How to get College Scholarships, Golf Scholarships & Financial Aid

This is the third part of the TRC’s College Golf Basics Tutorial Series. In this article we focus on how to find College Scholarships, Golf Scholarships and the types of Financial Aid, both free and loans.

Have you noticed that there is a lot of information out there on the World Wide Web about Scholarships & Financial Aid?  Many Articles talk about scholarships in general but don’t layout specifics. This article is going to be better than anything you have ever read.  I am going to explain the different options that are available to you.

Yes, we are talking about DI and DII College Golf Scholarships in the first section of this article but YES, you can apply the same principals to any other sport out there.  All you will need to do is go to the source of the data that we talk about and replace it with your sports specifics.  I will explain more below.

So get your Grande Starbucks, sit in your comfy chair and let’s go.

First let’s talk about Scholarships. There are basically 2 types: one from the university/college and the ones you have to go find on your own.

1) College Golf Scholarships. The athletic scholarships given by the college.  KNOW THIS, Golf is an equivalency sport.  What the heck does that mean?   It means that a College Golf Coach has X number (X dollars) golf scholarships to give to the golf team. However that total amount/dollars can be distributed any way he/she wants.  Most schools (Division I and Division II) provide partial golf scholarships so they can carry more team members.  It’s true!  Check it out; they split the money so they can carry more team members.

The NCAAThe NCAA only allows the DI men’s golf teams 4.5 golf scholarships and the DII 3.5 golf scholarships. They allow the DI women’s golf teams 6 golf scholarships and the DII 5.4 golf scholarships. ASK your potential College Coach how he/she divides their scholarship dollars and how large of a team they plan to carry. Division III schools don’t give athletic scholarships only academic. Visit the NCAA eligibility center for other sports scholarship limits.

If they offer you a partial scholarship, remember that is the norm. If they offer you a full scholarship, even better! Unless you are ranked in the top 50 don’t expect to get a full scholarship from a DI school, and even then it depends on the school and how big their team is and the coaches program. Don’t worry you can make up the $ difference in the options below.

2) Other Golf Scholarships. Finding Golf Scholarships are only half the battle, filling out all of the paperwork and making sure you meet all the individual criteria and timelines, is the other half.  The TRC spent the good part of a year researching all the state organizations, golf foundations, state and local government agencies.  Each site has the specific details that you will need to fill out the applications or the contact information.  In total we have found 83 golf scholarships and over $175,000 dollars to eligible candidates.  To see the complete list go to the TRC Golf Scholarship list.

3) College Savings Plan (pre-paid tuition)

A) UPromise. A simple and much overlooked way to make money for your education is the U-promise program. Get everyone you know to scan your registered merchant card at their store or buy on-line. I would ask grandparents, aunt, uncles. It is an organization that pays you a fraction of what you spend via a 529 plan.  It harnesses the purchasing power of all your family.  You make purchases of certain items at your grocery store, on-line, or specific partners and they put money in your account for you.

B) 529 Plans. Another great way to plan ahead for college is to invest. You can put money into a plan at today’s tuition prices for your future college tuition. Money can be put into these savings plans even if you are too young to hold a golf club. You can find your particular states 529 plan and also compare plans at http://www.collegesavings.org/index.aspx the pros & cons of 529 plans can be found at http://www.collegeboard.com/student/pay/add-it-up/8851.html

4) Financial Aid. There are 2 types of Financial Aid:
A) Academic Aid which is FREE money you do NOT have to pay back
B) A Loan from the Department of Education which you DO have to pay back later.
There is Financial Aid out there to help you, however both options (academic or loans) requires you have to fill out a Financial Aid application.

You can find a FREE Application for Federal Student Aid at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/   NOTE: This is a great site to help you get organized with everything you need to fill out the Financial Aid Application, and keep up with the status.  DO NOT MISS THE DEADLINE FOR FILLING OUT THE APPLICATION.  If you do miss the deadline then everything discussed below will not matter.

A) Academic Aid Programs.  Now that you know about the required application let’s first talk about the Free Money type of Financial Aid, because who doesn’t love Free stuff!

Of course there is a catch; it is based on your good grades. TIP: It is critical in the 9th, 10th and 11th grades to get your GPA up in order to establish a solid GPA and stay focused to the required core curriculum. Each state has a State Academic Program offering Academic Aid. To find a list of each state and a link to their education programs, financial aid & scholarships go to http://wdcrobcolp01.ed.gov/Programs/EROD/org_list.cfm?category_ID=SHE . You can find more information on the required core curriculum at collegeboard.com, NCAA.com and also each states program site, above. This is the best free money you will ever get and it doesn’t take a lot of extra work to get it. You can usually get 70% – 100% of your college tuition classes paid through these Academic Aid programs.

