Division I

Division I is the most competitive college division, but even so, there are big differences between Division 1 schools. We can help you understand the differences between Division I colleges, and help you find colleges that best match your skills and interests. Some Division I schools are very competitive and the focus is primarily on athletics – typically these are the Big 5 conferences – the Pac 12, the Big 10, the Big 12, the SEC, and the ACC. Other Division I programs may have a different balance between academics and athletics – some of these conferences include the Ivy League, Colonial Athletic Association, Southland Conference, Mountain West Conference, Sun Belt Conference. Division I colleges are all the colleges that are in the news, especially with regard to sports. The NCAA has categorized schools into the different divisions. To find out whether a college is in Division I, II, or III, you can search by school on the NCAA website.

Division I schools may give a certain number of scholarships depending on the sport in which you will participate. If a college chooses to offer scholarships, the number of scholarships available each year will vary depending on the sport you play and your gender. For football, for example, there are 25 scholarships available each year for the incoming class (85 scholarships total are available for the team). For men’s swimming, however, there are 9.9 scholarships available for the entire 4 years – that means there are just over two scholarships available per year. For women’s swimming, there are 14 scholarships available for the 4 year period. This information is available by sport in a free download from the NCAA. This means that depending on your sport, it is not easy to receive a “full-ride.” If you are, for example, a male swimmer, only the top recruits have a chance of receiving a full ride. Most athletes will receive anywhere from 1% to 20% to maybe 50% if you are lucky and very talented. Coaches need to make the funds available to them stretch as far as possible so that they can recruit as may athletes as they can each year.

Some schools choose not to offer athletic scholarships for varying reasons. For example, in the Ivy League, none of the universities award athletic scholarships. This is because in the Ivy League, all financial aid awarded is need based – there is no merit aid available. Instead, they offer “likely letters” if they want to recruit you as an athlete. If you are given a “likely letter,” it means that if you apply to their institution, you are likely to be admitted. This has significant value because of how competitive admission is at Ivy League colleges where so many qualified applicants are turned down routinely each year. The number of likely letters available varies depending on the sport you want to play. Other Division I colleges may choose not to offer athletic scholarships because of funding or priorities issue. Just because a college is in Division I and participates in the sport of your choice, does not mean that athletic scholarships are available. Nonetheless, participating in a sport at college may enhance your college application and increase the likelihood that you will be admitted.

If you think you want to be part of a Division I team, and you want to receive an athletic financial aid/scholarship, you should remember that if you are lucky enough to receive money, at most Division I colleges, it is for one year only, renewable at the coach’s discretion. In 2014, the NCAA issued new rules allowing “areas of autonomy” for colleges in the Big 5 conferences. Among other things, colleges in those conferences will be able to offer 4 year athletic scholarships, at least for certain sports. If colleges in the Big 5 conferences make this change, it will be a great improvement for the athletes attending these schools. But for the remaining Division I college conferences, athletes will still receive one year renewable scholarships. This means the scholarship/financial assistance from year to year likely will depend on your performance, contribution to the school, and your commitment to the team (as well as remaining injury free). You will need to devote yourself to your sport in order to assure that your scholarship/financial assistance is renewed the following year, and for the years after that. When you look at the balance between academics and athletics, your commitment must weigh in favor of athletics. This may mean that you might not be able to pursue a certain major or take a certain class, if, for example, it conflicts with your practice schedule. If you wish to strike a different balance, you may wish to consider how important it is to you to receive athletic aid. You may be better off receiving merit based aid since typically it is awarded for 4 years and is renewable if you maintain a certain GPA.

Qualifying for NCAA Division I Championships is very hard. In football, it takes a very high level program to end up at the National Championship game. In swimming, the qualifying times are really fast for NCAA Championships, and to achieve those times, you need a high level program with proven success. If participating in the National Championship is one of your goals, you should keep in mind that this will be the hardest division within which to achieve your goals.

There is a lot of information available on the NCAA website about recruiting guidelines, recruiting rules, unofficial and official visits, etc. Your first step is to register with the NCAA. We can help you understand the recruiting process and help you find the right college for you.