Following recent NCAA House settlement rule changes, the university will implement a new athletic scholarship model that changes how financial aid is distributed among student-athletes.

The intercollegiate governing body announced in June 2025 a shift in how scholarships can be distributed, giving programs more flexibility in allocating financial aid across rosters.

For ACU, this means that programs considered “head count” sports, like volleyball and football, which previously had 12 roster spots and 12 full-ride scholarships available for each athlete, will transition to a model with 18 roster spots and 18 scholarships. The university can now choose how to distribute aid among athletes.

In response, ACU has decided to it will adopt its own model beginning in Fall 2026.

According to a statement from the Department of Athletics, the university will restructure how scholarships are categorized for ACU athletes. Previously, Wildcat athletes combined merit-based academic aid with athletic scholarships, coming from separate sources. Under the new model, those funds will be combined and fully categorized as athletic scholarships.

“The merit-based aid dollars are not going away; they are simply being recategorized within the financial aid system,” the statement reads. “The total amount awarded will vary among student-athletes, but no student-athlete will receive less total aid than the amount they previously qualified for in merit aid.”

Despite a guaranteed floor equal to the previous academic scholarship amount, some athletes may receive more under the combined system, while others could lose money, receiving only the minimum academic award.

ACU says the shift is intended to give coaches more flexibility, provide a clearer picture of total aid packages and better position its programs for long-term success under the new NCAA guidelines.

Still, reactions among athletes have been mixed, with some uncertainty.

Some coaches have reassured their teams that the changes are largely nominal, while others have expressed concerns about how the new system will affect sports with larger rosters, such as track and field.

Hadley Phillips, a distance runner, said much of what athletes have heard has been informal.

“Right now, it’s all word of mouth… nothing has been formally announced or written,” Phillips said.

She also mentioned a conversation with her coach, suggesting that the uncertainty for her and her event group may prompt athletes to consider transferring.

“At least from our event group,” Phillips said, “the recommendation for anyone who still has eligibility and wants to compete is to enter the transfer portal at the end of the semester.”

In sports like track and cross country, where scholarship money is often split among many athletes, many rely on academic aid to cover the cost of attending ACU.

“It’s a very uncertain time for our entire team,” she said.

The situation has led some athletes to consider transferring, while others are weighing whether to remain at ACU without competing. For Phillips, making the decision could mean leaving ACU and forfeiting a year of eligibility.

“I am not on any athletic scholarship money,” Phillips said. “I chose to come to ACU because I knew my academic scholarships would cover more than half of my tuition… I think there will always be part of me that grieves the year I didn’t get.”

The full picture remains unclear, and ultimately, the decision on how money is allocated now rests with ACU’s coaches and Athletic Department. Phillips expressed skepticism about whether the university, unlike a Power Four institution, will be able to ensure equal funding for all athletes.

“The goal is that they can give us the same amount of money that we would be receiving from academics so that it equals out, but that just will not happen,” Phillips said. “There’s no way we will be given enough money to give everyone the same amount that maybe they were receiving from academics.”

For now, questions continue to loom, leaving Wildcat athletes watching closely to see how the model change unfolds.