[Roberton3]

Based on what I've heard (in a very blatant example of abuse from a relatively close second-hand source), Nan3cy's exactly right... highly sought-after athletes of significant means are often offered "need based", "non-athletic" scholarships in sports like hockey, if that's what certain Ivy's think it will take to land them.  Strikes me as a distinction without a difference (it's just less common than those who admit they are giving athletic scholarships).

I don't know how "sought after" Doug's daughter was, or how high profile that sport is or isn't at Brown, but I'd be curious if he was able to discern any extra generosity on that front?

I can't say this never happens.  But I was a varsity athlete as an undergrad at Harvard (albeit a walk-on in a low-profile sport) and knew a bunch of other varsity athletes there (many of whom were heavily recruited in higher-profile sports), and I've never heard of a case where a Harvard athlete got financial aid on different terms than he/she would have as a non-athlete.  Moreover, I've heard fans and parents push a coach to try this kind of thing, and the coach responded by explaining that this simply wasn't an option -- that it would be against Ivy League rules and that the financial aid office would never allow it.  Of course, I can't prove beyond any doubt that this doesn't happen.  But I would be hugely surprised if anything like that is going on (in the same way that I can't prove that Stanford boosters aren't paying top football recruits under the table, but I'd be hugely surprised if they are).

[Roberton3]

Based on what I've heard (in a very blatant example of abuse from a relatively close second-hand source), Nan3cy's exactly right... highly sought-after athletes of significant means are often offered "need based", "non-athletic" scholarships in sports like hockey, if that's what certain Ivy's think it will take to land them.  Strikes me as a distinction without a difference (it's just less common than those who admit they are giving athletic scholarships).

I don't know how "sought after" Doug's daughter was, or how high profile that sport is or isn't at Brown, but I'd be curious if he was able to discern any extra generosity on that front?

I can't say this never happens.  But I was a varsity athlete as an undergrad at Harvard (albeit a walk-on in a low-profile sport) and knew a bunch of other varsity athletes there (many of whom were heavily recruited in higher-profile sports), and I've never heard of a case where a Harvard athlete got financial aid on different terms than he/she would have as a non-athlete.  Moreover, I've heard fans and parents push a coach to try this kind of thing, and the coach responded by explaining that this simply wasn't an option -- that it would be against Ivy League rules and that the financial aid office would never allow it.  Of course, I can't prove beyond any doubt that this doesn't happen.  But I would be hugely surprised if anything like that is going on (in the same way that I can't prove that Stanford boosters aren't paying top football recruits under the table, but I'd be hugely surprised if they are).