Do Ivy League Schools Give Athletic Scholarships?

Ivy League colleges do not offer merit-based or athletic scholarships. Instead, they provide need-based financial aid — with all Ivy Leagues meeting 100% of students’ demonstrated need. In order to qualify for need-based aid, you will need to submit the CSS Profile and the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Every year, the FAFSA application opens on October 1st and is due by June 30th. Each school has its own priority deadlines, so it’s a good idea to submit your application as soon as you are able to! The same goes for the CSS Profile. For more information about the FAFSA, check out our article Everything You Should Know About FAFSA.

Now, you’re probably wondering what “demonstrated need” means. Basically, demonstrated financial need is calculated by subtracting the student’s expected family contribution (EFC) from the school’s cost of attendance (COA). Again, all Ivy Leagues meet 100% of demonstrated financial need. For some schools, financial aid packages include student loans, which will have to be paid back. Some schools, however, such as Harvard and Columbia, only award need-based grants, which do not need to be paid back.

In conclusion, in order to understand how financial aid works at Ivy League colleges, you’ll need to understand The Differences between Need-Based and Merit-Based Financial Aid. And remember, Ivy Leagues only grant need-based aid!

Unlike many other D1 schools, the Ivy League do not participate in the National Letter of Intent program. A National Letter of Intent is a binding agreement between schools and student-athletes, where a student is committed to playing for the school for one year.

Instead of offering a binding National Letter of Intent, Ivy Leagues offers student-athletes “Likely Letters.” So, what’s a Likely Letter? Basically, a Likely Letter is when an Ivy League expresses interest in admitting a student-athlete, as long as they continue to perform well, both physically and academically. While Likely Letters are not binding agreements, they are the Ivy League’s way of bringing a bit more clarity to the recruitment process.

One of the disadvantages of not participating in the National Letter of Intent program is that student-athletes interested in attending the Ivy League have a limited time to commit. If they don’t commit to the program quickly, they risk having their spot offered to another athlete.

Do Ivy Leagues give scholarships for sports? As of now, no, but all of that could change given recent lawsuits! While Ivy Leagues are committed to meeting 100% demonstrated financial need, the fact that Ivy League athletic scholarships aren’t currently offered could violate antitrust laws. So we’ll just have to sit back and see.

In the meantime, if you’re preparing for your own college applications, you may be interested in reading our articles, What You Should Know About Early Action and Early Decision Applications and What Colleges Are Test-Optional for 2023?.