Starting in the 2022 Fall semester, the Cougar Athletic Fund (CAF) began awarding student-athletes who are excelling academically with additional financial incentives based on their classroom performance. This funding is supported through donations to the Unleash Excellence Fund, which provides a direct support stipend to student-athletes who meet certain criteria each semester in their pursuit toward graduation.
This criterion, set by academic and student-athlete development units, creates motivation for student-athletes to excel in the classroom, in the community, and through professional development activities. Student-athletes can receive up to $1,050 a semester based on the following standards:
- Maintaining NCAA academic eligibility standards.
- Meeting a retention standard (e.g., graduation, continued enrollment).
- Attending WSU Cougar Pursuit student-athlete development programming.
The first group of Unleash Excellence Fund distributions took place in the 2022 Fall semester.
The Unleash Excellence Fund is expected to provide student-athletes with an additional $2M in support annually. As our resources grow, the CAF hopes to increase the funding provided through these stipends.
Gifts to the Unleash Excellence Fund are philanthropic. These donations do not count toward per seat requirements (PSRs) but will count toward CAF points and rank.
