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UCLA awarded Justin Combs, son of hip hop mogul Sean "P. Diddy" Combs who's reportedly worth nearly a half billion dollars, a full athletic scholarship to play football for the Bruins this fall.
UCLA defended the scholarship and told CBS2 that its financial aid program enrolls more low-income grant recipients than the entire Ivy League combined. However, athletic scholarships are a separate issue from financial aid.
“Unlike need-based scholarships, athletic scholarships are awarded to students strictly on the basis of their athletic and academic ability, and not on a student’s financial need. Athletic scholarships, such as those awarded to football or basketball players, do not rely on state funds,” UCLA spokesperson Ricardo Vazquez said in a statement.
Combs graduated from a prep school in New York with a 3.75 grade point average and impressed college football recruiters.
His scholarship is one of about 285 the university awards to student athletes each year, according to the L.A. Times. It will be used to pay for tuition and housing.
