Why Does College Sports Have Different Divisions

Television media has made it easier than ever to watch college sports. But one of the most confusing aspects of it is understanding all of the different divisions. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) sponsors three separate divisions of competition with over 1000 schools between them. In fact, NCAA Division 3 has more school members than any other level with more than 400 colleges. However, Division 1 gets the overwhelming majority of all tv coverage. In addition to the NCAA there is also the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) which sponsors more than 250 schools that compete.  Together there are more than 1300 schools that are association affiliated.

There are similarities and differences between each level, and knowing those differences can help you determine what type of school may be best for you. Consider the following to get a gauge on what type of school you really want to attend.

NCAA Division 1 Sports

D1 sports gets most of the college sports coverage and it is naturally where many recruits want to go. However, even amongst the more than 350 D1 schools there are vast differences in the experiences for student-athletes. The top D1 schools operate in what are called the “Power 5” conferences which essentially is about 60 schools across the country. They have major media coverage and generate a lot of revenue through their Football and Basketball programs, while competing for national championships across all sports. But D1 sports varies greatly from this. Many programs have smaller budgets, little media presence apart from perhaps online or “WatchESPN” coverage, and do not compete for national championships regularly.

D1 sports does attract most of the top talent to compete but on average at least half of the athletes on D1 rosters for any sport, could easily end up in other divisions. Scholarship and aid vary from sport to sport and school to school, where some conferences like the Ivy League do not offer any “athletic” scholarship money. In fact, a little less than 3 out of every 5 D1 athletes is receiving any athletic aid money. If you are interested in testing yourself against the best athletes and willing to dedicate the amount of time necessary to do so, D1 may be a place for you. But the time commitments year-round are a bit higher than at other levels, and it is more challenging to balance athletics with academics.

NCAA Division 2 Sports 

Division 2 sports is still highly competitive but differentiates itself from D1 based on two major characteristics. The absence of major television media coverage and the use of a partial scholarship model. Although there are local tv deals for some schools, it is much less likely that D2 events will be covered on platforms like WatchESPN. Likewise, there are some full scholarship athletes in D2 but most athletes receive a combination of money that is athletic, academic, and even governmental to fund their education.

Many D2 schools are smaller schools than what you may find in D1. But the highest levels of D2 competition can easily compete with the lower tier schools in D1. This means that athletes who choose to go D2 who are also considering D1 options may get much more playing time, and perhaps to compete for a D2 National championship. I would hesitate to suggest that time commitments in D2 are less serious than those in D1 but there is perhaps more flexibility to pursue extracurriculars away from ones sport on campus.

NCAA Division 3 Sports

Division 3 offers the most amount of sport opportunities with over 400 colleges that compete and has more private college members on average than the NCAA’s other two divisions. Division 3 if often known as the division without athletic scholarships, but most student athletes in D3 still receive other financial aid. Some D3 schools are among the most well-endowed in the country and give significant financial aid to any student admitted.

In general, Division 3 athletics is a lower level of competition than D1 and D2 on average. But that does not mean that the best players and teams could not compete outside of the Division. In fact, Division 3 teams in sports like men’s basketball have even beaten D1 opponents on rare occasions. That means that even without “athletic scholarships” they can sometimes compete with programs from the highest level. Many sports have even more overlap between the divisions like in Cross Country. Athletic department budgets are often lower in D3 than in other divisions and there is generally a lack of television media coverage across all sports. Teams are less likely to travel great distances for competitions but those factors make it easier for D3 athletes to be integrated with the entire student body at their college.

NAIA Sports

NAIA sports programs are not often talked about in the media but there are approximately 250 of them. They often offer competitive athletics that are similar to D2 or D3 programs, and offer a partial scholarship model. Many of the schools are lesser known on the national scene and therefore more likely to recruit locally. It is also worth noting that accreditation standards for the NAIA member institutions are a bit less strict than that of the NCAA. Therefore few of the nations “top ranked” colleges are listed as NAIA. The NAIA also has fewer restrictions on how many sports its member schools have to offer, which is the reason why the athletic departments are often smaller than what you will find in the NCAA.

If you are looking for competitive athletics, athletic scholarship money, and open to many smaller schools or even private schools, than NAIA is a great option to consider if you know that you will not be pursuing D1 athletics.

Junior College Sports

In addition to four year colleges there are many two year colleges that play sports in the NJCAA. The NJCAA actually has three divisions similar to the NCAA. Most of the schools are public community colleges and the range of divisions generally reflects the NCAA’s approach to scholarship funding. NJCAA D1 programs are likely to offer some full scholarships whilst NJCAA d3 programs do not offer any athletic aid.

