Rutgers is set to award its football players and staff scholarships for the 2017-18 academic year, and the university will use the funds to pay for expenses, athletic director Rob Mullens said Friday.
Mullens said the money would be used for football scholarships for a total of 10 players and five coaches.
He declined to provide further details on the program or whether any of the players would receive financial aid.
Rutgers has been in financial trouble since Gov.
Chris Christie took office in January, and a $2.8 billion state-funded plan to help Rutgers students and faculty pay for higher education has been stalled by legislative gridlock.
In March, the NCAA awarded Rutgers a $1.9 billion grant to help the football program reach its 2020 graduation goal.
The NCAA is still evaluating the grant and the money is due by March 2019.
In a statement Friday, Rutgers said the scholarship program is part of an overall plan to improve financial aid and student-athlete access for all students, and Rutgers has received support from the National Association of Scholars.
“We’re excited to be able to provide these scholarships to our athletes and staff, who are working to support the student-body,” Mullens told the NJ Advance Media.
“They are a vital part of our football program and we are proud to be a part of that.”
The NCAA has not released details on how much Rutgers is offering the scholarships, but said it will not use money from the scholarship funds to cover expenses.
The NCAA also announced in April that it was expanding the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision’s scholarship limit for Division I schools from $1,000 to $3,000, up from $500 to $1 and up from four scholarships per team to 10 per team.
Rutgers is the first Division I school to receive this additional funding.
Morrow said the NCAA has offered Rutgers financial aid for its football program for the past four years.
The school will award scholarships to players who have completed the minimum academic requirements to play for the school, and it will cover the tuition for the first two years of their undergraduate degree, he said.
“I’m hopeful that with this scholarship program, Rutgers can take advantage of the financial assistance that the NCAA is providing and that we can help our student-dwellers achieve their educational goals,” Mullins said.