Ocean State University baseball coaches are finalizing their roster and determining if there are any deficiencies in meeting the minimum requirement for scholarships.
Curve Ball, a student-athlete on the team is receiving a 15% athletic scholarship and $5000 in academic aid. The combination of the two aid sources equates to a 25% scholarship. The academic aid qualifies for an exemption, but if the coaches choose to count it against team limits can they also use it to meet the 25% requirement?
Yes. NCAA Staff Interpretation- 8/18/08- Financial Aid Used to Calculate Minimum Equivalency Value in Baseball (I)- states that in baseball, institutional financial aid that could otherwise be exempted from an institution’s equivalency computation (e.g., academic honor awards) may be used to meet an individual student-athlete’s minimum equivalency value, provided the aid is also counted toward the maximum institutional grant-in-aid limitation. In such cases, the full amount of the award must count toward the individual student-athlete’s equivalency and the institutional grant-in-aid limitation.
[References: NCAA Division I Bylaws 15.02.4 (financial aid), 15.1.2 (types of aid included in limit) and 15.5.4.1 (minimum equivalency value)]
NCAA Bylaw 15.5.4.1 states that an institution shall provide each counter athletically related and other countable financial aid that is equal to or greater than 25 percent of an equivalency. (Adopted: 4/26/07 effective 8/1/08 for student-athletes who initially enroll full time at any four-year collegiate institution on or after 8/1/08, Revised: 8/9/07)
Daily Compliance Item 