The NCAA grant-in-aid formula leaves the annual scholarship shortfall between $200 and $10,962 per athlete depending on the school, according to a 2009 study by Ithaca College and the National College Players Association. The average scholarship shortfall was $2,951 a year, or $14,755 over five years.
This doesn't come as a shock to me, at all. I know several players that have worked over the summertime because they couldn't afford to be in T-town in the summer.
Now, this came as a BIG shock to me.
For instance, the 2009 study revealed a full scholarship athlete at Arkansas-Little Rock is expected to pay almost $55,000 out of pocket over five years. There's no way the Arkansas-Little Rock's could survive with their current economic model if they had to cover additional costs.
Several years ago I saw the numbers of how much money it cost the state to support UAB...along with how much money UAB was losing in football alone. Then, and to this very second, I believe their sports programs should be either shut down or moved down.