Athletics in College

NCAA schools participate in one of three divisions - DI, DII and DIII. These divisions are based on size of school, level of athletic commitment and competition. Athletes may be recruited by colleges but most often, the student initiates interest in an athletic program. Talk to your coach about the possibility of playing at the college level and read the NCAA publication, Guide for the College Bound Athlete, to familiarize yourself with eligibility requirements and recruiting regulations.

If you are interested in playing for a D1 or D2 school, you should register online with the NCAA Eligibility Center no later than the beginning of your sophomore year in high school. 

Click HERE to see a list of what information you will need to register with the NCAA Eligibility Center.

And click HERE to see a list of Frequently Asked Questions about NCAA eligibility. 

Quick Links:

• NCAA

• NCAA Eligibility Center

• Guide for the College Bound Athlete

• NCAA Division I

• Play Division I Sports

Thoughts for the DI Athlete

There are more than 350 Division I schools that field more than 6,000 athletics teams and provide opportunities for more than 170,000 student-athletes to compete in NCAA sports each year.  DI athletics is the most competitive NCAA division and athletes interested in playing at the DI level should register with the NCAA Eligibility Center no later than their sophomore year in high school.

• NCAA Division II

• Play Division II Sports

Thoughts for the DII Athlete

Division II is all about balance. Students participate in highly competitive athletics, have the best access ratio to NCAA championships of any division and can earn athletics scholarships, but their college experience includes so much more than sports participation. The balanced approach in athletics, academics and community engagement allows Division II student-athletes to focus on their academic pursuits, internships, studies abroad and all that interests them.  Athletes interested in playing at the DII level should register with the NCAA Eligibility Center no later than their sophomore year in high school.

• NCAA Division III

• Play Division III Sports

Thoughts for the DIII Athlete

Division III is home to more than 440 institutions and 195,000 student-athletes — the most in any division — who can earn the opportunity to compete in 28 national championships. The Division III philosophy ensures athletics are an integral part of a well-rounded college experience. The athletic experience allows student-athletes to focus on their academic programs and the ultimate goal of earning a degree. The four-year journey is designed to complement time spent in the classroom and pursuing other activities — some related to coursework, others extracurricular. While Division III doesn’t permit athletics scholarships, roughly 80% of Division III student-athletes receive some form of academic grants or need-based scholarships. Athletes interested in playing at the DIII level do not have to register with the NCAA.

More on DIII Athletes

Many DIII schools offer generous financial aid packages (including a number that offer grants that do not need to be repaid upon graduation) and merit-based scholarships.  Endowments at these schools can be quite large and these schools want the best and brightest.  While the path to financial aid may be less well advertised than the DI athletic scholarship, DIII schools offer some of the best quality education in the country, and student athletes are not bound to the school by an athletic scholarship.  They are students first and athletes by choice.  Playing DIII athletics can give the student athlete an amazing opportunity to play the sport they love and have the academic rigor of a great college. 

For students who want to participate in athletics at a competitive Division III school, the most important thing to do is to keep your grades up and take challenging classes.  As there are no DIII scholarships, each athlete must fulfill the admissions requirements for that school.   Coaches will typically not even look at a potential student athlete if they do not have the grades and test scores to gain admission.  Start by filling out the prospective athlete form online at the colleges’ website. Next, take the initiative and contact the coach.  Coaches usually want you to email relevant information - what position you play, relevant stats or times, game/race video if appropriate, height, weight, etc.  See sample letters to coaches HERE.

While in most cases, coaches have very little pull in admissions at DIII schools, athletics can provide a student an inroad into the admissions process at desired schools.  Some schools have admissions “slots” for athletes.  This means that if the coach wants you to play at their school and you have the grades and test scores to get in (and there are no negative surprises in your application), you will have a better chance of getting into the school.  Keep in mind that many coaches want prospective athletes to apply Early Decision in order to get their help in the admissions process.  Early Decision is a binding agreement where if the student athlete is offered admission, they must accept (financial aid awards are the one exception to get out of this binding agreement).