How to Negotiate Your Athletic Scholarship Offer
Receiving scholarship offers from college coaches is one of the most exciting parts of the recruiting process. All your hard work is about to pay off. However, your work isn’t done yet. Many recruits aren’t sure how to ask a college coach for more money and negotiating scholarship offers can be tricky.
Keep reading for tips on negotiating scholarship offers, including how to ask for more scholarship money.
New NCAA scholarship limits possible next year
Starting in the 2025-2026 academic year, the NCAA may eliminate D1 scholarship limits if a proposed settlement is approved, enabling all sports to distribute scholarships more flexibly among athletes. This change is expected to have a significant impact on college recruiting. The latest updates here.
Why would a coach increase your scholarship offer?
Before you start thinking about how to negotiate a scholarship offer, it’s helpful to understand why a coach might increase it. Here are three situations where coaches may increase scholarship offers:
- They don’t want to lose you to another program: Having offers from other schools can help you negotiate for more money.
- More funds become available: If the current offer isn’t enough, let the coach know what you need. Coaches may find extra funds as the process continues.
- You’ve shown improvement: Keeping the coach updated on your progress could increase your value, especially if there’s a need for your position on the team.
Can you negotiate scholarships?
Yes. Any prospective student-athlete with an offer can technically negotiate a scholarship offer, except for full-ride scholarship offers, which already cover the full cost of college. Negotiating is most relevant for athletes in equivalency sports, where coaches divide scholarship funds as they see fit. However, just because you can negotiate doesn’t mean it’s guaranteed.
Headcount sports like FBS football, basketball, and volleyball have traditionally guaranteed full-ride scholarships, but proposed NCAA rule changes may shift all sports to an equivalency model. Full-ride scholarships won’t disappear entirely though – athletes in equivalency sports may still receive them, but they’ll often include other aid like academic scholarships, merit awards or grants, and will depend on program funding.
There are many misconceptions about full-ride scholarships. Watch as our experts clear them up in the video below.
Don’t rush the scholarship process
It’s understandable to feel excited–and even a sense of relief–when you receive one (or more!) offers. However, accepting an offer and finalizing a college decision can also cause a lot of stress for student-athletes and their families. At the end of the day, this is a life-changing decision, and it’s important not to rush the process.
Before accepting a potential scholarship offer, make sure you:
- Take some time to review your offer. When you get a college offer, it may seem like your recruiting is done, but that’s not always the case. Don’t just automatically accept a coach’s offer. Instead, let the coach know you’ll need some time to think it over before making a decision. Coaches will usually give recruits anywhere from a few days to 1-2 weeks before making a decision.
- Discuss the decision with someone you trust. Whether it’s a parent, family member, your high school or club coach or a current or former college athlete or coach, it’s helpful to have someone to talk to you through the process.
- Consider all your options. This is especially important if you receive an offer before your junior or senior year. Have you had a chance to explore all of the schools on your target list? Have you visited every school that you’re considering attending? Is this your dream school, or high on your list? If you received multiple offers, how does this offer stack up against the others?
- Determine if the school is the right fit. As you consider your offer, ask yourself a few questions to help you determine if it’s actually the right fit for you. Would you be happy at this school if your offer was off the table, or if you could no longer pursue your sport there? Do they offer your intended major or field of study? How do you feel about the campus’s location, size and general atmosphere? Did you get a chance to get to know the coach or team on a visit?
- Understand what type of offer you received. A verbal commitment isn’t a guaranteed deal. Think of verbal offers as informal agreements between you and a coach—either side can change their mind at any time. Your offer becomes official only after you sign a financial aid agreement, get accepted by the college and have the necessary paperwork completed.
Offers from other interested schools can help
Offers from other schools can help you maximize your financial aid. The best leverage you have when negotiating your athletic scholarship offer is legitimate offers from other schools. This is why it’s so important to have a group of schools you’re interested in. Continue conversations with coaches at all your top schools, rather than narrowing your options down to just one school at the beginning of the process.
