Anonymous
04/28/2025 13:14
Subject: College Sports Recruiting
Anonymous wrote:From a financial perspective, D3 athletics rarely offer the cost savings many families hope for. Unless your student is exceptional enough to earn a full scholarship at a D1 or D2 program, your state's public university system often remains the most affordable option.
Take Case Western Reserve as an example: Even with generous merit aid of around $30,000 (roughly half of tuition), you're still looking at approximately $30,000 annually plus room and board. Compare this to an in-state public institution like the University of Maryland, which costs about $32,000 all-inclusive for state residents.
The primary D3 advantages aren't financial but rather an admissions boost (particularly valuable at selective institutions), athletic pre-reads, and the chance for your student to continue playing their sport at a collegiate level.
D3 athletics makes the most sense when your student is passionate about continuing their athletic career, you have significant flexibility regarding institutional prestige and location when seeking merit aid, or cost isn't your primary concern and you value the streamlined admissions process athletics can provide.
For most families focused on affordability, the local public university system typically offers better financial value than even merit-heavy D3 programs at private institutions.
Yes, but an admissions boost in exchange for $95K per annum isn’t that attractive / practical.
Anonymous
04/28/2025 13:07
Subject: College Sports Recruiting
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:What sport
What level of academics
D1 or D3
Boy or girl
Full pay or not.
All of these matter.
Football, high academic level. Only D1 would likely be Ivy or similar. Per above, do not want to be full pay.
I'm the PP.
My DS was recruited for football to a high academic D3, and received a merit scholarship. Which is the only kind you can get for D3. What would you like to know?
What I need to know to help you:
Current grade level of your son.
GPA/SAT
Position
Thanks. What school, and how much money, if you don’t mind?
Anonymous
04/28/2025 13:00
Subject: College Sports Recruiting
Anonymous wrote:From a financial perspective, D3 athletics rarely offer the cost savings many families hope for. Unless your student is exceptional enough to earn a full scholarship at a D1 or D2 program, your state's public university system often remains the most affordable option.
Take Case Western Reserve as an example: Even with generous merit aid of around $30,000 (roughly half of tuition), you're still looking at approximately $30,000 annually plus room and board. Compare this to an in-state public institution like the University of Maryland, which costs about $32,000 all-inclusive for state residents.
The primary D3 advantages aren't financial but rather an admissions boost (particularly valuable at selective institutions), athletic pre-reads, and the chance for your student to continue playing their sport at a collegiate level.
D3 athletics makes the most sense when your student is passionate about continuing their athletic career, you have significant flexibility regarding institutional prestige and location when seeking merit aid, or cost isn't your primary concern and you value the streamlined admissions process athletics can provide.
For most families focused on affordability, the local public university system typically offers better financial value than even merit-heavy D3 programs at private institutions.
I like your example...if only because an athletic recruit can get accepted to Case Western with merit aid, but may in fact not gain acceptance to UMD as a non-athletic recruit. So, in this example, they get to attend Case Western for a decent price.
Anonymous
04/28/2025 12:54
Subject: College Sports Recruiting
From a financial perspective, D3 athletics rarely offer the cost savings many families hope for. Unless your student is exceptional enough to earn a full scholarship at a D1 or D2 program, your state's public university system often remains the most affordable option.
Take Case Western Reserve as an example: Even with generous merit aid of around $30,000 (roughly half of tuition), you're still looking at approximately $30,000 annually plus room and board. Compare this to an in-state public institution like the University of Maryland, which costs about $32,000 all-inclusive for state residents.
The primary D3 advantages aren't financial but rather an admissions boost (particularly valuable at selective institutions), athletic pre-reads, and the chance for your student to continue playing their sport at a collegiate level.
D3 athletics makes the most sense when your student is passionate about continuing their athletic career, you have significant flexibility regarding institutional prestige and location when seeking merit aid, or cost isn't your primary concern and you value the streamlined admissions process athletics can provide.
For most families focused on affordability, the local public university system typically offers better financial value than even merit-heavy D3 programs at private institutions.
Take Case Western Reserve as an example: Even with generous merit aid of around $30,000 (roughly half of tuition), you're still looking at approximately $30,000 annually plus room and board. Compare this to an in-state public institution like the University of Maryland, which costs about $32,000 all-inclusive for state residents.
The primary D3 advantages aren't financial but rather an admissions boost (particularly valuable at selective institutions), athletic pre-reads, and the chance for your student to continue playing their sport at a collegiate level.
D3 athletics makes the most sense when your student is passionate about continuing their athletic career, you have significant flexibility regarding institutional prestige and location when seeking merit aid, or cost isn't your primary concern and you value the streamlined admissions process athletics can provide.
For most families focused on affordability, the local public university system typically offers better financial value than even merit-heavy D3 programs at private institutions.
Anonymous
04/28/2025 12:26
Subject: College Sports Recruiting
Anonymous wrote:it really depends and more changes are coming- roster limits are impacting schools that are dealing with NIL
Definitely this. In the past, a school such as Bucknell or George Mason might have, say, six scholarship to spread across its baseball team. Maybe a total stud gets a full ride. More likely, they spread that scholarship $$$ across the roster so a bunch of guys get like 1/6 or 1/12 or whatever.
