One of the most nightmarish scenarios for any parent of a high school athlete who has been offered a Division I college scholarship is for that athlete to suffer a devastating injury before signing an NCAA letter of intent.
For more information on the Education Protector insurance program for California high school student-athletes, CLICK HERE.
Once the letter of intent is signed, some colleges will still honor their scholarship commitment to an athlete who has had an injury. But before that letter is signed is where a new insurance policy called Education Protector – which has been available to Californians since the start of the current school year – can be greatly beneficial.
If purchased, the policy covers an athlete once he or she receives a college scholarship offer until the signing of a letter of intent and provides tuition reimbursement benefits in the event of a covered loss of those scholarships.
“Once an athlete signs their letter of intent, the NCAA clearinghouse takes over,” said Eric Frazer, a former football player at Jesuit of Carmichael and marketing director of Education Protector. “So far, we haven’t found a non-positive angle about this product from everyone in high school sports that we’ve talked to.”
Premiums for this new insurance cost $749 for one year or $1,400 for two years. It can begin as early as an athlete’s sophomore year.
“Yes, we’ve all heard about the eighth grader getting offers, but those are a little obscure,” Frazer said. “Our program takes effect once any offers on the table during the sophomore year.”
If there was a covered injury during the time period that Education Protector is in place, the premium would pay out the highest offer and the funds can go to any secondary education school.
“This could be an injury or accident not just from the sport,” Frazer added. “There are some exclusions such as felonies and drugs but it covers any recission or loss of a scholarship offer.”
With one year of college tuition costing as much as $50,000 and University of California students paying an average of $32,000 per year, it’s easy to see why Education Protector has a chance to be very successful.
“There were 350,000 high school athletes last year who received college offers,” Frazer said. “Only eight percent of them were for football. This covers everyone from lacrosse to volleyball and in between.”
For more on EDUCATION PROTECTOR insurance, CLICK HERE.
