A Dynamic, Scalable Algorithm to Optimize the Allocation of Athletics Scholarships

Abstract

When a high school student athlete makes the decision to swim collegiately, one of the leading factors in choosing a university is the amount of the scholarship award. These awards are determined by the equivalency category in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Divisions I and II and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Rules govern financial aid and the number of scholarships allowed by a member institution. The exact financial distribution among athletes, however, is mostly the coaches’ responsibility and there is scarcity in the literature on how these scholarships are distributed among athletes in a college/ university, which is why it’s important for Athletics Departments within these colleges and universities to have a model to help distribute the scholarship amounts in an optimal manner that promotes transparency and ethical leadership. This paper provides a model to aid coaches in the distribution of financial award/ scholarships in a women’s swimming in a major urban university; however, the model can be applied and adjusted for financial award distribution for any collegiate sport following any institute specific policies and preferences.