Division II

Another option for the student-athlete is to choose a Division II college. There are a large number of colleges that belong to the NCAA’s Division II. Like Division I colleges, these schools may give athletic scholarships to recruit athletes. The competition and expectations at Division II colleges, is, however, slightly less intense than at Division I colleges. Division II colleges are not allowed to give out as many scholarships per sport as NCAA Division I colleges. For example, Division II colleges may give out 36 total football scholarships over the 4 year period (as opposed to 85 in Division 1) or 8.1 total Men’s Swimming scholarships (as opposed to 9.9). There are other important distinctions as well – for example, the length of the permissible training season, the number of allowable competitions, etc. This allows for a different balance between athletics and academics. Most of the Division II colleges are smaller public schools and private colleges. A full list can be found at the link above.