The recruiting process isn’t as easy as a quick google search, so if you’re someone wanting to find out more about U.S. college sports… where do you even begin? Within the U.S. collegiate system, there are SO many different opportunities for their athletes.
For example, if you are a female basketball player, there are 1,900 different schools that you could attend and play on the college team. It can feel impossible to figure out where to even begin your search for your perfect university?
The best place to start is by understanding the different governing bodies and various divisions within them. This blog looks to inform you about these different options, which will hopefully allow you to understand where you might best fit in!
NCAA
The NCAA is the largest governing body that oversees many universities and the sport that compete within these. The governing body is responsible for setting the rules and regulations which they follow. The main purpose of the NCAA is to govern competition in a fair, safe, equitable and sportsmanlike manner, and to integrate intercollegiate athletics into higher education so that the educational experience of the student-athlete is paramount. The NCAA has three different divisions, DI, DII, and DIII.
Division I
Division I (DI) is home to the largest universities and colleges, and therefore tend to be schools with the largest athletic budget and the most room for scholarship money, recruiting budget, travel costs, and sporting facilities. Historically, DI programmes’ are the named band schools that everyone knows of and strives to be a part of, but it is important to understand that this isn’t the only place to compete at a high level and be surrounded by top tier competition and coaches.
Division II
Division II (DII) schools are generally smaller than those of DI, and therefore have a smaller athletic budget. A common misunderstanding among athletes is that the level of DII is by definition weaker than in DI. However, it is important to understand that in order for a school to be classed as a DI university, they must sponsor at least:
- 7 men’s sports & 7 women’s sports; or
- 6 men’s sports & 8 women’s sports
This means that it is not possible to move up or down the divisions based on athletic success and performance and that some of the DII universities will be better athletically in some sports but are smaller in size or have a smaller athletic budget.
Division III
Division III (DIII) is the largest of all NCAA divisions, with most of these schools being private. The biggest difference between DI, DII, and DIII, is that DIII programmes’ may not award any athletic scholarships to their student-athletes. These schools are a great option if you are passionate about your sport, but you are equally as academic and wish to attend a top university in the country for its academics. Athletes may receive any other form of financial aid, such as academic financial aid or need-based aid, making the potential scholarship offers from a school, so your high school grades become very important if this is the route you want to go down!
NAIA
The NAIA is another governing body that calls itself “The expert in the business of small college athletics”. The schools that compete within the NAIA are most comparable with NCAA DII or DIII programmes in terms of size, enrolment numbers, and level of athletic competition.
Some of the benefits of the NAIA include:
- smaller schools that have lower class sizes and are more intimate settings
- healthy scholarship availability
- smaller roster sizes may mean a greater chance of playing time
- colleges monitor the economic return from their athletics programs closely
NJCAA
The NJCAA is the governing body that oversees the various community colleges and junior colleges. These schools offer a 2-year associate degree, rather than a 4-year undergraduate degree you would complete at an NCAA or NAIA school.
The main benefit of the NJCAA is that it can be used as a ‘stepping-stone’ for many of our athletes that need more time to develop academically or improve athletically. For example, someone may need more time to develop as an athlete by getting exposure to better coaching and competition, or, they may need more time to develop as a student to get the grades needed to get accepted by larger universities.
Like the NCAA, the NJCAA has 3 divisions with different implications for the schools in regard to athletic financial aid:
NJCAA Division I- may award full tuition, fees, room & board, and course-related books/supplies.
NJCAA Division II– may award full tuition, fees, and course-related books/supplies.
NJCAA Division III– may not offer any athletically related financial aid.
Still Confused?
Now hopefully reading this gave you a good idea of where you might best fit into the great big puzzle that is U.S. college sports. However, if you are still unsure about where you might best fit, or, if you still have questions about the different governing bodies, we are here to help!
Our agents would love to learn about you and your aspirations, and hopefully give you a better idea of where you will find the most success within the college system. Get in touch with us to organise your 1-hour free consultation, no strings attached!
