UAH Athletics

1. Athletic Financial Aid- A student may receive unearned athletically related financial aid administered by the institution for any regular semester the student is in attendance, provided it is awarded according to normal written university procedures and does not exceed the amount equal to tuition and fees, room and board, and required course-related books and supplies, and provided the student is not under contract to or currently receiving compensation from a professional sports organization. All aid should be thought of in terms of dollars amount unless expressed differently.

All aid received by student-athletes that is not from a parent or legal guardian must be submitted to the UAH Office of Financial Aid for payment of collegiate expenses. In addition, all aid received by student-athletes is to be formally communicated to the compliance area of athletics through documentation on paper or through an electronic submission of the information. These papers will be reviewed and matched against what is submitted to financial aid. All employment and summer work is to be added to the formal list of aid. A form for this formal documentation will be completed by the student-athlete along with the NCAA paperwork at the beginning of the season, and no later than the end of the spring semester.

Steps to take-

1. DoAC sends declaration of financial aid and employment form electronically to student athlete in August of the academic year. Student athletes may complete a paper version of the form if requested.

2. DoAC reviews declarations when completing financial aid listings/squad lists to determine if countable or unallowable aid

3. DoAC reviews RPAAWRD on native Banner on the UAH computer system to check to see what aid has been allocated to the student athlete when completing the financial aid listing/squad list.

4. When DoAC completes preliminary draft, it is sent to the financial aid liaison who also has NCAA Compliance Assistant software log on capabilities.

5. Financial aid reviews allocations of aid to student athletes.

6. If there is a discrepancy or varied opinions, there is a discussion on the phone or in person with the financial aid team component of the compliance committee if necessary until it is sorted out and i agreed upon.

7. The financial aid liaison signs the financial aid listing/squad listing when approved

8. The listing or squad list is routed for his/her approval to the FAR, the AD, and the head coach.

9. Parties who sign will make copies as they deem needed.

10. When all have approved and signed, the DoAC will sign and send to the appropriate conference office(s), typically electronically.

2. Athletics Aid for Summer School- All UAH student-athletes, with the exception of some Division I team members, are eligible to receive athletics financial aid for the summer terms providing there are funds available in the scholarship budget. Student-athletes interested in summer money need to contact the Director of Athletics (who coordinates summer money) before the summer sessions begin.

As men’s ice hockey is an NCAA Division I team, different rules apply. A non-scholarship student-athlete would not be eligible to receive any athletically related aid during the summer. Student-athletes on the hockey team who receive athletically related aid during the fall and spring semesters are eligible to receive summer aid under the procedure described above, and in amounts no greater than the comparable value during the academic term.

A student-athlete must be academically eligible to compete through the spring semester prior to the summer term in order to qualify for UAH Athletics summer aid (assuming aid is available).

Steps to take-

1. If a student athlete would like summer school money, they are to petition the Director of Athletics in person with their request

2. The AD will notify the SWA if he approves any summer aid

3. The SWA will coordinate with the DoAC if the aid is allowable for the student-athlete for summer per NCAA rules and regulations

4. If it is allowed, the SWA will prepare paperwork and process with financial aid

5. If not allowable, the SWA will notify the AD and the SA

3. Working while on Scholarship- Specific rules apply per situation. Anyone working while enrolled at UAH and on an athletic team should report their work situation to their head coach and the Director of Athletic Compliance and review it if is allowable.

Steps to take-

1. The student athlete will retrieve the student athlete employment form from the UAH Compliance website.

2. The student athlete will complete form and turn it into the DoAC, signed and dated.

3. DoAC will review the form, answer questions, and determine if the employment is allowable.

4. The student athlete will be told verbally or through email, depending on the turn-around time of the review.

4. Non-Allowable Financial Aid- A student-athlete SHALL NOT:

1. Receive financial aid other than that administered by the institution if the aid has any relationship whatsoever to athletic ability unless approved in advance by the DoAC. This shall not apply to earnings from a professional organization in a sport other than the student’s collegiate sport;

2. Accept financial aid from an organization, individual or agency outside of the student’s institution when selection for which is based primarily on athletic ability or participation;

3. Receive any extra benefit not available to members of the student body in general.

Steps to take-

1. All aid received by a student athlete is to be sent to the UAH Office of Financial Aid and is allocated to their student account by that office.

