TALLAHASSEE (WTXL) - It's a topic that's been debated for a long time- should college athletes get paid? In January, the Power Five Conferences voted to cover full cost of attendance, where personal expenses and trips home will now be covered under a "full cost" scholarship. At Florida State, that means that in-state student-athletes on full scholarship will be getting a pay raise of about $4,500.
Scholarship expenses will rise by about $2 million per year because of the measure, and to meet that number, every unit in the athletic department will implement a 2% cut in their budget.
Associate Athletic Director Jim Curry stressed the importance of the benefit for student-athletes, and it's not just athletes from the money making sports that will reap the benefits.
"If you're a full scholarship student athlete, you'll receive what we call this full miscellaneous expense." Curry went on at add that even partial student athletes will receive benefits. "They will benefit from this change because the athletic scholarship and your equivalency is being set against a higher denominator that includes these elements."
The amount given also varies by institution. Curry said the financial aid office at FSU reached their number by using federal guidelines.
