Do US universities (Ivy League in particular) offer scholarships/ part-scholarships for coxes (similar to the rowing scholarships), if that makes any sense? Would selection for national team representation make a scholarship more realistic or likely? I’m from the UK and would LOVE to come study at a US university if I was able to get a scholarship of some sort. Also, have you heard of any universities that have previously offered scholarships to coxes?
The Ivy League as a conference doesn’t offer any scholarships to athletes, male or female, regardless of sport. Here’s the exact wording as seen on the Ivy League’s website:
Ivy League schools provide financial aid to students, including athletes, only on the basis of financial need as determined by each institution’s Financial Aid Office. There are no academic or athletic scholarships in theIvy League. A coach may assist a prospective student-athlete to obtain an estimated financial aid award, however only the Financial Aid Office has the authority to determine financial aid awards and to notify students officially of their actual or estimated awards.
Coxing for your country’s junior national team might make you a more competitive candidate but how it impacts your chances of being offered a scholarship (at the schools that offer them) I can’t really speak to. Coxswains getting scholarships as freshmen isn’t really a thing because most coaches want to use that money to bring in rowers but it is possible to earn one later on in your career. It’s something worth asking the coaches you’re talking to about because everyone distributes the scholarships they have available a little differently. Some will take the 20 full scholarships you’re allotted (at Division 1 and Division 2 schools) and break them down into 40 partial scholarships, some will put all their seniors or everyone in the 1V on full scholarship and everyone else on partial scholarship … it really depends on the program. Those are just two examples that I’ve heard some coaches do.
I don’t know the specifics of who offers scholarships to coxswains and who doesn’t because stuff like that is usually kept pretty guarded – not because it needs to be kept a secret or anything, I think it’s just because since it’s related to financials and what not it’s just not appropriate to put out there. I do think it would be beneficial to know just in a general sense what programs have scholarship opportunities available to coxswains but at this point a lot of that info is just based on rumors.
I was in this exact same position a year ago so can shed a bit of light. International experience is very highly valued, but doesn’t guarantee anything. AS Kayleigh said, there are no scholarships at Ivy League schools, but they do have financial aid (need-based). This is great if you’re from a low-income family, but if you’re from a middle/upper class family it’s pretty useless. Most Ivy Leagues will match/better a FA offer from another comparable school.
Lots of other schools won’t offer cox scholarships when you come into the program, but you will earn them depending on your crew. UW and Stanford both definitely do this, I assume other similar schools do too. Now, if you’re a very good cox, but are willing to settle for a school of a slightly lower standard, you might be able to get some scholarship money. University of Miami offered me 30-40%, but it didn’t suit my rowing or academic aspirations. UW also offers ‘book scholarships’ sometimes, which are like just a few thousand dollars…
Schools with scholarships will most likely also have financial aid, which you can apply for as a freshman and then maybe get a scholarship later on. But be wary, some schools require you to say whether you’ll need financial aid in your application, and it will affect whether or not you get in (this is particularly applicable to international students).
If you can find a way to make it work I’d highly recommend giving it a go! I was recruited to two ivies and Stanford, but couldn’t go for financial reasons. I’m planning on going on exchange as part of my degree (from my own country) which means I don’t have to pay US fees – so that’s an option to keep in mind too! Hope that helps x