ATHLETIC SCHOLARSHIP INFORMATION
National Letter of Intent
Pursuant to NCAA rules, a verbal commitment is not binding on either the student athlete or the institution. The National Letter of Intent is a binding agreement between a prospective student-athlete and an institution in which the institution agrees to provide a prospective student athlete who is admitted to the institution and is eligible for financial aid under NCAA rules athletics aid for one academic year in exchange for the prospective student athlete's agreement to attend the institution for one academic year. The National Letter of Intent must be accompanied by an institutional financial aid agreement. If the prospective student athlete signs the National Letter of Intent but does not enroll at that institution for a full academic year, he or she may be subject to specific penalties, including loss of a season of eligibility and a mandatory residence requirement.
The most recent cost of attendance figures for undergraduate students is posted here: http://students.berkeley.edu/finaid/home/cost.htm.
Per NCAA Bylaw 15.02.5, a full athletics grant-in-aid includes tuition and fees, room and board, and required course-related books.
Period of award - NCAA Bylaw 15.02.7:
The period of award begins when the student-athlete receives any benefits as a part of the student's grant-in-aid on the first day of classes for a particular academic term, or the first day of practice, whichever is earlier, until the conclusion of the period set forth in the financial aid agreement. An athletics grant-in-aid shall not be awarded in excess of the student-athlete’s five-year period of eligibility.
Scholarship Reductions & Cancellations - NCAA Bylaw 15.3.4.2
An athletic scholarship may be reduced or cancelled during the period of the award if a student-athlete:
a. Renders himself or herself ineligible for intercollegiate competition.
b. Engages in serious misconduct warranting substantial disciplinary action.
c. Voluntarily (on his/her own initiative) withdraws from the sport.
d. Fraudulently misrepresents any information on an application, letter of intent or financial aid agreement or during any university proceeding.
Scholarship Renewals and Non-Renewals – NCAA Bylaw 15.3.5.1
The renewal of institutional financial aid based in any degree on athletics ability shall be made on or before July 1 prior to the academic year in which it is to be effective. The institution shall promptly notify in writing each student-athlete who received an award the previous academic year and who has eligibility remaining in the sport in which financial aid was awarded the previous academic year whether the grant has been renewed or not renewed for the ensuing academic year. Notification of financial aid renewals and nonrenewals must come from the institution's regular financial aid authority and not from the institution's athletics department.
Summer School – NCAA Bylaw 15.2.8
Scholarship student-athletes are eligible for aid during a summer school session only if they received aid the previous academic year. Per NCAA rules, summer aid may be awarded up to the proportion received the previous academic year. Approval for summer session will be contingent on approval from the student-athlete's coach, the sport supervisor and the Associate Director of Athletics for Compliance.
The average monthly full grant-in-aid athletic scholarship payment received by student-athletes who live off-campus is $1,300 for the regular academic year and $1,100 during the summer session. The average room and board received by the student-athletes who live on campus can be found here: http://students.berkeley.edu/finaid/home/cost.htm.
TRANSFER INFORMATION
Athletic Release - NCAA Bylaw 13.1.1.3: Four-year College Prospective Student-Athletes
An athletics staff member or other representative of the institution's athletics interests shall not make contact with the student-athlete of another NCAA or NAIA four-year collegiate institution, directly or indirectly, without first obtaining the written permission of the first institution's athletics director (or an athletics administrator designated by the athletics director) to do so, regardless of who makes the initial contact. If permission is not granted, the second institution shall not encourage the transfer and the institution shall not provide athletically related financial assistance to the student-athlete until the student-athlete has attended the second institution for one academic year. If permission is granted to contact the student-athlete, all applicable NCAA recruiting rules apply. If an institution receives a written request from a student-athlete to permit another institution to contact the student-athlete about transferring, the institution shall grant or deny the request within seven business days (see Bylaw 13.02.1) of receipt of the request. If the institution fails to respond to the student-athlete's written request within seven business days, permission shall be granted by default and the institution shall provide written permission to the student-athlete.
NCAA Bylaw 13.1.1.3.1: Hearing Opportunity
If the institution decides to deny a student-athlete's request to permit any other institution to contact the student-athlete about transferring, the institution shall inform the student-athlete in writing that he or she, upon request, shall be provided a hearing conducted by an institutional entity or committee outside of the athletics department (e.g., the office of student affairs; office of the dean of students; or a committee composed of the faculty athletics representative, student-athletes and non-athletics faculty/staff members). The institution shall conduct the hearing and provide written results of the hearing to the student-athlete within 15 business days (see Bylaw 13.02.1) of receipt of the student-athlete's written request for a hearing. The student-athlete shall be provided the opportunity to actively participate (e.g., in person, via telephone) in the hearing. If the institution fails to conduct the hearing or provide the written results to the student-athlete within 15 business days, permission to contact the student-athlete shall be granted by default and the institution shall provide written permission to the student-athlete.
