The average cost of a 4 year college experience has increased dramatically during the past 10 years and financial aid is becoming a hot topic in the college search for athletes. Competition for athletic scholarships is fierce and for some student-athletes and families (particularly nearly all male gymnasts and all walkons/Division III/Ivy League athletes), they also need to look at need-based financial assistance or alternative forms of grants and scholarships to help pay the freight. This article takes a simple approach in identifying key components of financial aid.

The NCAA Manual is the “go to” resource for prospects and families as they begin to build their education base in the college search. Between the Division 1, 2 and 3 manuals there is well over 1,500 pages of helpful information!

The aim of this article is to direct you toward these resources, help you simplify your search and wrap your arms around recruiting terms, rules and procedures you will encounter as you navigate your personal college quest.

First, let’s search for a copy of the manual!

Go to www.ncaa.org.
Click the “resources” tab.
Under “Resources,” Click either the Division 1, 2 or 3 manual links.
From there you can either order a hard copy of the manual or download a free PDF version.

If you haven’t done so already, create a college folder on your computer. Add a subfolder and label it “NCAA.” Save the manuals to your folder for easy access in the future.

The manual is loaded with tremendous information, but to be very honest with you, there is only a fraction of information parents and athletes need to really study closely. When you break it down, only 3 chapters or “Articles” in the manual are the most vital to understand and utilize:   (In the below I refer to the D-1 manual)

Article 13 Recruiting

This is a very important chapter that will provide you with the nuts and bolts of how recruiting works and the limitations and time-lines college coaches and families are bound. Below is a list of sub-articles I suggest you place your most attention:

• Definitions and Applications
• Contacts and Evaluations
• Recruiting Materials
• Campus Visits
• Letter of Intent

You will notice in some cases multiple “revisions” of a rule or definition. Simply look carefully to the most recent date of the revision and the effective date and you will be right on target!

This chapter is a great “first read” that will begin to help shape your personal recruiting picture in your mind. Remember, the recruiting process is like learning a new language -- sometimes you have to simply “jump in.” That being the case, the more you practice the more you will learn and understand.

Article 14 Eligibility: Academic and General Requirements

Boy, is this ever an important chapter! Can you imagine going through the entire recruiting process, showing up to your college campus in the fall of your freshmen year and getting the news from your new coach and compliance officer that you are ineligible to practice or play?

Academic eligibility is a necessary part of the college recruiting process and you want to be certain you are on track every step of the way. Whether it is scheduling the proper coursework during your high school years, registering for the NCAA Eligibility Center or taking the ACT’s you want to be sure you have your ducks in a row and are hitting tangible targets! Below are important sub-articles to research:

• Definitions
• General Eligibility Requirements
• Freshmen Academic Requirements
• Transfer Regulations
• Certification of Eligibility

This is a critical chapter that will provide you with a clearly spelled out list of academic requirements you will be expected to meet as well as recruiting pitfalls you want to avoid! Remember, you can’t play the game if you don’t know the rules!

Article 15 Financial Aid

This chapter is equally important and it will give you a very clear and informative analysis of both need based and athletic related financial aid (scholarships). It not only defines an athletic scholarship and how they are distributed, it also clarifies maximum limits of athletic aid (by sport).

This is a pretty short chapter and I suggest you focus on each sub-article:

• Definitions
• Maximum Limits of Aid (Individual)
• Terms and Conditions
• Elements of Aid
• Maximum Sports Limitations

Understanding NCAA rules and procedures is a vital component to any successful college search for athletes. The NCAA manual is a tremendous resource that is readily available. Creating shortcuts to navigate the important areas of the manual will be both time consuming and fruitful in building a well-rounded and resourceful empirical knowledge base as you navigate college recruiting.

About Tom Kovic:

Tom Kovic is a former Division I college gymnastics coach (Penn) and the current director of Victory Collegiate Consulting, where he provides individual advisement for families on college recruiting. Tom is the author of “Reaching for Excellence”, an educational guide for college athletics recruiting. For further information visit: www.victoryrecruiting.com

Editor's Note:  Publication of this article is not an endorsement of any recruiting service.  Always check with the NCAA or your school's compliance officer for any questions regarding recruiting rules, the latest timelines, or other issues.

The college search for athletes is a quest, and unless you are the blue chip kid that the coaches are hovering over, you need a vehicle to drive the recruiting process in your favor. Personally, I believe the manner and how often you communicate with college coaches can make a big difference in your results.

*Link Updated*  This month, instead of an article, we're providing an MP3 podcast of a recent chat Tom Kovic and I had regarding early recruiting.  In the recording, Tom chats a little bit about the recruiting process, and how early recruiting has changed the recruiting process.

You can play the audio file by clicking play below. 

Or, you can download the file at this link.  (right click to "Save As")

About Tom Kovic:

Tom Kovic is a former Division I college gymnastics coach (Penn) and the current director of Victory Collegiate Consulting, where he provides individual advisement for families on college recruiting. Tom is the author of “Reaching for Excellence”, an educational guide for college athletics recruiting. For further information visit: www.victoryrecruiting.com

Editor's Note:  Publication of this article is not an endorsement of any recruiting service.  Always check with the NCAA or your school's compliance officer for any questions regarding recruiting rules, the latest timelines, or other issues.

A New Year is upon us and opportunity lurks. That being said, those who organize best, execute well developed plans and beat the bushes will maximize their success in college recruiting. You have the chance to create change, new commitments, a clean slate and a fresh opportunity to approach the recruiting process with renewed passion. This article attempts to outline general “class tips” that current prospective student-athletes can use in maximizing the college search in 2012.

For the past several seasons, we've made an attempt to rank the incoming recruiting classes for teams from across the nation.  Each year, the task seems to get tougher (and finalized later) and this year is no exception.  In fact, the depth of this recruiting class has produced a variety of very deep and talented frosh classes.  In particular, a number of elites elected not to defer entry into school and are providing a boost to teams across the nation.  So whose class is rated to be the best?  Read on to find the answer...

The college search for athletes is an “individual” quest. A winning strategy for one prospect could be a losing strategy for another. I think we can all agree that when it comes to recruiting, the “blue chip” kids are going to be found…It’s just a matter of when.

That being said, the majority of the prospects looking for a home on a college campus and as part of a varsity sports team are NOT blue chip kids and they should execute a personal plan of attack and begin to tackle the “grey areas” of recruiting.

Nowadays, college coaches, in many cases are encouraging prospects to commit early to their institution in an effort to wrap up recruiting and outdistance the competition. This article attempts to shed light on a variety of “options” prospects and families can embrace moving forward in the ever changing college search for athletes.  November is fast approaching and with that, early deadlines for college applications. Current seniors who have dedicated themselves to connecting early on with college coaches, providing them with the necessary evaluation tools coaches need to determine “potential matches”, have narrowed their list to a few or even one institution they feel is a perfect fit.

 

 

 

 

Considering the competition in Admissions and the high price tag at some of the nation’s premier academic institutions, I regularly advise families about the potential impact the athletic component can make in a college choice. As a former Ivy League Coach, I learned some valuable lessons that I would like to share.

If you are a rising junior prospect, the summer is a great opportunity for you to launch your college search with earnest. Between the multitude of showcases, camps and tournaments you have attended and the profiles, highlight links and general inquiries you have forwarded to college coaches, you are well on your way. What follows is a snapshot of fall junior days and building this component into your college search plan in what is becoming a popular and critical trend in the college recruiting process.