What does it cost to play college softball?

The financial requirements to attend college – even as a college softball player – can be extremely confusing for you and your parents/guardians to understand.

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So let’s say this as clearly as we can at the outset: Very few softball players receive “full ride” scholarships that cover everything. Breaking it down:

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• Only Division I (except for Ivy League schools), Division II, NAIA four-year schools, and some two-year Junior Colleges give out athletic scholarships for softball.

• Division I college softball programs are limited to 12 full scholarships and Division II college softball programs are limited to 7.2 full scholarships, so this means virtually every player on scholarship receives a partial scholarship. However, these scholarship caps may be replaced starting in the 2025-26 academic year with roster limits - but no limits (other than what each college decides to fund) on athletic scholarships.

• Except for a few select college softball players, the rest of you and your parents/guardians will need to pay a portion of your college attendance. In most cases, this amount will be based on your family’s financial need.

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This article focuses on how to calculate the cost of college and how much help you’ll need to pay for it.

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3 steps to understanding financial aid calculations

Determining the financial commitment that you and your parents/guardians will need to make in order for you to attend – and play softball in – college can be described in three simple steps.

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1. Understand the full cost of attendance (FCOA) or the school’s “sticker price”

The sticker price, or the FCOA, is what it would cost for a family to pay 100% of all the costs required to attend that college. This FCOA generally covers direct costs such as tuition and fees, room and board, books, supplies and equipment, and indirect costs such as transportation, computer, miscellaneous and personal expenses, and possibly loan fees. You can typically find the direct costs (and sometimes estimates for indirect costs) on the websites of colleges you’re interested in attending.

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2. Calculate your need-based cost of attendance (NBCOA)

Most college students don’t pay 100% of a college’s sticker price. The first step to finding out how much college actually will cost *you* is to complete the Free Application for Student Financial Aid (FAFSA) application. 

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Once your parents/guardians have completed the FAFSA application, a formula called the "Student Aid Index" (SAI) is calculated to help determine for each college you apply to the amount you and your family will be expected to pay annually towards your college attendance.

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3. Calculate your financial aid package and understanding its components

Okay, you’ve made it this far in figuring out the financial requirements for playing college softball – you’re motivated! The last part of the equation is understanding how much your financial aid package will be and what elements will be included.

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The amount of your financial aid package will essentially be the full cost of attendance (FCOA) minus the amount your family will be expected to contribute, which again is determined by the "Student Aid Index" (SAI) formula. 

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The elements that may be included in your financial aid package can include amounts that are either merit-based (not tied to financial need) and need-based (funds that are based on financial need). So, your financial aid package may include financial assistance from one or more of the following areas:

• Merit Based Grants and Scholarships – financial aid that does not need to be paid back, and can include athletic scholarships, academic scholarships, or any other grant or scholarship that the college decides to provide to you.

• Need Based Grants – financial aid that does not need to be paid back, but that is based on financial need - the best example here are Pell Grants.

• Student Loans – financial aid in the form of federal or private loan programs.

• Work-study – financial aid in the form of part-time work opportunities that are typically on campus.

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There are a few other elements for you and your parents/guardians to consider when it comes to college financial aid:

• Once upon a time (pre Covid) grants counted against athletic scholarship limits and thus didn’t help athletes much. Starting in 2020 however, student-athletes can seek as much need-based aid and academic scholarships as they can get.

• Athletes can apply and receive private scholarships so long as the person or organization providing them is not directly connected with the college they attend. Scholarships.com is an excellent scholarship search engine, but there are others.

• A relatively new rule that changed recently in players’ favor is Name Image and Likeness – or “NIL” – which allows athletes to accept money for endorsing brands on their social media and in other ways. According to this list of top college sports for making NIL money softball is No. 5 (through September 2022).

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A simple example that brings the numbers together

Let’s say, for example, that you’re looking to play softball at “Softball University” (SU), an NCAA Division II school. Here’s how you could figure out what it would cost *you* to go there:

• SU’s website shows its full cost of attendance (FCOA) as $50,000. After submitting your family’s FAFSA on October 1st of your senior year, within a week or so, SU will have received your student aid report (SAR) which will include your expected family contribution based on your "Student Aid Index" (SAI) number. In our example your family’s expected contribution comes back as $20,000.

• This means that your need-based cost of attendance (NBCOA) is $20,000 (i.e. what you and your family are expected to pay), and that your financial aid package will need to cover the remaining $30,000 ($50,000 full COA minus $20,000 need-based COA).

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Now let’s see how SU has put together your $30,000 financial aid package:

• Softball scholarship = $5,000
• SU merit grant = $10,000
• Work-study = $5,000
• Pell Grant = $5,000
• Federal Student Loan = $5,000

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A couple final comments on this example. Once you receive this financial aid package you’d want to confirm with SU that this financial aid will be available to you for four academic years (or even five if needed to take an athletic redshirt year). You can also appeal your financial aid award with SU to see if there’s a way to restructure it in a way that works better for you and your family.

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How financial aid fits into your softball recruiting process

For many of you and your families, the financial aid process will add more stress to the college planning and recruiting process. Like a lot of steps in choosing a college and getting recruited for softball, it helps to start early. Submit your FAFSA as close to October 1st (the first date in which they take applications for high school seniors applying for admission that fall) as you can.

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The sooner you apply the more time you’ll have to compare financial aid packages for your top college choice (or choices).

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If you’ve received an offer from a coach before October 1st and you know that your ability to attend that college depends on your financial aid package, let the coach know and get your FAFSA in on day one (October 1st!) so you can engage with the college’s financial aid department before you need to complete a college admissions application.

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Working together with your future college coach and the college’s financial aid department is the best way for you and your parents/guardians to receive a financial aid package that enables you to accept the offer to attend and play softball at that school.

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For those who don’t have a firm offer by October 1st, it’s still advisable to complete your FAFSA as soon as you can after October 1st. Once you have your student aid report (SAR) and your student aid index (SAI) number, this information will help you as you prioritize your college application list and continue engaging with various college coaches through the fall of your senior year.