What factors influence whether a program expands or reduces its number of scholarships?

• A. Geographic location of the program.
• B. Number of home games alone.
• C. Alumni popularity and tradition.
• D. Budget, competitive balance, conference rules, and compliance concerns.

Answer: (C)

Scholarship counts are driven by what a program can financially support and what the governing rules allow. A school must fund each scholarship, so the overall number is limited by the athletic budget and the cost of attendance for student‑athletes. At the same time, conferences and NCAA rules set caps and guidelines to preserve competitive balance, and compliance requirements ensure schools stay within those limits and follow recruiting and reporting rules. Alumni fundraising and tradition can influence how much money is available to fund scholarships, but they don’t directly set the official number of scholarships. Geography or the number of home games affect revenue potential, not the formal scholarship limit.