Example: in the state of Florida an Academic Program called the Bright Futures Scholarship Program is a lottery-funded scholarship program that rewards high school graduates for their high academic achievements. There are 3 different types of Awards that provide tuition awards only (remember no room and board).  More detailed information can be found at the Bright Futures website at http://www.floridastudentfinancialaid.org/SSFAD/factsheets/BF.htm

Schools use your EFC to put together a financial aid package (grants, loans, and/or work-study) to help you meet your financial need. Your financial aid will be paid to you through your school. Typically, your school will first use the aid to pay tuition, fees, and room and board (if provided by the school). Any remaining aid is given to you for your other expenses.

The financial aid office at the school you plan to attend is also a good place to get information about federal, state, school and other sources of student financial aid. You can also check out these resources:

• www.studentaid.ed.gov
• www.students.gov
• Your high school counselor´s office
• Your local library

In conclusion:
There are many ways to get your college funded. It will take some time however there are so many great resources on the web to find information on financial help for college. One particular site http://www.college.gov/wps/portal has information in an easy to read format. The “how to pay” tab offers the basics on Financial Aid as far as cost, applications, what you qualify for and what it covers, as well as tips to find and save money for college.  Don’t forget to take the time to fill out every golf scholarship application as it is FREE  and we have found 83 golf scholarships and over $175,000 dollars.  To see the complete list to go to the TRC Golf Scholarship list.

The Tour Resource Center is your direct source for information on collegiate golf. The TRC College Golf Basics Tutorial Series will guide you through the process. This was the third part of the TRC’s College Golf Basics Tutorial Series, to follow more of the series click on the link below for the College Golf Series – Introduction and Playing College Golf.   Don’t forget to follow us at twitter.com/golfTRC.

College Golf Basics Tutorial Series Listing:

1. Intro/The College Golf Basics – Released Monday, September 28, 2009
2. Playing College Golf; Important Information to Know – Released Monday October 4, 2009
3. How To Get College Scholarships, Golf Scholarships & Financial Aid – Released on Saturday October 17, 2009
4. How to Find Minority College Scholarships – Released on Wednesday October 28th, 2009
5. College Golf The Recruiting Process by Dianne Dailey; DI Women’s Golf Coach – Released on December 2, 2009
6. Selecting the Right College Golf Coach, College Golf Team and College-Released on February 10, 2010
7. Is College Golf For Everyone? / What is it like playing on a college golf team?
8. Careers in Golf

Related Articles:
COLLEGE GOLF SERIES – Introduction to the College Golf Basics for College Scholarships, College Recruiting and Playing College Golf; by Georgina Lewis at the Tour Resource Center
NCAA Scholarships:  The Breakdown
College Golf Scholarships?  Maybe / Maybe Not?
Golf Scholarships – Facts for Success
Florida college students pay price for changes to Bright Futures scholarships
About Golf Scholarships
Golf Scholarships
College Golf Scholarships. NCAA and NAIA Golf Recruiting
GOLF SCHOLARSHIPS IN THE USA
NAIA NCAA ATHLETIC SCHOLARSHIP INFORMATION
College Scholarships.org – Helping Students Pay for College
Scholarship Search
College Scholarships
Scholarships.com: Free College Scholarship Search
College Scholarships – Online Degree Programs – Colleges
FastWeb : Scholarships, Financial Aid, Student Loans and Colleges
Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation
Scholarships – Student Scholarship Search
Golf Scholarship USA
Winning Golf Scholarships for your education
About Junior Golf: News Magazine “Your Fairway to College Golf”

Scholarships for Skilled Golfers

Golf Scholarships 1

High School Golf Recruiting

NAIA and NCAA College Golf Scholarships: What you Need to Know About College Golf Recruiting

Golf Scholarships 2

The Smart Student Guide to Financial Aid

Financial Aid Book Review

Tags: athletic scholarships, college golf tutorial series, college loans, college scholarship, college scholarships, financial aid, financial help, golf scholarship, NCAA, scholarships

This entry was posted on Monday, May 17th, 2010 at 4:36 pm and is filed under Junior Tour 411 College, Professional Caddie Blogs. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.