To Pay or Not to Pay

By Sam Bohmfalk in Blog on July 6, 2011 at 9:39 am | No Comments

That is the question. On one hand, “full” athletic scholarships cover tuition, fees, room and board, and a book allowance. The full cost of attendance takes into account the total cost of attending college, which includes transportation costs and money for incidentals. The gap between a full scholarship and the full cost of attendance generally runs somewhere between $2,000 and $5,000 per year.

Multiplied out for every student athlete, paying the full cost of attendance could cost universities $1 million or more, a number feasible for big programs but troublesome for athletic departments that are barely scooting by.

The idea of paying full cost of attendance has been broached by many conferences of late, and a full-scale national discussion may be around the corner.

Opponents argue that paying the full cost of attendance puts athletes on a pedestal above other students with scholarships who don’t receive full cost of attendance. Furthermore, they say, it would only widen the gap between the rich and poor in college athletics.

Proponents argue that it’s all about student welfare and that student-athletes should have money to go do their laundry or catch a movie.

Scroll over the icons on the graphic below to see what University of Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds and others from around the country have to say on the subject.

Tags: athletics, scholarships