How Much Money Can You Save By Getting an NCAA D1 Basketball Scholarship?

There are many reasons and factors that play a part in the determination and focus a player puts into earning an NCAA Division 1 basketball scholarship. But, how much does a student athlete actually save compared to the time and money they invest to secure this super-desired athletic scholarship? In this article we will answer this question for you in as much detail as possible.  Getting a D1 basketball scholarship is a strategic investment of your time and money. How much time and money are you and your family looking at investing … let’s find out, so you can weigh up the worth of a NCAA D1 basketball scholarship.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO ATTEND A UNIVERSITY WITH A DIVISION 1 BASKETBALL PROGRAM?

Here’s how much it costs to attend the top 10 NCAA D1 universities. I wanted to lay these figures out for you so that you can see how much it would cost to attend without a full ride basketball scholarship.

Top Five NCAA D1 Schools Tuition Costs for In and Out of State Student Athletes:

1. Kansas – Annual cost: In-State $27,665 / Out-of-State $44,533
2. North Carolina – Annual cost: In-State $25,752 / Out-of-State $47,754
3. UCLA – Annual cost: In-State $37,448 / Out-of-State $68,474
4. Texas Tech – Annual cost: In-State $28,022 / Out-of-State $40,292
5. Arizona – Annual cost: In-State $31,650 / Out-of-State $58,050
6. Houston – Annual cost: In-State $23,722 / Out-of-State $38,962

I selected one school out of the above list, (The University of Kansas), so we can take a closer look at this popular division 1 basketball program and see exactly what costs you would incur to attend the university, in more detail:

THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS – RESIDENT IN STATE

$10,092 + program course fee – TUITION

$1,074 – REQUIRED CAMPUS FEE

$15,275 – HOUSING & MEALS

$1,224 – BOOKS

TOTAL: $27,665

This amount is for 4 years. So lets multiply $27,665 x 4 = $110,660 total for 4-years of education & basketball

THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS – OUT-OF-STATE

$26,960 + program course fee – TUITION

$1,074 – REQUIRED CAMPUS FEE

$15,274 – HOUSING & MEALS

$1,224 – BOOKS

TOTAL: $44,533

This amount is for 4 years. So lets multiply $44,533 x 4 = $178,132 total for 4-years of education & basketball.

NOTE: The University of Kansas is a public research school, there are many other D1 schools which have a much higher cost to attend.

KU FRESHMAN SCHOLARSHIPS FOR ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE

I thought it was worth while pointing out that student athletes can also access merit based scholarships towards the cost of attendance. Here’s Kansas University’s for example, other schools have similar but they won’t be exactly the same, this is just to give you an idea.

In-state freshman merit scholarships

Out-of-state freshman merit scholarships

WHAT DOES A D1 BASKETBALL SCHOLARSHIP COVER?

Lets start by stating that there are 358 men’s NCAA division 1 basketball programs, all of which can offer 13 full scholarships. This means that the school (Kansas University for example) will cover all of the following if they offer you a full ride scholarship to play for their basketball program:

• Your Tuition and fees
• Your campus fees
• Your housing and meals
• Your books

NOTE: This is not included on the schools websites but the majority of D1 schools also cover your travel expenses such as flights, hotels and meals on the road and all of your team gear such as shoes, jackets, sweat pants etc.

It is important to note that the Power 5 conferences (ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, SEC and Pac-12) have passed legislation that guarantee their full ride players a yearly payment which they refer to as a “stipend”. This means players now receive yearly stipends of $2,000 to $4,000 payments to cover their cost-of-living.

So, not only can you save over $100,000 in university costs, you can actually receive stipend between $8,000 to $16,000 over your 4 years at university!

How much money will a D1 Basketball scholarship save your family?

As you can see from our example school above, you can save between $100,000 to $180,000 to get your 4 year education and play at the highest level of college basketball – now that’s a lot of money. With the stipend this can also save families from having to send additional money while you are at university.

Now it is easier to understand why so many young basketball players sacrifice and strive so hard to attain a full scholarship and, why their families are big supporters and are 100% behind there endeavours when you look at how much money is saved and earned, by getting an athletic scholarship.

WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO GET A D1 BASKETBALL SCHOLARSHIP?

It takes a lot. As a young player or a parent of an aspiring basketball player, you can fully understand this. This goal is not a cheap goal to achieve. You have to be willing to invest financially as well as physically and emotionally.

There are thousands upon thousands of players competing for a roster spot at a D1 program. Are you one of those who is really willing to do what it takes? Well. What does it take exactly, what does this mean? Here are a few real life questions to ask yourself (and your family) and find out:

• Are you ready to spend $1000 to play in a weekend tournament out of town to be seen by college coaches?
• Are you ready to have to play off the bench if your Coach brings in a new player at your position, and remain just as focused and motivated?
• Are you ready to skip a family vacation for basketball?
• Are you ready to miss your best friends birthday party?

These are tough questions, but the answer you give to these questions will determine your chances of making it or not to some degree. I say some degree because as we all know, if you are a great stand-out player you will already have coaches on you, elite AAU teams will want you on their team and you will already be playing in the best circuits increasing your player profile to get recruited to college.

But what if you’re a really good player, a player who is in the middle ground, what do you do then? Typically players who line up in this category play AAU and try to dominate and make a name for themselves here as much as possible. This means paying for personal trainers, basketball fees, travel expenses, hotels etc. all out of your own pocket. It is an expensive, difficult and emotional commitment. Players who are totally committed to giving it their all to get a D1 basketball scholarship will pay to attend exposure camps, use videographers, even hire a nutritionist to get the edge all in an attempt to reach their fullest potential to stand out enough that a D1 college coach (or scout) notices them enough to reach out with the highly prized D1 scholarship.

If you want to know all the important dates for NCAA D1 Basketball CLICK HERE!

CONCLUSION:

Playing D1 basketball on a full scholarship is not only a great opportunity get your education and play college basketball at the highest level, it is also the best way to graduate from college debt free. Attaining yourself a full ride means you will not be in debt at the beginning of your life, once your college chapter has ended. This is a big deal. It relieves a tremendous burden and stress that most people who go to college have to bear. You can choose to pursue a career in professional basketball or start your chosen career (whatever field this may be in) with a clean slate and a great jump start financially in life. You may even have some money saved up, left over from your stipends!