College Athletics

If you have had a successful athletic career in high school and are hoping to play your sport in college, there are two avenues.

1.  NCAA: The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a member-led organization dedicated to providing a pathway to opportunity for college athletes. Member representatives serve on committees that propose rules and policies surrounding college sports. Members ultimately decide which rules to adopt – everything from recruiting and compliance to academics and championships – and implement them on campus. The NCAA consists of 3 divisions.

   • Division 1: In general, Division 1 schools have the biggest student bodies, manage the largest athletic budgets, and offer the most generous athletic scholarships.

     • • D1 eligibility requirements

         1. • Complete 16 core courses ( 4 years of English, 3 years of math, 2 years of science, 1 additional year of English, math, or science, 2 years of social science, 4 additional years of English, math, science, social science, foreign language, comparative religion or philosophy)

            • Qualifying SAT/ACT score

            • Minimum 2.3 GPA

            • Register with the NCAA Eligibility Center

   • Division 2: Division 2 schools offer a “partial-scholarship” model for financial aid in which most student-athletes’ college experiences are funded through a mix of athletics scholarships, academic aid, need-based grants and/or employment earnings.

     • • D2 eligibility requirements

         1. • Complete 16 core courses (3 years of English, 2 years of math, 2 years of science, 3 additional years of English, math or science, 2 years of social science, 4 additional years of English, math, science, social science, foreign language, comparative religion or philosophy)

            • Minimum 2.2 GPA

            • Qualifying SAT/ACT score

            • Register with the NCAA Eligibility Center

   • Division 3: Division 3 schools do not offer athletic scholarships but the majority of student-athletes do receive some form of merit or need-based financial aid. If you plan to attend a Division 3 school, you do not need to register with the NCAA Eligibility Center. Eligibility depends solely on admission to the college.

   • COVID-19 Response: The NCAA Eligibilty Center has decided to waive the SAT/ACT requirement for students who will be entering college in the 2022-23 or 2023-24 school year. Eligibility will depend only on GPA and core course completion. Read more about NCAA Eligibility Center COVID-19 Response.

1. NAIA: The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is a governing body of small athletic programs that are dedicated to character-driven intercollegiate athletics. Member colleges are typically smaller campuses and tend to be private.

   • NAIA eligibility requirements (Student-athletes must meet two of three of the following requirements):

     • • Minimum 2.0 GPA

       • Minimum SAT score of 970 or minimum ACT score of 18

       • Graduate in the top 50% of the class

   • Every student must register with the NAIA Eligibility Center

   • Financial Aid: NAIA colleges decide independently how to distribute money and how much to give. Some offer partial athletic scholarships, while others rely more on academic or need-based grants and scholarships.