2. The financial aid office will notify athletics of outside aid

3. Institutional aid will be reviewed on RPAAWRD on the native Banner system of the UAH computer software for institutional allocations. If aid is over the limits for the student athlete or the team, the DoAC will discuss with the coach and proceed from there.

4. If the aid is unallowable, the coach and/or coach and DoAC will tell the student athlete that they are not allowed to receive the aid

5. Scholarship Requirements- UAH follows the requirements of NCAA Bylaw, Article 15 regarding financial aid. UAH financial aid stipulations for student-athletes are outlined in the UAH student-athlete manual. All UAH athletics financial aid is offered per academic year and on a one-year basis. The aid must be renewed annually in order to continue year to year; it is not automatically renewed. 

A student-athlete must be eligible for athletic aid as deemed by the NCAA and appropriate conference rules and regulations. This includes but is not limited to each student athlete being certified for amateurism for their prospective sport and division, and cleared for academics if a first time student. All student-athletes must be fully admitted to the University. All official transcripts from previous schools attended must be received by UAH and evaluated and processed by the appropriate division in the registrar’s office.

Generally, a student-athlete must be eligible for practice and competition, and be in good standing with their respective team, to receive financial aid that has been offered to them. (“Good standing” is following all UAH Athletics and team rules.)

The amount of athletics financial aid may be immediately reduced or canceled during the term of the award if:

1. The student-athlete becomes ineligible for intercollegiate competition (e.g., dropping below full-time enrollment minimum number of credits);

2. The student-athlete gives false information on the application for admission or financial aid, National Letter of Intent (NLI), or institutional financial aid agreement.

3. The student-athlete engages in serious misconduct that brings disciplinary action from this institution.

4. The student-athlete voluntarily withdraws from the sport for personal reasons at any time.

5. These reasons are subject to update based on NCAA, NLI and conference applicable rules and regulations.

The amount of athletics financial aid will be immediately reduced or cancelled during the term of the award if:

1. The student-athlete signs a professional sports contract or retain the services of an agent for this sport

2. The student-athlete accepts money or other compensation prohibited by the NCAA or GSC rules.

3. The student-athlete receives other financial aid that causes him/her to exceed the NCAA or conference individual limit. Their total financial aid may not exceed the limits set by the NCAA or the conference.

4. These reasons are subject to update, based on NCAA, NLI and conference applicable rules and regulations.

If a student-athlete’s financial aid is terminated, they may appeal the termination through an administrative committee, as outlined in the student-athlete handbook. Returning student-athletes who have received aid previously will be notified before July 1 by the Financial Aid Office if their aid will not be renewed for the following year. Aid non-renewal may be appealed through the UAH Director of Financial Aid, a process outlined in the student-athlete handbook. See Appendix for copy of this section from SA Handbook.

6. Financial Aid Equivalency- As soon as tuition rates for UAH have been set, which is usually late June or July, equivalency figures will be finalized. Since it is after the student athletes leave for the Spring semester, a process for planning purposes will start prior to the student athletes leaving and the prior academic year figures. The SWA will submit an equivalency worksheet to the coaches mid Spring semester. The coaches will use that sheet, along with their approved financial aid budget as given to them by the Director of Athletics, to determine scholarship awards.

