Brought to you by
NATIONAL LETTER OF INTENT (NLI)
November is the start of the National Letter of Intent season!
Especially pay attention to the early signing periods that start November 12th and end November 19th.
| Sport | Initial Signing Date | Final Signing Date |
| All Other Sports (Early Period) | November 12, 2014 | November 19, 2014 |
| All Other Sports (Regular Period) | April 15, 2015 | August 1, 2015 |
Click here to see FAQs on the NLI signing process
APPLICATIONS
The deadline for schools that accept ‘Early Decision’ or ‘Early Action’ applications usually falls around November 1st or 15th.
*This process is binding if they are accepted to the school.
FINANCIAL AID – FAFSA
The time starts now to prepare families for the FAFSA process! Follow the steps below to ensure all families are ready come January 1st:
- Create an account at www.fafsa.ed.gov and apply for a PIN
- Have last year’s tax returns on hand and fill out the FAFSA worksheet prior to January 1st
- Both steps will make the application process go smoothly!
Make sure families are aware money is on a first come first serve basis. Applying as early as possible will allow the family to receive the maximum amount of funding – some funding is limited and may be depleted if a family waits too long. Plus, no matter the families income everyone should apply for the FAFSA! This will ensure they are eligible for the maximum amount of aid possible and cover themselves in case an unforeseen circumstance arises with the family.
November NCAA Articles
South Carolina latest school to offer 4 year scholarships
- On Thursday, South Carolina announced that it would be the latest school to commit to 4 year scholarships for a larger number of student-athletes.
- The program, called “The Gamecock Student-Athlete Promise: A Championship Experience,” will ensure that all student-athletes in the “Head count” sports of football, men’s and women’s basketball, women’s tennis, and women’s volleyball will receive 4 year scholarships.
- In a study in early September by CBSSports.com, it was revealed that only four schools (Ohio State, Florida, Arizona State, and Florida State) that had a football or men’s basketball team finish in last year’s top 25 had more than 20 athletes on four year scholarships in all sports.
- Ohio State led that group with 71 student-athletes with four year scholarships.
- The only way that a South Carolina athlete in those sports can be removed early from a scholarship is if they leave the team voluntarily, become ineligible, or violate university or athletic department policy.
Big Ten announces initial recommendations for enhance student-athlete benefits
- The Big Ten Conference has given its initial recommendations to the NCAA to provide enhanced benefits for student-athletes in good standing as part of the new NCAA autonomy structure
- The plan includes the following recommendations:
- Cost of Education: Redefine full grant-in-aid to meet a student-athlete’s cost of education, as determined by the federal government.
- Multi-Year Scholarships: Guarantee all scholarships. If a student-athlete is no longer able to compete, for whatever reason, there should be no impact on institutions’ commitment to deliver an undergraduate education.
- Lifetime Educational Commitment: Ensure that scholarships are available for life. If a student-athlete leaves a university for a professional career before graduating, whether the career materializes, and regardless of its length, the scholarship will be honored after his or her playing days are complete.
- Medical Insurance: Provide improved, consistent medical insurance for student-athletes.
- The Big Ten has also agreed to address additional student-athlete welfare issues with a specific pathway and timeline for implementation in the future that includes:
- Health and safety
- Time Demands
- Comprehensive academic support
USOC looking to possibly help out NCAA Olympic sports
- With big changes coming to major college athletics, the USOC is worried about the possibility of funding being cut or eliminated altogether for NCAA Olympic sports.
- USOC CEO Scott Blackmun last week outlined several ways in which the USOC may become involved with sports within the NCAA.
- One idea he mentioned is having US national sport governing bodies working with the NCAA to sponsor national championships in various sports.
- There are no set in stone ideas yet, but he went as far as to say they’ve already identified a donor willing to provide $5 million to back his effort if the right idea is found.
November Recruiting Calendars
Women’s Volleyball
Contact Period: November 1st – November 9th
Dead Period: November 10th – November 13th
Contact Period: November 14th – November 30th
