October 27th, 2011 - by JC Kibbey
The governing body of college sports passed some of the most sweeping reforms in its history today.
First, individual conferences may now elect to allow adding $2,000 “full cost-of-attendance” awards to schools’ athletic scholarships (no conference has yet had a chance to vote). Athletes’ busy schedules don’t allow much time to work, so it can be difficult for them to meet expenses that aren’t covered by their scholarships – food, books, gas, etc. The stipend is targeted at easing that burden, though some studies have shown that the average athlete pays as much as $4,000 annually in out-of-pocket college costs.
The new rules will also allow schools to offer athletes multi-year scholarships. The current model requires schools to dole out athletic scholarships one year at a time – critics of that arrangement charged that it left athletes susceptible to being dropped if they were injured or the coaching staff changed. The new arrangement aims to give athletes a more secure position from which to pursue higher education.
Along with the new benefits for college athletes come more stringent academic standards. To be eligible for college play, high school athletes’ GPA in the 16 core courses must now be a 2.3 or higher (up from a 2.0). Junior college athletes’ GPA must be 2.5 or better and the new rules limit the number of physical education credits that count towards eligibility.
The cutline for the “academic progress rate” has also been raised from 900 to 930. In plain English: a school’s athletic teams must now achieve a graduation rate of roughly 50% or face penalties including loss of scholarships and disqualification from competition. The rules for contact between coaches and basketball recruits have also been loosened. Coaches are now allowed unlimited phone calls, text messages, and social media contacts with prospects after June 15 of their sophomore year; the start date for official visits has also been moved up (to January 1 of their junior year) and the timelines for spring and summer recruiting have been expanded. All of these rules will apply to both male and female athletes, as required by Title IX.
Keep an eye on our blog – we will be posting more about these rules soon, including how the new rules will affect the recruiting process. Need help in your recruiting process? Let the experts at NCSA do the hard parts for you.
First, individual conferences may now elect to allow adding $2,000 “full cost-of-attendance” awards to schools’ athletic scholarships (no conference has yet had a chance to vote). Athletes’ busy schedules don’t allow much time to work, so it can be difficult for them to meet expenses that aren’t covered by their scholarships – food, books, gas, etc. The stipend is targeted at easing that burden, though some studies have shown that the average athlete pays as much as $4,000 annually in out-of-pocket college costs.
The new rules will also allow schools to offer athletes multi-year scholarships. The current model requires schools to dole out athletic scholarships one year at a time – critics of that arrangement charged that it left athletes susceptible to being dropped if they were injured or the coaching staff changed. The new arrangement aims to give athletes a more secure position from which to pursue higher education.
Along with the new benefits for college athletes come more stringent academic standards. To be eligible for college play, high school athletes’ GPA in the 16 core courses must now be a 2.3 or higher (up from a 2.0). Junior college athletes’ GPA must be 2.5 or better and the new rules limit the number of physical education credits that count towards eligibility.
The cutline for the “academic progress rate” has also been raised from 900 to 930. In plain English: a school’s athletic teams must now achieve a graduation rate of roughly 50% or face penalties including loss of scholarships and disqualification from competition. The rules for contact between coaches and basketball recruits have also been loosened. Coaches are now allowed unlimited phone calls, text messages, and social media contacts with prospects after June 15 of their sophomore year; the start date for official visits has also been moved up (to January 1 of their junior year) and the timelines for spring and summer recruiting have been expanded. All of these rules will apply to both male and female athletes, as required by Title IX.
Keep an eye on our blog – we will be posting more about these rules soon, including how the new rules will affect the recruiting process. Need help in your recruiting process? Let the experts at NCSA do the hard parts for you.
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