At this stage, you ideally want to have at least five schools showing serious interest in you to best negotiate your athletic scholarship offer.
Insider tip: Schools are more likely to increase their offer if they’re competing with a rival school for your commitment. College rivalries can work in your favor, especially if both schools know you’re genuinely interested. Even at D3 schools, where athletic scholarships aren’t allowed, they may help you find other financial aid to stay competitive. However, don’t engage with schools just to leverage a better offer. You should have genuine interest in the schools making you offers.
You have some time to communicate with other coaches after the initial offer
Realistically, all your offers won’t come in at the same time, which can make it difficult when negotiating your athletic scholarship offer. When a coach gives an offer, make sure you thank them for the opportunity, and let them know you are interested in their program. It’s perfectly acceptable to tell the coach that you need some time to think it over and ask them when they need your response. The coach may give you a week or two, and in that time, you need to reach out to your other top schools.
Give the coaches at the other schools a call to discuss your interest in their program and where you stand on their list of recruits. Let them know that you have received an offer from another school and you need to respond to that coach within a specific timeframe.
If you go into the conversation asking for scholarship money, you run the risk of turning off the coach entirely. The coach will likely need to figure out if they have money to offer you—and how much—and will get back to you.
Insider Tip: Sharing your offer can work to your advantage if done correctly! It’s often smart to promote your offer on recruiting media sites and even social media. Coaches, especially those from competing conferences and divisions, might see your announcement and be interested in learning more about you as a recruit.
Negotiate your athletic scholarship offer based on your expected contribution
Once you’ve had a chance to review all your offers, it’s time to do some math. Some of the schools you’re interested in may be willing to give you a larger sum of money, but if their tuition is double the cost of the other schools you’re looking at, you will pay more money at the end of the day.
A better way to negotiate your athletic scholarship offer is to calculate your family’s expected contribution after you’ve factored in all your scholarship money. Most scholarship packages are structured in a way that will show your family what your expected contribution is up front.
On top of tuition, you need to consider the cost of books, room and board, and even additional fees specific to each school. You can ask each coach for an idea of the kinds of costs you’ll be expected to pay, or you can reach out to the school’s financial aid office.
Once you’ve calculated how much you’re expected to pay at each school, go back to your top schools to negotiate your athletic scholarship offer to see if they can match your best offer. Negotiating your athletic scholarship offer is a delicate process, but with patience and honesty, you have the best chance to get your top offer.
How to ask for more scholarship money
Asking for more scholarship money can feel a little intimidating, but with the right approach, it can make a big difference. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you through the process:
- Know what you need: Start by looking at your scholarship offer and all your costs, like tuition, housing and other fees. Make sure you know how much more money you need.
- Gather your reasons: Think about why you need more money. It could be because of a family financial change, higher costs or even a better offer from another school. Be ready to explain this.
- Reach out to the right person: Contact the coach, financial aid office or whoever handles scholarships at the school. Always be polite and professional when reaching out.
- Ask nicely: When you ask for more money, be clear and respectful. Avoid making demands or ultimatums. Something like, “I’m really grateful for the scholarship offer, but I still have some financial gaps, is there any additional funding that could help cover the costs?” works well.
- Be open to other options: If they can’t offer more scholarship money, they might suggest other ways to help, like work-study or grants. Be open to different solutions!
- Follow up: Give them some time to respond, but if you don’t hear back, it’s okay to follow up with a friendly reminder.
Should I ask a coach for an offer?
Whether or not you should ask a coach for an offer ultimately depends on the situation and your relationship with the coach. If you are already in communication with a coach and have a good relationship, it may be appropriate to ask if they are considering extending an offer. However, if you have not yet established a relationship with a coach or have not had previous communication, it is more appropriate to introduce yourself and express your interest in the program, without asking for an offer.
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