Fairfield WBB: The Most Dangerous Mid-Major in the Nation

[stamfordhusky]

But what is their "need" formula? While I get the feeling there was a time when Ivy's were at a certain type of financial disadvantage in recruiting (basketball), relative to some other schools. I don't get the feeling that time is now.

It depends on your definition of "need" and whether parents in the middle class - who can afford the freight but might not want to pay a hefty sum - are willing to pay the costs. Here are two examples estimating what it would cost a student-athlete's family for one year at Harvard, calculated for family incomes ranging from $100,000 to $300,000, using the Harvard website's cost calculator. The first example assumes the family has very few assets other than perhaps a house (which doesn't count in the formula). The second assumes a reasonable amount of assets available but not a very large amount. Both assume there is only one child in college.

Gross Income / Fin. Aid / Net Cost of Attendance

EXAMPLE 1:
100.000 / 79k (aid) / $8k (cost of attendance)
150,000 / 66k / 21k
200,000 / 39k / 48k
250,000 / 20k / 67k
300,000 / 0k / 87k

EXAMPLE 2:
100,000 / 49k (aid) / $38k (cost)
150,000 / 36k / 51k
200,000 / 9k / 78k
250,000 / 0k / 87k

So, for example, a family with a reasonable amount of savings and a combined income of $150,000 would be expected to pay $51,000 per year. That would decline if there were other kids in college. Families who were foolish enough to save a lot of money - and not put it into a huge house - would be expected to pay more.

 

[cabbie191]

I went to private college (Clark University, Worcester, MA) from 1969 - 1974, taking one year off to work in order to afford my last two years. I think tuition and expenses in those days was in the neighborhood of $3,000 but that might be a bit on the high side.

These were the days of Vietnam War protests and there were quite a few disruptions on Clark's campus. This led to a chat with my uncle who was a Spanish professor at Brown University. He recalled that when he was an undergraduate student at Amherst College, there were students protests that temporarily shut down the campus. When I asked what it was about, he said students were protesting a proposed $25 increase in tuition.

My jaw dropped and he could see the incredulousness all over my face. He smiled and then said - "You have to understand that the existing tuition was $250. What the school was proposing was a 10% increase. It was a significant jump for us even though it seems a pittance by today's costs."

Perspective - a life lesson learned.

 

[Skeets]

I went to private college (Clark University, Worcester, MA) from 1969 - 1974, taking one year off to work in order to afford my last two years. I think tuition and expenses in those days was in the neighborhood of $3,000 but that might be a bit on the high side.

These were the days of Vietnam War protests and there were quite a few disruptions on Clark's campus. This led to a chat with my uncle who was a Spanish professor at Brown University. He recalled that when he was an undergraduate student at Amherst College, there were students protests that temporarily shut down the campus. When I asked what it was about, he said students were protesting a proposed $25 increase in tuition.

My jaw dropped and he could see the incredulousness all over my face. He smiled and then said - "You have to understand that the existing tuition was $250. What the school was proposing was a 10% increase. It was a significant jump for us even though it seems a pittance by today's costs."

Perspective - a life lesson learned.

Amazing. One semester my tuition was $90. My books were more than that. And this was a regular 4 year college, not a community college. It was cheap, even back then. Compare that with UConn today.

 

[Cornell Lt]

I played and coached in the Ivy League. I can assure you there is no such thing as an athletic scholarship, no matter how talented an athlete is.

All scholarships granted to anyone who attends an Ivy League school, whether they play sports or not, are entirely “need based.” Every applicant to an Ivy College that is looking for financial aid, submits an application to the Financial Aid clearinghouse in Princeton, NJ.

The clearinghouse evaluates a family’s income level and financial assets before putting together a financial aid package for the applicant. That package typically consists of a scholarship grant, loan amount, work-study amount and parental contribution.

There is absolutely no preference given to a star basketball player over a talented physics student. The good thing about the Ivies is that all 8 Ivy universities have enormous endowments. No matter the economic circumstances of any applicant, if they are accepted to an Ivy League school, that school will ensure they have the financial aid necessary to cover the full tuition, room & board, now around $80,000 per year at any of the Ivies.

Your statement is pretty accurate. however it should be noted that athletic teams are granted a certain number of admissions that would take into consideration various aspects, to include all the things you mention along with a coaches request for admittance.

 

[oldude]

Your statement is pretty accurate. however it should be noted that athletic teams are granted a certain number of admissions that would take into consideration various aspects, to include all the things you mention along with a coaches request for admittance.

Correct. However, there are minimum academic qualifications for any admission to an Ivy League school that are considerably demanding. The last thing the Ivies want is to accept students who cannot meet their academic requirements. This is doubly true for athletes who commit countless hours of practice, training and competition, in addition to dealing with the academic rigors of an Ivy League curriculum.

 

[stamfordhusky]

To expand on the above, the Ivy League has an academic index, and every athlete who is admitted must meet certain standards relative to SAT score and class rank. Most athletes at schools like UConn could not be admitted to an Ivy League school no matter how good they are.