Steps to take-

1. SWA submits equivalency worksheet to coaches

2. Coaches return worksheet to SWA by date set

3. SWA prepares returning student athlete scholarship awards for signatures and non-renewal/reduction list

4. SWA prepares excel spread sheet with equivalencies (because CAi typically not rolled over for new academic year) and shares with coaches and DoAC for problems

5. SWA gets signatures from AD, FA, and FAR for financial aid awards.

6. Award paperwork given to coaches to give to renewals and those receiving reductions

7. It is strongly encouraged that if the coach has a non-renewal or reduction they are to discuss with the student athlete so the student athlete is aware prior to receiving paperwork

8. Reduction and non-renewal list is given to financial aid for letters to be mailed to student athletes and postmarked no later than July 1. The letters will be addressed to the student athlete using their permanent address as recorded in official university records.

7. National Letter of Intent- The NLI commitment form is signed annually and submitted to the GSC by the appropriate due date. The DoAC takes the lead on completing this task. The form is signed by the Director of Athletics. For NLI’s to PSAs, each coach submits information about the prospective student-athlete to the DoAC using the Athletics Financial Aid Recommendation form. The student’s legal name, including middle initial, birth date, address, and NCAA EC ID number are needed, along with what classification of incoming student they are to UAH. If a UAH student ID has been given to the PSA that is also to be written on the form. The DoAC will review for proper rules following. She will print a copy of the NLI if approved and secure the signatures of the Director of Athletics.

If a National Letter of Intent is issued, the Gulf South Conference Grant-in-aid will also be issued. Consideration is legally required for all legal binding contracts.

Steps to take-

1. Coach completes and gives financial aid recommendation form to the DoAC with a copy of the PSAs transcript, SAT or ACT, NCAA EC ID number, and classification of incoming student athlete. The recommendation form can be found in the compliance manual and online.
2. DoAC certifies that the PSA

• - is on the UAH IRL for the appropriate sport
• - UAH has a copy of a transcript and SAT or ACT (13.9.2. DII)
• - the PSA does not already have a valid NLI
• - their incoming classification (2-4 transfer, freshman, 4-4 transfer)
• - if they are a 4-4 transfer, they will not receive an NLI
• -if a 4-4 transfer, the appropriate tracer with permission to speak and transfer is on file

3. The SWA keeps track of the amounts and pre-monitors that the awarding of athletic aid does not exceed sport equivalency figures.
4. The DoAC  secures the appropriate for the NLI and athletic financial aid for first time student athletes.
5. The NLI and financial aid agreement, along with an instruction letter that also contains  information regarding banned substances, graduation data, initial eligibility standards, organized  competition legislation, etc., is given to the coach who gives to the PSA according to appropriate dissemination. (13.9.3.1 DII).
6. The coach and DoAC monitors the returning of the documents.
7. The DoAC scans and emails signed documents into the GSC, FA and SWA.
8. The GSC records the signed documents into the NCAA database.
9. The DoAC periodically sends communication to coaches by email of what PSAs have returned their documents and what has been sent to GSC.

8. Gulf South Conference Grant-in-Aid- Using the same information about the prospective student-athlete, the DoAC will produce the Grant-in-Aid required by the Gulf South Conference for new student athletes and the SWA will produce the GIA required by the GSC for returning student athletes. This form requires the signature of the Director of Athletics, the Faculty Athletic Representative, and the Director of Financial Aid or his/her representative. The coach will provide the breakdown of the scholarship award into tuition, room, board, and books by semester on the grant in aid recommendation form. The amount line will be completed by the DoAC or SWA according to these recommendations, however it is an amount that can be moved from different expense categories unless expressly stated. A coach can request a percent of a full grant in aid, or other amount, if they wish.

Steps to take-

1. The coach is responsible for determining the probability of admission to UAH with feedback from admissions.

2. If there is a problem, the coach is expected to review the(se) problems with the student. If no problems are indicated in the initial screening, the DoAC  will continue the Grant-in-Aid/ NLI process. The coach is responsible for the process of their prospective student-athlete’s eligibility certification and is the main liaison for information from the prospective student-athlete to the DoAC.