NCAA Bylaw 14.5.5.2.10: One Time Transfer Exception
The student transfers to the certifying institution from another four-year collegiate institution, and all of the following conditions are met.
(a) The student is a participant in a sport other than baseball, basketball, bowl subdivision football or men's ice hockey at the institution to which the student is transferring. A participant in championship subdivision football at the institution to which the student is transferring may use this exception only if the participant transferred to the certifying institution from an institution that sponsors bowl subdivision football and has two or more seasons of competition remaining in football or the participant transfers from a Football Championship Subdivision institution that offers athletically related financial aid in football to a Football Championship Subdivision institution that does not offer athletically related financial aid in football;
(b) The student has not transferred previously from one four-year institution unless, in the previous transfer, the student-athlete received an exception per Bylaw 14.5.5.2.6 (discontinued/non-sponsored sport exception);
(c) At the time of transfer to the certifying institution (see Bylaw 14.5.2), the student would have been academically eligible had he or she remained at the institution from which the student transferred, except that he or she is not required to have fulfilled the necessary percentage-of degree requirements at the previous institution; and
(d) If the student is transferring from an NCAA or NAIA member institution, the student's previous institution shall certify in writing that it has no objection to the student being granted an exception to the transfer-residence requirement. If an institution receives a written request for a release from a student-athlete, the institution shall grant or deny the request within seven business days. If the institution fails to respond to the student-athlete's written request within seven business days, the release shall be granted by default and the institution shall provide a written release to the student-athlete.
NCAA Bylaw 14.5.5.2.10.1: Hearing Opportunity
If the student's previous institution denies his or her written request for the release, the institution shall inform the student-athlete in writing that he or she, upon written request, shall be provided a hearing conducted by an institutional entity or committee outside of the athletics department (e.g., the office of student affairs; office of the dean of students; or a committee composed of the faculty athletics representative, student-athletes and nonathletics faculty/staff members). The institution shall conduct the hearing and provide written results of the hearing to the student-athlete within 15 business days (see Bylaw 14.02.2) of receipt of the student-athlete's written request for a hearing. The student-athlete shall be provided the opportunity to actively participate (e.g., in person, via telephone) in the hearing. If the institution fails to conduct the hearing or provide the written results to the student-athlete within 15 business days, the release shall be granted by default and the institution shall provide a written release to the student-athlete.
MEDICAL EXPENSES INFORMATION
An institution, Conference or the NCAA may provide medical and related expenses and services to a student-athlete.
Medical Treatment and Expenses
Most injuries and illness can be evaluated and treated on campus at UCB (at the UHS Tang Center, or Cal Sports Medicine facilities). However, some procedures and services must be performed off campus, as arranged by the Cal Sports Medicine Staff. Whether on or off campus, all medical treatment and medication bills for which Cal Sports Medicine is responsible for payment must be approved for payment in advance by the Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Medicine, or a Team Physician in accordance with NCAA and University regulations.
INSURANCE COVERAGE AND PROCEDURES
All UC students are required to have health insurance. If student-athletes are covered by a personal or family policy, and need a service for which billing is necessary, their insurance company will be billed first. Cal Athletics and its secondary plan insurance carrier will not accept responsibility for the expenses for a pre-existing injury, or an injury that did not directly result from participation in a covered Cal Athletics Event. Coverage provided by the Department is in compliance with the guidelines issued by the NCAA. Student-athletes must provide information about personal insurance coverage annually, or as changes to their policies occur.
Cal Athletics carries insurance that covers injuries to student-athletes sustained during Cal intercollegiate athletics participation. The plan is designed to ensure that neither students nor their families will incur any expenses for Cal athletics-related medical conditions. The insurance is a “secondary plan,” meaning it will cover any deductibles, co-payments or other expenses not covered by your family’s insurance plan. If student-athletes are injured during intercollegiate athletics practice or competition, an insurance claim will be filed first with their insurance company by the authorized provider of services. The Athletic Department’s insurance carrier will then pay any deductibles or co-payments not paid by your plan. All medical expenses related to a Cal Athletics injury must be approved in advance by Cal Sports Medicine. Cal Athletics is not responsible for any expense not pre-approved through Cal Sports Medicine. Athletics-related injuries sustained while participating in Cal Intercollegiate sports events or official practices are covered for up to two years from the date of the original injury. Only standard and customary service types and costs will be considered for coverage. If no longer enrolled, former students you must carry a primary plan in order for the Athletic insurance to continue to cover a sports-related condition as a secondary policy.
Any bill or statement a student-athlete or student-athlete’s parent receives for a Cal Athletics-related injury should be given to the student-athlete’s athletic trainer as soon as possible after receipt. Student-athletes should be sure to check mail, as medical bills are often mailed to local or home addresses. Health insurance privacy laws ensure that bills cannot be mailed directly from a provider to Cal Athletics, so they only way Cal Athletics knows a student-athlete has an outstanding bill is for the student-athlete to submit the bill . Failure to do so may result in unpaid bills. Cal Athletics cannot be held responsible for bills not submitted.