The court cases now could change all that with new roster rules and scholarship rules. Some schools are going to opt out of the court settlement completely. Best to discuss this with the specific coaches at the specific schools. Everything is changing so past models won’t really apply.
What won’t change is that Division III isn’t giving any athletic scholarships. Everything is need-based or merit based and not coming from athletics (though as usual, athletics gives you a leg up with admissions)
Anonymous
04/28/2025 12:25
Subject: College Sports Recruiting
Anonymous wrote:I agree with the above - this is VERY sport-specific. Football is different than rowing, which is different than lacrosse. And boys and girls recruiting are also quite different for a variety of reasons.
Keep this process narrow and local at first. Start by identifiying which older kids on your DC's club and high school teams went on to play at the college level in the past 1-5 years.
Make a list of the schools and the kids, reach out to a few of those kids' parents (ask the coaches to make intros, if necessary), and ask them about their experience and what you and your DC need to know as you get started.
Our experience is that parents who have been through it already are very generous and willing to share what they've learned. It's a long and exhausting process, and it feels good to pass along to those coming up next.
Also, there are often strong pipelines from certain clubs and high schools to specific college teams. You want to leverage all of that first to understand the process, then expand to a broader search, if needed.
Good luck. Again, it's exhausting and when all is said and done, the ROI is often much, much smaller than people realize.
I was surprised by the pipeline, though I shouldn’t have been I suppose. My son will be a D3 baseball player in the fall, and the offer he accepted was because the college coach called his buddy the travel coach and asked who he had at my son’s position and year. They basically arranged the marriage. School wasn’t really on son’s radar, but he was thrilled. All of the emailing and camps he did got plenty of responses but it was totally random who got back to him and who didn’t. Many of the schools where he should have been seen as an immediate impact player never responded to him. My guess is every school has their regular pipeline, and then they fill in with interesting kids they get emails from/see at camps, etc.
Anonymous
04/28/2025 12:21
Subject: Re:College Sports Recruiting
Anonymous wrote:If you have the true interest from ivies, know that:
- you will get zero money other than true need based money; and
- your kid must be very good IF it is a true interest…not just talking yo. ivies recruit very, very good athletes.
Yes, aware of the above, which is why I’m inquiring about sports and merit scholarships at other schools Also, “very, very good” is relative. You may be an Ivy recruit but not a Stanford or Michigan recruit, for example.
Anonymous
04/28/2025 12:14
Subject: College Sports Recruiting
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:D3 does not give any athletic scholarships. Only academic merit or need-based. Bucknell is D1 so they can give athletic scholarships.
Ivy League does not give athletic scholarships or merit. Only need-based.
Most high academic schools are going to be need-based only, even D1, unless you are a top top recruit.
Well, you have to be a really strong football player to get recruited to Duke, Stanford, Vanderbilt, Michigan, UCB...but if you are recruited you receive a 100% scholarship. Usually, those scholarships are year-to-year
Anonymous
04/28/2025 12:11
Subject: College Sports Recruiting
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:What sport
What level of academics
D1 or D3
Boy or girl
Full pay or not.
All of these matter.
Football, high academic level. Only D1 would likely be Ivy or similar. Per above, do not want to be full pay.
I'm the PP.
My DS was recruited for football to a high academic D3, and received a merit scholarship. Which is the only kind you can get for D3. What would you like to know?
What I need to know to help you:
Current grade level of your son.
GPA/SAT
Position
Anonymous
04/28/2025 12:08
Subject: College Sports Recruiting
D2 can offer athletic scholarships, but not particularly high academics in most cases (at least for lacrosse, which was my kid's focus). If you want to maximize merit at the D3 level, you need to look somewhere with acceptable academics at the "safety school" level.
Anonymous
04/28/2025 11:58
Subject: College Sports Recruiting
Anonymous wrote:D3 does not give any athletic scholarships. Only academic merit or need-based. Bucknell is D1 so they can give athletic scholarships.
Ivy League does not give athletic scholarships or merit. Only need-based.
Most high academic schools are going to be need-based only, even D1, unless you are a top top recruit.
Anonymous
04/28/2025 11:56
Subject: College Sports Recruiting
D3 does not give any athletic scholarships. Only academic merit or need-based. Bucknell is D1 so they can give athletic scholarships.
Anonymous
04/28/2025 11:50
Subject: Re:College Sports Recruiting
If you have the true interest from ivies, know that:
- you will get zero money other than true need based money; and
- your kid must be very good IF it is a true interest…not just talking yo. ivies recruit very, very good athletes.
- you will get zero money other than true need based money; and
- your kid must be very good IF it is a true interest…not just talking yo. ivies recruit very, very good athletes.
Anonymous
04/28/2025 11:43
Subject: College Sports Recruiting
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:What sport
What level of academics
D1 or D3
Boy or girl
Full pay or not.
All of these matter.
Football, high academic level. Only D1 would likely be Ivy or similar. Per above, do not want to be full pay.
Check out Macalester for football.
Anonymous
04/28/2025 11:34
Subject: College Sports Recruiting
it really depends and more changes are coming- roster limits are impacting schools that are dealing with NIL