3. The NLI and Grant-in-Aid are mailed, faxed, over-nighted or emailed to the student along with an instruction sheet. NLI’s and grants signed by the student-athlete and their parents (if required) are returned to the DoAC. The DoAC reviews the forms for timely dating (the student and parent must sign within 14 days of issue date) and parent/guardian signature for anyone under 21 for the NLI and 18 for the GSC GIA. The DoAC sends a completed set of NLI and grant to the GSC office and the student-athlete within 21 days after the PSA signs. If the GIA is for a returning student athlete, the SWA will handle the paperwork.

4. The grant is forwarded to the UAH Financial Aid office and a copy of the grant and NLI are filed in the athletics office with the appropriate administrator.

5. It is suggested to scan and email copies of NLIs and GIAs to the conference office and financial aid office when doing so in order to have a tracking that this step was followed.

9. Grant in Aid Preparation and Awarding Policies- Renewal financial aid awards are made through recommendations by each head coach to the scholarship coordinator and on a pre-specified form. New financial aid agreements will be made by recommendations by each head coach to the DoAC.

Steps to take-

1.  If it is a new FA recommendation the DoAC checks for-

• 1)    Student-athlete is listed on the NCAA Eligibility Institutional Request List for the appropriate sport or sports and there is not a fee problem.
• 2)     Student-athlete has submitted an official or non-official transcript
• 3)    Student-athlete has taken and submitted a score for the SAT or ACT
• 4)    Student-athlete has answered the amateurism section questions on the eligibility site
• 5)    If the student-athlete is a four year college transfer, the appropriate authorizations to contact and transfer certifications have been obtained by UAH.
• 6)    If the student-athlete is a two year college transfer, the appropriate transcript form the junior college has been received by UAH.

2. If an NLI is appropriate, the DoAC will prepare the NLI from the NCAA Eligibility Center web-site, and give the paperwork back to the coach along with the grant in aid from the Gulf South Conference rules and regulations, and will only get signatures for the grant in aid forms after the student-athletes information is completed. (See NLI section above.)

3. The DoAC will:

• Make sure the grant in aid offer amounts are in accordance with equivalency figures, both for the student-athlete and the sport through coordination with SWA excel spread sheet.

• Make sure the grant in aid offer amounts are in accordance with the budget given each sport by the Director of Athletics for scholarships.

• Make sure the dissemination of scholarships is in line with NLI dates and guidelines.

• Work with coaches and financial aid on securing signatures and submitting documents.

4. If it is a renewing grant in aid, the SWA will make sure –

• The grant in aid offer amounts are in accordance with the equivalency figures, both for the student athlete and the sport.
• Make sure the GIA offer are amounts in accordance with the budget given each sports for the AD for scholarships
• Work with the coaches and financial aid on securing signatures and submitting documents.

10. Grant in Aid Reduction or Non-renewals- Prior to May 15 of a calendar year, each coach must submit in writing to the SWA a list of student-athletes from the previous season that they plan to reduce in scholarship aid or do not intend to renew their grant-in-aid. (This list does not include graduating student-athletes or student-athletes who have used up their four seasons of eligibility.) The coach must also submit the reason for the reduction: athletics, suspension, rules violation, or other. The Director of Financial Aid will send out a letter postmarked no later than July 1 and notify them that there is a hearing opportunity if they wish to appeal and how to proceed if they are interested. The process is outlined above and is also in the Student-Athlete Handbook. (See below for steps.) The letter will be mailed to the official address the student athlete has on file with the UAH campus records.

Steps to take-

1. The SWA sends out the request for aid reduction, non-renewals, and renewals to the coaches prior to May 15 of the calendar year, typically prior.

2. The SWA organizes the information, coordinating with the office of financial aid and the DoAC.

3. The SWA sends the list of non-renewals and reductions to the financial aid liaison, which prepares the letter, with the correct description and mails them to the appropriate student athlete, no later than July 1 of the calendar year.

4. The financial aid representative will use the permanent address of the student athlete that is on file with the university.

