How often have you heard junior golfers (or
parents) say they were offered a full
scholarship? In most cases, they were probably
making an inaccurate statement. Full
scholarships in men’s golf are extremely rare.
They are, however, more common for ladies
golf. To better understand this process, let’s
start with the basics.
According to NCAA bylaw 15.02.5, a full grant-
in-aid (scholarship) is financial aid that
consists of tuition and fees, room and board,
and required course-related books. Student-
athletes may be awarded all or part of a full
grant-in-aid on a yearly basis. Renewals are
not automatic.
For NCAA Division I, men’s golf programs may
award 4.5 scholarships annually versus 6.0
scholarships for women’s golf programs. In
NCAA Division II, the limits are 3.6 for men
and 5.4 for women. NCAA Division III
institutions are prohibited from awarding
athletic scholarships. NAIA institutions and
Junior Colleges are also permitted to award
athletic scholarships. It should be noted that
even though schools are permitted to offer the
number of scholarships, not all schools have
budgeted or “fully funded” their golf
scholarship allowance.
To comply with NCAA bylaws, golf has been
categorized as an equivalency sport. The cash
value of each student-athlete’s scholarship is
divided by the institution’s total cost of
education to determine the player’s scholarship
percentage (100% or less). For Division I
programs, the aggregate of the percentages
cannot exceed 450% (4.5 full scholarships).
Here is a simple example:
Golf University 2003-04 Cost of Education
(based on NCAA Bylaws)
|
Tuition
and fees
|
$4,000
|
|
Room
and board
|
$5,500
|
|
Course-
related
books
|
$500
|
|
Total Cost of Education:
(full scholarship)
|
$10,000
|
Golf University 2003-04 Team Roster –
Scholarship budget $45,000
|
Roster
|
Scholarship Cash
Value
|
Equivalency
|
|
Player
1
|
$8,500
|
85%
|
|
Player
2
|
$8,000
|
80%
|
|
Player
3
|
$7,000
|
70%
|
|
Player
4
|
$6,000
|
60%
|
|
Player
5
|
$5,000
|
50%
|
|
Player
6
|
$4,000
|
40%
|
|
Player
7
|
$3,500
|
35%
|
|
Player
8
|
$3,000
|
30%
|
|
Player
9 (walk-on)
|
-0-
|
0%
|
|
Total
Cash Value
|
$45,000
|
|
|
Total
Equivalencies:
|
|
450%
(4.5 full scholarships)
|
From this example, you can see that the average
scholarship on this team is 50% (4.5 full
scholarships divided by nine total roster
members). This is a fairly normal example for
the majority of NCAA Division I men’s golf
programs.
It is important to note that some coaches award
scholarships in dollars, others by percentage.
In addition the word “full”, as used by a
coach, may refer to “full” tuition and course-
related books and room and board are not
included. A true “full” or “full ride” pays
for 100% of all eligible education costs. This
is also referred to sometimes as a full ride
equivalent or “FRE.”
Remember, when you hear a junior say they were
awarded a full scholarship; take it with a
grain of salt!
|
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