Athletes who need to work on their academic eligibility should certainly consider NJCAA schools, and others who feel it is best to look for a cheaper starting option for college may find it beneficial as well. Because NJCAA is primarily a community college association, many schools may not offer formal housing on campus, three meal dining halls, and other benefits that are pretty standard at a four year school. Likewise coaches have more challenges when recruiting athletes who are not as local because more costs have to be figured out that are not incurred for a regular student.

If you are considering taking a year off from school Junior College would be a much better way to go. When an athlete is not competing for a full season it is often much harder to get back into it immediately at a four year school. It can be a great opportunity to prove to four year colleges what you can do and even help some athletes earn scholarships at the next level. If you attend an NJCAA school without becoming an NCAA qualifier first, you will likely have to obtain an associate’s degree first before you are eligible to play in a four year school.

The truth is that if you are serious about finding the right school, you should be able to do so. Because if you know how the system of recruiting works, you can almost always find schools that want to recruit you to compete for them.

How do I know if I am talented enough for a division?

The truth is that there is always overlap between every division of college competition. It is hard to gauge where you may fit in, but that’s where I come in. As a recruiting coach I specialize in helping you identify schools that want to recruit you regardless of what division they are in. Many recruits will find schools across every division that might be a good fit for them.

To gauge what level you can compete on here are a few additional ways that you can begin to see if you have what it takes to get on the field in college:

Watch college sports from different divisions

The difference in competition levels from each division are apparent when you watch footage of teams from each level. YouTube allows you to search up just about any team and watch highlights and even full games to know what competition is really like at their level. Compare footage of your games, and how you play to what you are watching on screen. If you are able to be discriminating while watching film on both ends, you should be able to see where your skill level matches up. D1 tends to have the best athletes, but that doesn’t mean D3 athletes are not talented. The only way to know if you can play for a specific school is to check them out for yourself.

Consider whether you believe you can play for that team today? Is it a school you believe that you can be a starter for based on your current ability, or one where you would likely ride the bench? If you are not good enough yet to play at that level, do you have a training plan in place that you can see improving your skills enough to get there by your Senior year? 

Check out the team rosters for schools of all divisions

If you go to a college team’s athletic website, it is pretty easy to navigate to the team roster. You can find which athletes do your position or event and often get quick information on what type of high school athlete they were. When you get there look for the following:

• What physical stats do the athletes, have? Are you of similar height and weight?

• Do you have similar accomplishments to those athletes? If all the athletes on the team seem to be state champions, then that might be a criteria the coach uses to recruit. Their individual and team success prior to college should mirror what you have done.

• Check the individual statistics and performances for the athletes. Your current performances should match up to what some of the athletes on the team were also doing at your age. If they do not, the coach will likely overlook you for someone who does.

Get a coach to evaluate your talent

The SCA leveler is the quickest and most efficient way to get a quality evaluation of your talent. But what matters most is not just what skills you have, but how college coaches view your talents fitting in. A most detailed perspective can come from having a qualified coach watch you play, review your film, or even assess your performance in drills. If you can find someone with college sports experience, specially as a coach, or a talent evaluator from an approved camp or tournament, then they should be able to give a good perspective on your strengths and weaknesses.

Be sure to ask the following questions of anyone who evaluates you:

• What are my strengths and weaknesses as an athlete?

• What improvements do I need to make to be ready for college sports?

• What Division do you think I can compete for?

Compete against top competition

If you are able to, find a high school or club team that is highly competitive. The most talented players are often playing for those teams and college coaches know it. If you can compete with other athletes who are serious about the sport it will help you to see what other athletes are doing to be the best. The more exposure you have to top talent, the more it will help you develop.

Coach Rob’s Note: Many athletes think they are more ready for college sports than they are simply because they have not had much exposure to other top players. If you are the best athlete on your team, but you have not won any major level championships, then there are probably other teams where you wouldn’t be the best. Knowing your level is not about limiting your potential. Some evaluators may say things that seem to be limiting, but nobody can define your limits for you. How much work you are willing to put in will be the biggest determining factor on how successful you become at the next level. But if you don’t know where you stack up now, and what you need to work on it will be virtually impossible to take the next step.

Coach Rob is a recruiting expert and the Founder of SCA Recruiting. He is also the author of the book Winning the Ship: How to Win the College Athlete Recruitment Game. Available now on Amazon.