5. The letters used by financial aid also contains the steps for appeal and a hearing of reduction or cancellation of aid.

11. Participation and Scholarship Release- In the event a student-athlete voluntarily withdraws from participation in a sports program at UAH, they will be requested to sign the Participation and Scholarship release form. 

Steps to take-

1. As soon as the situation becomes clear, the head coach is responsible for securing the student-athlete’s signature on the form.

2. A copy of this signed form will be given to the SWA, who will in turn route the information to the Director of Athletic Compliance, the Director of Athletics, Sports Information Department and Training office. The SWA will inform the Office of Financial Aid of any change in funding.

3. If a coach fails to secure the signature of the departing student-athlete, the team could lose the value of the scholarship on the next year’s scholarship budget. 

11 Hearing/Appeal Policy and Procedure on Reduction and/or Cancellation of Athletics Aid Between Academic Years:

All athletic aid is awarded for one academic year.  There are no guarantees of any athletic aid continuing on a year to year basis.  Athletic aid may be reduced for various reasons between academic years, including but not limited to athletic ability. No verbal commitments by coaches or administrators, or any university personnel are ever for any aid beyond or in addition to the written agreement signed on a yearly basis, awarded by the university and accepted by the PSA, SA and in some instances with the authorization of the parents depending on the PSA or SA age.

University of Alabama in Huntsville student-athletes will be sent a non-renewal or cancellation of financial aid letter by U.S. postal service in the event their aid is canceled or will not be renewed for the following academic year based on reasons other than the exhaustion of their NCAA eligibility for competition.  This letter will be post marked no later than July 1 of the year and be sent to the student-athlete by the Director of Student Financial Services. It will be mailed to the permanent address of the student athlete according to university records at the time of the mailing.

A student athlete has the opportunity of a hearing if notified that their past or current athletic financial aid is being reduced or canceled during the period of the award or for the following academic year.  The student athlete whose aid is being reduced or canceled must personally contact and notify in writing the Director of Student Financial Services of their request for a hearing.

Notification must be made within 10 days of receipt of non-renewal/cancellation letter.  The phone number for the Director of Student Financial Services will be included in the notification letter.  The hearing will be conducted with the Director of Student Financial Services and a committee comprised of assistant directors from the UAH Office of Student Financial Services.  The hearing will be conducted on campus during a mutually agreed upon date and time during a weekday and within 30 days of the receipt of the student athlete’s request for the hearing, but no later than July 31 of the year.

The decision of the financial aid committee will be final.  Aid will only be reinstated if the committee determines it is warranted based on the information provided in the student’s appeal and any other relative supporting documentation.

Steps to take for reduction/non renewal-

1. The SWA secures the list of reductions and non renewals from the coaches by May 15 prior to the next academic year. An earlier date is encouraged for those sports not in season.

2. The SWA sends the list along with a reason and a draft of a letter and appeal process to financial aid liaison.

3. The coach is responsible for verbally discussing this reduction or non renewal with the student athlete.

4. Financial aid sends the letters by mail, with the appeal process, to the SAs affected, by postal mail, no later than being post marked by July 1 prior to the academic year.

5. The Director of Financial Aid will receive phone call or in person questions and conduct the appeal process if appropriate.

12 Academic Probation and Athletic Scholarship- Student-athletes who are on academic probation are not guaranteed continuation of athletics financial aid. In some cases aid may continue for the subsequent semester in the same academic year if approved by a committee consisting of the athlete’s coach, the Director of Athletics and the Faculty Athletic Representative (or designee). Further, should the student-athlete again be placed on academic probation continuation of aid is not guaranteed in any manner. The same committee will review the athlete’s case and make the decision concerning continuation or cancellation of athletics financial aid.

Steps to take –

1. As soon as it is apparent the SA is on academic probation, the coach will discuss with the AD if they wish to continue or discontinue the SAs scholarship.

2. The SA is notified verbally by the coach of the decision.