College Athletics and Financial Aid

The thing about Ivy League sports and financial aid is that athletic scholarships are virtually outlawed at schools like Harvard and Stanford.

Sports.  College.  Money.  With the shape of today’s economy, athletic students are looking at all three of these factors together.  Choosing a college to attend is a difficult decision in itself, and the cost of attendance is a major consideration today.  Ivy League college athletes take this challenge very seriously.

At Harvard, financial aid opportunities have been a huge draw for college athletes.  Over 60% of Harvard students receive generous financial aid awards.  Not only this, but much of this money comes in the form of grants, making loan funds obsolete.  Need-based grants have been increased for all students—low and middle-income alike—in recent years. This fact presents a great advantage to athletes, given that a top-notch education as well as great opportunity to play football, basketball, etc. is available without worry over post-graduation debt.  Coaches say that this is major when it comes to recruiting college athletes.

The thing about Ivy League sports and financial aid is that athletic scholarships are virtually outlawed at schools like Harvard and Stanford.  This puts athletes on a more even “playing field” with fellow non-athlete students.   The grant money is what makes up for this.

Quality academics and athletics are important to these students, though given the choice between a school that will give the chance to play but carry a large debt in its wake versus little to no financial burden later tends to be a no-brainer among students.  Harvard basketball forward Kyle Casey explained it this way: “'If I can go to a pretty good school and go for free, I'd rather do that than go to a very good school, and have to pay and put that burden on my parents.”

It couldn’t be put any better than that.  Finding a balance between cost and academics is important to students, and these factors will continue to be key in college selection and in attracting students to Ivy League schools like Harvard.

Whether you’re an athlete or just a student looking to get the best education possible with minimal financial burden, answers are available for you. Talk to Go Financial Aid today for more solutions to your college and financial aid inquiries.

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