Table of Contents:

Sports

1. Can I be paid for playing in a competitive team while enrolled at college?
2. What expenses do grants-in-aid cover?
3. What restrictions are there on the aid I can receive as a student athlete?
4. Are athletic scholarships available for all sports?
5. How do I become a prospective student athlete eligible for aid?
6. What's the financial aid schedule for recruits?

General Financial Aid Questions

1. Generally speaking, what is the timeline for financial aid applications?
2. What makes a successful financial aid application?
3. Because of my family's financial status, I don't fit the criteria for need-based aid or work-study. What other aid can I receive?
4. I've heard that people can go into debt for years because of student loans, but that's the only option for me. What do I do?
5. Between football practice, community service and a 16-credit courseload, I don't have time for work-study or a job to pay off student loans. I need to focus on what's important. Any advice?
6. What's the process for applying for state aid?
   

1. No, you cannot. NJCAA rules only permit student-athletes to receive grants-in-aid, and only if student-athletes are admitted to the institution as a regular student.
2. Grants-in-aid only cover: tuition and fees, room and board, books and course/course-related materials, and transportation costs one time per academic year to and from the college by direct route.
3. NJCAA student-athletes may accept scholarships and other forms of aid from their college where approved under the provisions of Article VIII of the NJCAA Bylaws.
4. Yes. In the NJCAA, sports sponsored include: Fall Baseball, Spring Baseball, Basketball, Bowling, Cross Country, Football, Fall Golf, Spring Golf, Ice Hockey, Indoor Track & Field, Spring Lacrosse, Fall Lacrosse, Marathon, Outdoor Track & field, Fall Softball/Fast Pitch, Spring Softball/Fast Pitch, Fall Softball/Slow Pitch, Spring Softball/Slow Pitch, Fall Soccer, Spring Soccer, Swimming, Fall Tennis, Spring Tennis, Fall Volleyball, Spring Volleyball and Wrestling.
5. You are a prospective student-athlete when you begin playing sports in ninth grade, or before ninth grade if you receive financial aid/scholarships from any college that does not provide them to prospective students. In college, you become a prospective student-athlete if a college coach:
   • Makes an official visit to you on campus
   • Makes more than one official telephone call to you or your family
   • Visits you or your family off-campus.
6. Some dates to note on your calendar:
   

   January 31, April 30, July 31, October 31		Quarterly deadlines for the AllAmericanAthletes.com Education Fund
   February 2		Eligibility clearance, signed letter of intent due for all sports
   April 5		Late signing period

General Financial Aid Questions

1. Generally, federal financial aid applications, which make you eligible for student loans such as the Stafford Loan, follow these deadlines:
   

   January 1		Submit FAFSA, available from your high school or college financial aid office or online at www.fafsa.ed.gov. Note: Do not submit before January 1!
   February 15		FAFSA due for students in or applying to college in state of Michigan Ideal date for submitting your forms in all other states
   March 1		Latest deadline for submitting forms in most states

2. Submitting all your paperwork on time is the key, but there are other ways to make applying for financial aid successful and painless:
   
   • Keep good tax records, and take an interest early on in your family's finances. You'll know what aid you're eligible for.
   • Do your homework! Ask your school's financial aid office and your college counselor for forms, catalogs and brochures. Spend some time researching on the Internet. Talk to people you know who have applied for financial aid.
   • Make sure you have all the information you need before you fill out a form. Double-check the form after you fill it out.
   • Make sure you have no restrictions on you, such as low GPAs or incomplete courses, that could make you ineligible for aid.
   • Allow yourself at least two weeks to finish everything.
3. Double-check to see if you parents declare you as a dependent on their taxes. If they don't, you are eligible for federal funding and student loans. If they do, seek merit-based sources such as academic scholarships or awards related to your interests—community service, athletics writing, government/public service, science, etc. And you can also maximize your aid eligibility. For more information read FinAid's Maximize Your Financial Aid Eligibility.
4. Paying off student loans is difficult, but not impossible. If you work during college, or if you have money invested, determine ahead of time how much you can pay per month and how long it will take you to pay off the loan based on that figure. Also, if you work during college, many employers, who are seeking people with degrees in a particular field, have an "earn while you learn" program. Also, consider the option of a consolidation loan, which combines several student or parent loans into one bigger loan from a single lender. The bigger loan pays off the balances on the individual loans. The term of the loan can last up to 30 years. The downside: Interest on the loan increases.
   
   Other options with less increase in interest:
   
   • Income contingent payments are adjusted to compensate for a lower monthly income.
   • Graduated repayment provides lower payments during the first two years after graduation.
   • Extended repayment allows you to extend the term of the loan without consolidation.
   
   Source: FinAid
5. This is a question that your academic advisor should help you with. You may have to prioritize, or give up some activities. Alternately, you can look for scholarships that you may be eligible for.
6. If you apply for state aid using the FAFSA, the deadlines are the same. For all other aid, request information from your state.