs related to attending college. These costs include transportation, use of a computer, cell phone, clothing, laundry, child care, personal and hygiene items, and other reasonable costs associated with attending college.
What additional life skills education will UofL student-athletes receive in light of the new COA gap funding?
UofL has offered life skills programming to its student-athletes for many years. A major initiative for UofL’s athletics programs for 2015-16 and beyond is to enhance ‘financial literacy’ amongst all UofL student-athletes.
UofL’s financial literacy programming will include various in-person and on-line training modules to help educate all UofL student-athletes about budgeting, credit and debt management, loans and financing, bank accounts, investing, insurance, as well as guidance about transition from life as a college student to life after college.
Are foreign student-athletes eligible for the COA gap element?
Foreign student-athletes receiving a full athletic scholarship are eligible to receive the COA gap funds like any domestic student athlete on a full athletics scholarship.
How are COA gap funds disbursed?
Similar to other components of an athletic scholarship, the COA gap element will be disbursed in multiple installments per semester to UofL student-athletes on full athletic scholarships that include the COA gap.
Is this pay-for-play?
No. The COA gap element being disbursed to full scholarship student-athletes is part of the newly defined full athletic scholarship. The disbursements are not “stipends”---even though some media have mistakenly used that term.
How does the COA gap factor in to equivalency sports’ athletic scholarships?
NCAA Division I equivalency sports operate with a pre-set number of full athletic scholarships to divide amongst a greater number of student-athletes. For example, Division I women’s soccer has an NCAA prescribed limit of 14 full athletic scholarships to divide amongst all of its scholarship student-athletes. However, Division I women’s soccer programs might have 25 to 30 student-athletes participating. Therefore, the vast majority of women’s soccer student-athletes are on partial athletic scholarships. Partial athletic scholarship student-athletes are often in a position to combine their athletic scholarship with other non-athletic (e.g., academic) scholarships to help cover their entire cost of attendance.
All U of L equivalency sports’ scholarship budgets will be fully funded to the new cost of attendance level in conjunction with NCAA prescribed limits. Each program decides how much a student-athlete would receive in athletics aid while minding NCAA team scholarship limits and federal financial-aid limits applicable to all college students including student-athletes. An equivalency student-athlete could receive a full athletic scholarship which, in turn, could include the COA gap element.
How did UofL determine its COA gap? Why is Louisville’s COA gap so high?
UofL’s Financial Aid Office determines all elements of the cost of attendance including the miscellaneous expense (COA gap) element. This determination is made for all students attending UofL as it helps determine their overall need level to attend school.
What are the COA gap amounts nationally?
There is a great variation of gaps across Division I. Media reports have indicated a range from an estimated $1,500 to above $5,000. The overall cost of attendance varies by institution based on factors unique to an institution including a school’s size, location, and cost of living. The cost of attendance also includes core financial aid elements like tuition, room, board, and books.
What are the COA gap funds intended to cover?
The COA gap is intended to cover a student-athlete’s other reasonable costs related to attending college. These costs include transportation, use of a computer, cell phone, clothing, laundry, child care, personal and hygiene items, and other reasonable costs associated with attending college.
What additional life skills education will UofL student-athletes receive in light of the new COA gap funding?
UofL has offered life skills programming to its student-athletes for many years. A major initiative for UofL’s athletics programs for 2015-16 and beyond is to enhance ‘financial literacy’ amongst all UofL student-athletes.
UofL’s financial literacy programming will include various in-person and on-line training modules to help educate all UofL student-athletes about budgeting, credit and debt management, loans and financing, bank accounts, investing, insurance, as well as guidance about transition from life as a college student to life after college.
Are foreign student-athletes eligible for the COA gap element?
Foreign student-athletes receiving a full athletic scholarship are eligible to receive the COA gap funds like any domestic student athlete on a full athletics scholarship.
How are COA gap funds disbursed?
Similar to other components of an athletic scholarship, the COA gap element will be disbursed in multiple installments per semester to UofL student-athletes on full athletic scholarships that include the COA gap.
Is this pay-for-play?
No. The COA gap element being disbursed to full scholarship student-athletes is part of the newly defined full athletic scholarship. The disbursements are not “stipends”---even though some media have mistakenly used that term.
How does the COA gap factor in to equivalency sports’ athletic scholarships?
NCAA Division I equivalency sports operate with a pre-set number of full athletic scholarships to divide amongst a greater number of student-athletes. For example, Division I women’s soccer has an NCAA prescribed limit of 14 full athletic scholarships to divide amongst all of its scholarship student-athletes. However, Division I women’s soccer programs might have 25 to 30 student-athletes participating. Therefore, the vast majority of women’s soccer student-athletes are on partial athletic scholarships. Partial athletic scholarship student-athletes are often in a position to combine their athletic scholarship with other non-athletic (e.g., academic) scholarships to help cover their entire cost of attendance.
All U of L equivalency sports’ scholarship budgets will be fully funded to the new cost of attendance level in conjunction with NCAA prescribed limits. Each program decides how much a student-athlete would receive in athletics aid while minding NCAA team scholarship limits and federal financial-aid limits applicable to all college students including student-athletes. An equivalency student-athlete could receive a full athletic scholarship which, in turn, could include the COA gap element.
