...using the very same qualification criteria used for non-athletes, he or she is every bit as entitled to the aid as the non-athlete according to NCAA regulations.

The larger a university's endowment, the higher the proportion of students who qualify for merit-based aid. In effect, if an applicant qualifies for admission, it's easier to receive merit money because there's a bigger pool to spread around.

Vanderbilt, which has an enormous endowment, has a high percentage of its students benefiting from it; so, its baseball team reflects its effect. Similarly well-endowed public universities like Virginia and North Carolina use their endowments to their advantage.

The same sort of dynamic applies to those states that provide "Hope" scholarships to their residents who meet the scholarship's qualifying requirements. Since the same criteria are applied to athlete and non-athlete, alike, those athletes who qualify receive assistance above the partial athletic scholarship available to them. Georgia Tech's baseball team has benefited immensely from Georgia's "Hope" program over the years.

[Post edited by NorCalHokie at 01/18/2016 08:51AM]