DIII athletes often feel they are more a part of the general college community where DI and DII athletes feel a little more separated from the rest of the college or university. With about mostly private, smaller schools, more than 60, student-athletes compete at NAIA colleges in a variety of popular sports. That, along with more aggressive recruiting is driving more talent to these schools and bringing up the level of competition.
Many recruits pass on considering a junior college because there are many common misconceptions about what junior colleges can offer student-athletes. For some athletes, junior college is the best path to getting a four-year college roster. Here are four reasons why junior colleges can be a great option for student-athletes:.
Looking for more reasons to consider attending a junior college or pursuing junior college athletics? Here are a few more advantages of a junior college that other division levels may not have:.
While nearly everyone starts out thinking DI is the ultimate goal, it really comes down to what type of college experience will be right for your child. One of the first steps in the recruiting process is to accurately gauge your talent level and get an understanding of the divisions you might be suited for athletically. And I get it! The good news: There are plenty of ways to figure out where you stand athletically. Watch college athletes closely and compare your current skill level to the competition.
If you can, visit local schools and universities and see it live. And be realistic! If you need to improve drastically in order to get some playing time on a team, it might make sense to check out a game at a different division level and see how you compare. Typically, you can find it by searching for the athletic program and then your specific sport.
Each athlete will most likely have a short bio that talks about their high school and collegiate accomplishments. Here are a few key things to look for:. Experts can either evaluate you in person or via your highlight film. Recruiting experts, like Next College Student Athlete, provide evaluations for athletes in 31 different sports.
Another avenue to investigate are evaluation camps. They are, as the name indicates, camps for college hopefuls in which coaches help athletes gauge their talent and give them suggestions on how to improve. Some high schools and clubs compete against tough teams who notoriously turn out college athletes. For athletes who already compete against the elite, every game is an opportunity to level set and see how they compare to other athletes in their recruiting class.
Getting a better understanding of your talent is a great place to start when figuring out your best school. Keep all three factors in mind as you build your target list of schools, visit campuses and do your research. Women's Sports. Coed Sports. The Difference in the College Division Levels.
DIII: A well-rounded experience. The NCAA's primary responsibilities are to oversee championships and to enforce and establish rules for its member institutions. Many NCAA rules deal with financial aid for athletes, recruiting, and determining athlete eligibility.
Additionally, the NCAA is responsible for changes to the rules of some of the sports that it governs. The purpose of the divisions is to create parity and a more level playing field in intercollegiate sports. Also, the existence of divisions gives smaller schools with fewer resources the opportunity to compete for championships. There is prestige and publicity associated with competing in NCAA sports, especially at the highest levels in the major sports. Colleges want the opportunity for the exposure and prestige that NCAA participation can give them.
Generally, the higher the division, the more possible publicity a school can receive through its athletics program. Even at the lower levels, though, NCAA sports programs generate publicity and attract students and their tuition from across the world.
Let's go into further depth about each of the NCAA divisions to determine the differences between them. Division I schools have the biggest student bodies, the largest athletic budgets, and the most athletic scholarships.
More than schools that field more than 6, teams providing opportunities to more than , student-athletes are members of NCAA Division I. Ivy League Institutions are Division I, but they don't offer athletic scholarships. The NCAA sets standards for its member institutions to meet in order for a school to reach or maintain Division I status. These rules are set to ensure competitive balance and gender equity.
Also, there are specific rules for football and basketball. Because those are the sports that generate the most revenue, they're more closely monitored, and the disparity between the haves and have-nots in those sports is much greater. Division I schools must meet minimum financial aid awards for their athletics program, and there are maximum athletic financial aid awards for each sport that a Division I school can't exceed.
The FBS is the highest level of collegiate football. FBS schools participate in bowl games. FBS teams have to meet minimum attendance requirements. An FBS team must average 15, people in actual or paid attendance per home game. Attendance requirements must be met once in a rolling two-year period. In , average attendance for an FBS home game was 41, If a team can't even average 15, people, most likely it can't be competitive with other FBS teams.
There are both public and private colleges in the FBS. The University of Alabama football team having some fun with President Obama. FCS teams do not need to meet minimum attendance requirements, but just so you can compare the attendance figures with those of FBS schools, the average FCS home game attendance was 7, Almost schools are part of Division II.
Division II schools still offer athletic scholarships, but there are fewer scholarships than in Division I. Full athletic scholarships are more common in Division I; most Division II athletes receive partial athletic scholarships. While Division I schools often travel nationally to compete, regional rivalries dominate the schedules of Division II. Just like for Division I schools, the NCAA sets standards for Division II schools in order to maintain competitive balance, opportunities for all athletes, and gender equity.
Division II schools have to sponsor at least five sports for men and five for women or four for men and six for women , with two team sports for each gender, and each playing season represented by each gender. Each sport has contest and participant minimums. Unlike Division I, there are no attendance requirements for football or arena game requirements for basketball. There are maximum financial aid awards for each sport. In Division III, there are institutions and more than , student-athletes.
A key difference in Division III is that there are no athletic scholarships. However, a majority of the athletes are on some form of academic or need-based aid. Also, there are shorter practice hours and less travel for games in D III. In Division III, the emphasis is on the value of competing in sports to the participant.
There is less of a focus on generating revenue or creating events for spectators. The rules for Division III are designed to maintain gender equity and to ensure that schools offer a minimum number of opportunities to all athletes.
Division III schools have to sponsor at least five sports for men and five for women, with two team sports for each gender, and each playing season represented by each gender. Division I teams are the most prestigious, have the most money, and have the highest caliber of athletes. Division I schools also are the largest on average. Division II still offers scholarships, but they are rarer and smaller, and Division II schools typically have fewer athletic department funds and fewer sports teams than Division I schools.
Division III offers no athletic scholarships, tends to have the lowest level of competition, but the highest number of participants across all divisions. Division III schools offer an average of 18 sports per school. Also, Division III has the highest average percentage of the student body participating in sports. Generally, the biggest disparities between divisions are in the traditional revenue generating sports of football and men's basketball.
While the average attendance of a home football game at an FBS school is over 41,, the average attendance of a home football game at a Division III school is less than 2, Many FBS head coaches receive multi-million dollar salaries. Meanwhile, many Division III head football coaches also have teaching positions at their colleges to supplement their incomes.
It's important to note that just because a school is in a lower division doesn't mean that its student body doesn't care about sports or that the school is not as concerned with its athletes. Many Division II and III schools have passionate fan bases, especially in the high profile sports and for teams that regularly compete for championships. For those of you who are hoping to get an athletic scholarship, the following chart will help give you an idea of the number of athletic scholarships available for each sport in each division.
If you're trying to get an athletic scholarship for college, this chart can inform you of your available opportunities, and you can see the differences in available athletic scholarships by division.
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