Student Aid

Financial Assistance to Scholarship Athletes Gao ID: HRD-87-78BR May 11, 1987

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the use of federal funds by college athletes receiving athletic scholarships to determine if athletes used the federal funds to support their academic efforts.

GAO found that: (1) the small number of federally aided scholarship athletes made it difficult to compare their academic success to that of nonathletes; (2) a minority of student athletes received federal financial aid similar to the grants given to nonathletes; (3) Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants, National Direct Student Loans, and College-Work Study funds were unavailable to scholarship athletes; and (4) academic institutions raised academic standards for athletes participating in intercollegiate sports.



The Justia Government Accountability Office site republishes public reports retrieved from the U.S. GAO These reports should not be considered official, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Justia.