How to determine if a scholarship for college athletes is enough?

I'm a high school athlete offered a college sports scholarship. I'm wondering how to evaluate if this scholarship will cover enough of my expenses, or if I should seek additional funding.

The first step in evaluating your sports scholarship is to discuss the details with the college coach or the financial aid office. Specifically, try to know what components of your college cost it will cover - is it a full-ride (covers tuition, room and board, fees, and sometimes more), a full-tuition (covers just the cost of tuition), or a partial scholarship (covers a fraction of the costs)?

You can find the total cost of attendance (COA) on the college's official website or through a quick search. This figure typically includes tuition, fees, room and board, books, supplies, transportation, and some personal expenses.

Subtract the amount of the scholarship from the COA. This difference is what you'll have to cover out of pocket, with help from additional scholarships, grants, work-study, or loans.

After this, examine factors that could reduce or increase your costs. For instance, some schools may add on a fee for using the school's health center, which would increase your estimated cost, while others might have cheaper alternatives for housing or meal plans, which could decrease your costs.

Lastly, it might help to project future costs as well. Is the scholarship renewable each year, and if so, what are the conditions? Keep in mind that COA generally increases each year due to inflation and varying fees, so by the time you're a sophomore, junior, or senior, your costs are likely going to be higher than they were your freshman year.

Remember that you don't have to cover the remaining costs with additional scholarships alone. You could work part-time, apply for a work-study position, or look into grants and federal student aid.

However, it is advisable to avoid relying heavily on student loans if possible, as these can accumulate and become a significant financial burden after graduation.

Given these considerations, be sure to evaluate any offer from various angles before accepting.