Financial Aid

A prospective student-athlete may receive athletic financial aid that covers the rest of the prospective student-athlete's remaining period of NCAA eligibility. For example, a high school senior prospective student-athlete may sign a financial aid agreement to receive an athletic grant-in-aid from an NCAA Division I institution for a maximum of five academic years (note that athletic financial aid for the summer is not included in such financial aid agreements), while a transfer who has already been enrolled for two academic years in college may sign a financial aid agreement for a maximum of three academic years. The minimum amount of financial aid that an institution may provide to a student-athlete who signs a financial aid agreement is one semester for a mid-year enrollee and one academic year for a fall enrollee.

Regarding accepting financial aid from individuals (as opposed to organizations that fund scholarships) other than those upon whom you are naturally or legally dependent, NCAA rules do not allow prospective student-athletes to accept financial aid to pay for college tuition, fees, room, board or books from such individuals. For example, if close family friends pay for part or all of your tuition and fees to attend a two-year or four-year institution of higher education, then that would cause an NCAA violation because you are not naturally or legally dependent upon your family friends.

Regarding scholarships from organizations outside of Texas A&M, you may not accept scholarships other than:

  • Scholarships that have no relationship to athletics ability (e.g., a scholarship based solely on winning a violin performance competition would qualify as having no relationship to athletics ability, whereas a scholarship that was 99% related to violin performance and 1% related to extracurricular activities that included a student's participation in athletics would not qualify as having no relationship to athletics ability)

  • Scholarships that may be related to athletics ability if they are received from an established and continuing program to aid students and:

    • The recipient's choice of institutions is not restricted by the donor of the aid (note: this part of the rule will preclude students from receiving many A&M Clubs' scholarships);

    • There is no direct connection between the donor and the student-athlete's institution; and

    • The scholarship is not awarded by an outside sports team or organization that conducts a competitive sports program to a student-athlete who is or was a member of that team or organization.