Academic Merit Aid Exceeds Athletic Aid

BRAINS BEAT BRAWN IN GETTING FINANCIAL AID AT OHIO STATE
     COLUMBUS -- Who has a better chance of getting scholarship
aid to The Ohio State University based on their talents, a high
school athlete or a high school scholar?
     The answer is easy: the scholar.  Approximately 6,200 Ohio
State students are currently receiving scholarship money based on
academic merit.  In comparison, there are 360 students on
athletic scholarships at Ohio State.
     The university awarded $5.3 million in merit-based academic
scholarships last year, compared to $3.3 million in grants-in-aid
to athletes during the same time period.
     This $2 million differential is rather unusual among
universities with high-ranking intercollegiate sports programs.
An article in the March 30 edition of the Chronicle of Higher
Education showed that less than half of the 20 universities with
the past year's top-ranked football or basketball programs (Ohio
State finished the 1993 season ranked 10th in football) awarded
more total merit aid to scholars than to athletes.  Only three
awarded more academic merit aid than Ohio State. (See chart on
page 3.)
     The Chronicle article points out a problem with the high
visibility of athletic scholarships in comparison to academic
merit awards:
     "Some academics say the gulf between athletic and academic
merit awards on some campuses sends disturbing messages about the
institutions' priorities.  It contributes to a climate, they
contend, in which many young people mistakenly believe that
excelling at athletics is their best route to college."
     This is a notion that Ohio State President E. Gordon Gee
wishes to challenge.
     "It is important for high school students to realize that
they must qualify academically before they can consider
athletics," he said.  "Sports are a wonderful complement and an
important part of our university, but our priority has been and
will continue to be on academics.  We support that principle
financially as well as philosophically."
     Merit-based aid is only a portion of the total financial aid
available to Ohio State students.  Overall, 13,500 students at
Ohio State received $19 million in scholarships last year, much
of it based on financial need as well as academic merit.  Many
students qualify for a variety of forms of aid including
scholarships, grants and loans.  When all forms of undergraduate
aid are included, the total amount is over $105 million.

     In addition to meeting students' financial needs, the
university believes it is important to reward high academic
achievement and ability.  For the past four years, Ohio State has
given full scholarships to National Merit Scholars, which has
resulted in the university enrolling about 100 of these top
students each year.  In addition, the Presidential and Medalist
Scholarships, also established four years ago, reward the winners
of an academic competition conducted among the top freshmen
applicants.  Ten Presidential Scholars will receive full-ride
scholarships this year, and 30 Medalist Scholars will receive
full-tuition scholarships.  They will join 150 previous winners
of the scholarships.

     Funding for merit scholarships comes from the university's
general fund and from gifts and endowment funds from private
donors.  Funding for athletic scholarships comes from athletic
department revenues and from gifts from private donors.

                                #

Contact: Roger Meyer, senior associate director, Student
Financial Aid, (614) 292-1134.

(From the Chronicle of Higher Education, March 30, 1994)

Athletic and Academic Merit Scholarships at 20 Universities
                             Academic        Athletic
Auburn                       $1,809,703      $3.004,968
Duke                            465,000       4,000,000
Florida State                 1,322,999       2,461,610
Ohio State                    5,300,000       1,822,169*
Penn State                    3,409,172       3,500,000
Temple                        2,000,000       3,641,000
Texas A&M                     9,006,636       1,739,206
Arizona                          n/a          3,200,000
Arkansas                      5,844,159       1,784,375
UC-Berkeley                     400,000       2,892,606
Florida                       2,660,578       3,025,164
Kansas                        4,858,510       2,641,490
Kentucky                      3,200,000       3,068,612
Louisville                    3,000,000       1,981,158
Michigan                      4,000,000       5,400,000
Minnesota                     7,500,000       2,500,000
Nebraksa                      1,947,949       2,418,805
North Carolina (Chapel Hill)    636,036       3,192,775
Notre Dame                            0       4,000,000
West Virginia                 3,100,000       2,751,324

Note: Figures cover the 1992-93 academic year.  Figures for merit
scholarships include all institutionally awarded financial aid to
undergraduates that is based exclusively on merit, without regard
to need.  Athletic scholarships typically include tuition, room
and board, and books.

*Above figures were collected by the Chronicle of Higher
Education by phoning the individual universities.  Because of a
misunderstanding, the amount of athletic scholarship money
awarded by Ohio State was incorrectly reported.  The correct
figure is $3.3 million for 1992-93.


[Submitted by: GERSTNER  (gerstner@ccgate.ucomm.ohio-state.edu)
               
Tue, 19 Apr 1994 13:44:36 -0500 (EST)]
All documents are the responsibility of their originator.