Merit Aid Strategies for Student-Athletes
Thank You to Big J Educational Consulting!
A huge thank you to Jeff Levy and Jennie Kent at Big J Educational Consulting for adding NCAA and NAIA context to their annual research of 475 colleges, spotlighting merit aid opportunities. This list is invaluable for prospective NCAA Division III student-athletes looking to identify schools offering the best financial fit based on data that supports the potential for merit aid since these schools do not offer athletic scholarships.
CLICK HERE FOR THE ATHLETIC DIVISIONS AND CONFERENCES (PARTIAL LIST)
What is Merit Aid?
A merit scholarship is a financial award given to a student who excels in academics or other areas. This is especially important for student-athletes trying to get recruited by institutions that don’t offer athletic scholarships, such as schools in the Ivy League (Division 1) or Division 3.
How to use this list
Merit aid eligibility depends on your student-athlete’s academic and extracurricular profile (grades, rigor, test scores, activities, etc.) as it compares to the admissions and merit aid qualifications of a particular school. To get a quick sampling of the range of merit aid options, here are a few examples of athletic conferences with schools offering varying levels of merit aid:
Division I: Ivy League
Division III: NESCAC, UAA, Liberty League, NEWMAC, Centennial, So. Cal. Intercol. Ath. Conf
Here are a few strategies you can use when researching schools.
SCENARIO 1 - Maximize Merit Aid
Families seeking to reduce college costs can target schools that award significant merit aid. Compare the Cost of Attendance to the Average Merit Aid Award to evaluate the potential net price. Focus on schools with both a high Average Merit Award and a high % of Non-Need Undergrads Receiving Merit.
Filter by institution, state, division, or conference.
Sort by Average Merit Aid Award or % of Non-Need Undergrads Receiving Merit (high to low).
SCENARIO 2 - Focus on Full-Pay Schools
Families able to pay full price may prioritize schools with minimal or no merit aid since coaches will be limited to recruiting athletes who can afford the school’s full cost of attendance or those athletes with high need who will qualify for need-based aid. Focus on schools with a low Average Merit Award and/or a low % of Non-Need Undergrads Receiving Merit.
Filter by institution, state, division, or conference.
Sort by Average Merit Aid Award or % of Non-Need Undergrads (low to high).
DISCLAIMERS
This is not a complete list of NCAA and NAIA schools. You can find that here: NCAA Directory, NAIA Directory
This is not a complete list of athletic conferences.
This list is not sport-specific. Reference the NCAA Directory to look for a list of schools that offer your sport.
The data represented in this list refers to all undergraduate students, not just student-athletes.