Cost of college and scholarships

[erniekru]

As a player, the only thing that is totally under their control in college softball is grades. Smash the grades, softball gets easier to get recruited and cheaper for the family.

Couple of points of interest:
1- college rosters are usually way bigger than 20, DD is a HS Senior and going to a mid major D1 next year that will have around 30 kids on the roster sharing those 12 scholarships.
2- The amount of athletic money to each player is negotiated each year (most cases). Usually, upper classmen that are the backbone of the team get more money.
3- Coaches will have a couple of recruits that they chase with a lot of money each year, the rest they would like to fill with kids with good grades as the team has way more flexibility with academic money than athletic money (ESPECIALLY private).
4- FAFSA money helps teams too. Your 2 year prior tax return determines your players eligibility to receive money. When athletic, academic, and FAFSA money equals more than 100% of the Cost of Attendance, the excess ATHLETIC money goes back to the team to spend. This is especially valuable to teams, more money = more better!!

Work hard, don't try to plan it all out too much. You can't control who wants to recruit your daughter. The entire process is maddening sometimes, awesome sometimes, and weirdly anticlimactic at the end.

College will cost way less than private HS and travel softball for our family.

 

[TwoPitcherFam]

As a player, the only thing that is totally under their control in college softball is grades. Smash the grades, softball gets easier to get recruited and cheaper for the family.

Couple of points of interest:
1- college rosters are usually way bigger than 20, DD is a HS Senior and going to a mid major D1 next year that will have around 30 kids on the roster sharing those 12 scholarships.
2- The amount of athletic money to each player is negotiated each year (most cases). Usually, upper classmen that are the backbone of the team get more money.
3- Coaches will have a couple of recruits that they chase with a lot of money each, the rest they would like to fill with kids with good grades as the team has way more flexibility with academic money than athletic money (ESPECIALLY private).
4- FAFSA money helps teams too. Your 2 year prior tax return determines your players eligibility to receive money. When athletic, academic, and FAFSA money equals more than 100% of the Cost of Attendance, the ATHLETIC money goes back to the team to spend. This is especially valuable to teams, more money = more better!!

Work hard, don't try to plan it all out too much. You can't control who wants to recruit your daughter. The entire process is maddening sometimes, awesome sometimes, and weirdly anticlimactic at the end.

College will cost way less than private HS and travel softball for our family.

Agreed on the academics. It helps getting in, get money in some cases and most importantly likely means you can handle a student athlete role with a good GPA (which are published). Keep in mind if someone’s child is exceptional in school and looking the very elite academic schools, many do not give academic scholarships. That is true for both D1 and D3.

30? I am not sure I have heard of a roster that size. I glanced at the top ranked program in each Power 5 conference- Oklahoma 21, FSU 22, Nowrthwestern 20, Tenn 22, UCLA 24 and schools like Duke with 19. Some of the best mid major schools- BU 21, SD state 21, Louisiana 21. Perhaps said team has a ton of injuries. Does the whole team fly to Florida/ away games?

 

[erniekru]

Agreed on the academics. It helps getting in, get money in some cases and most importantly likely means you can handle a student athlete role with a good GPA (which are published). Keep in mind if someone’s child is exceptional in school and looking the very elite academic schools, many do not give academic scholarships. That is true for both D1 and D3.

30? I am not sure I have heard of a roster that size. I glanced at the top ranked program in each Power 5 conference- Oklahoma 21, FSU 22, Nowrthwestern 20, Tenn 22, UCLA 24 and schools like Duke with 19. Some of the best mid major schools- BU 21, SD state 21, Louisiana 21. Perhaps said team has a ton of injuries. Does the whole team fly to Florida/ away games?

CSUF has 30, DD's school is 27 in 2023 (actually not sure of the number as they have not updated 2024 roster yet!), Boise State 26, BYU 25, Stanford 22... I was just trying to make a point that roster sizes are relatively giant to what most our our daughters are used to in travel. DD's future school does not travel everyone, I think it is 25???

DD's travel team has 22 players on the roster.

 

[TwoPitcherFam]

CSUF has 30, DD's school is 27 in 2023 (actually not sure of the number as they have not updated 2024 roster yet!), Boise State 26, BYU 25, Stanford 22... I was just trying to make a point that roster sizes are relatively giant to what most our our daughters are used to in travel. DD's future school does not travel everyone, I think it is 25???

DD's travel team has 22 players on the roster.

Got it. Yes, definitely a magnitude bigger than travel. We are on the east coast the teams we are familiar with are 14-18ish.

D1 baseball has a stated roster limit, I don’t see one published for softball. Except the NCAA tournament seems to cap at 20.

 

[erniekru]

Got it. Yes, definitely a magnitude bigger than travel. We are on the east coast the teams we are familiar with are 14-18ish.

D1 baseball has a stated roster limit, I don’t see one published for softball. Except the NCAA tournament seems to cap at 20.

Yeah, 40 players for D1 baseball!!!!

and edited to add, same number of Athletic Scholarships as softball

 

[Cannonball]

I am getting further and further removed from when my DD went through all of this. We were blessed. DD did well on the ACT and was the top recruit for her college her year so she received an outstanding offer. With various scholarships, we didn't pay much at all. Also, for certain athletes, the athletic department can help find jobs on campus for student-athletes. My DD worked basketball and volleyball games to earn some spending money. She maintained exceptional grades and more money became available.

Keep in mind that there are other scholarships available besides what colleges offer. For example, the HS I taught and coached at had scholarship money awards for qualifying students if they decided to become teachers. That scholarship is available to students awarded the scholarship as long as they maintain the guidelines of the scholarship.

Within certain "schools" at some universities money is available for outstanding students in those disciplines.

 

[angispeds]

I believe that all conferences have now passed what P5 did a few years ago where all deals are now 4 yrs.


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[MNDad]

I believe that all conferences have now passed what P5 did a few years ago where all deals are now 4 yrs.


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A note in the four year deals. If a players scholarship increased the base is still guaranteed, but the increase is year to year.

 

[BT3100]

Don't underestimate your DD's odds to play at any level. More importantly, get her on a team where she will be pushed to her absolute limits physically and mentally. In 8th grade my DD would barely get a chance to pitch. Within 24 months everything flipped.

 

[uncdrew]

As a player, the only thing that is totally under their control in college softball is grades. Smash the grades, softball gets easier to get recruited and cheaper for the family.

Couple of points of interest:
1- college rosters are usually way bigger than 20, DD is a HS Senior and going to a mid major D1 next year that will have around 30 kids on the roster sharing those 12 scholarships.
2- The amount of athletic money to each player is negotiated each year (most cases). Usually, upper classmen that are the backbone of the team get more money.
3- Coaches will have a couple of recruits that they chase with a lot of money each year, the rest they would like to fill with kids with good grades as the team has way more flexibility with academic money than athletic money (ESPECIALLY private).
4- FAFSA money helps teams too. Your 2 year prior tax return determines your players eligibility to receive money. When athletic, academic, and FAFSA money equals more than 100% of the Cost of Attendance, the excess ATHLETIC money goes back to the team to spend. This is especially valuable to teams, more money = more better!!

Work hard, don't try to plan it all out too much. You can't control who wants to recruit your daughter. The entire process is maddening sometimes, awesome sometimes, and weirdly anticlimactic at the end.

College will cost way less than private HS and travel softball for our family.

So you're saying be super smart and super poor?

I can do it!