Why Does College Track and Field Have Different Divisions

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 media 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. At least 1000 of these schools have track and field programs.

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 Track and Field

D1 track and field gets most of the media 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 track and field athletes. The top D1 schools operate in what are called the “Power” conferences which essentially is about 80 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. However, they also have the most well funded track and field programs in the NCAA on average with more resources and scholarship dollars available. Going forward in 2025-26 and beyond, these power conference schools, along with others who “opt-in” will have track and field roster caps. They will be eligible to offer scholarships to any of those athletes and potentially share some form of revenue with those athletes. However, there is no way to know for certain how much money is being spent or shared at any of those schools from the outside.

D1 track and field varies greatly from this. Many of the programs outside the power conferences have much smaller budgets, little media presence apart from what you may find online or through “WatchESPN” coverage, and do not get to compete for national championships regularly. The majority of D1 is made up of these types of schools where it is assumed that most of the track and field team is not on an athletic scholarship.

D1 track and field does attract most of the top talent to compete but on average at least half of the athletes on D1 rosters for track and field, could easily end up in other divisions. Scholarship and aid vary from 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 Track and Field 

Division 2 track and field 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. However, the best athletes in D2 would likely be highly competitive in D1 every year. Furthermore the best D2 teams in the nation could contend with many D1 programs, since their limited scholarship resources are not much different from what most D1 schools have available.

Many D2 schools are smaller schools than what you may find in D1. But keep in mind that the highest levels of D2 competition can easily compete with most of D1. This means that athletes who choose to go D2 who are also considering D1 options may get more coaching attention than they would otherwise, and perhaps 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 track and field on campus.

NCAA Division 3 Track and Field

Division 3 offers the most amount of track and field 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 track and field athletes and teams could not compete outside of the Division. In fact, Division 3 teams in cross country consistently beat some D1 programs in cross country, and are competitive with them on the track. That means that even without “athletic scholarships” they can sometimes compete with programs from the highest level. There is a lot more overlap between the divisions in Track and Field/XC than perhaps any other sport.. 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 Track and FIeld

NAIA track and field programs are not often talked about in the media but there are approximately 250 NAIA schools. 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. However the schools that take track and field seriously are often just as competitive as some you might find in NCAA D1.

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 Track and FIeld

In addition to four year colleges there are many two year colleges that compete in track and field throughout the the NJCAA. The NJCAA actually has three divisions similar to the NCAA, but only two for track and field. Those are NJCAA D1 with awards athletic scholarships and NJCAA D3 which does not offer any athletic scholarship aid. Most of the schools are public community colleges. The California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) also competes in track and field., and offers additional options for two year college students.

Athletes who need to work on their academic eligibility should certainly consider NJCAA or CCCAA 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 may 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 compete 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 track and field from different divisions

The difference in competition levels from each division are on display in track and field at most meets around the country. At many invitationals athletes from all divisions compete against each other. TFRRS allows you to search up just about any team and see the results from their latest meets to know what competition is really like at their level. Compare results from different teams across the divisions to see which one is truly a better program. If you are able to be discriminating while looking at the results, 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 compete for a specific school is to check them out for yourself.

Consider whether you believe you can be competitive for that team today? Is it a school you believe that you can be a point scorer at their conference meet based on your current ability, or one where you would likely not make a relay team yet? If you are not good enough yet to compete 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 events 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

Submitting your info for the SCA National Recruit Rankings are the quickest and most efficient way to get a quality evaluation of your talent. But what matters most is not just what PRs you have, but how college coaches view your talents fitting in. A most detailed perspective can come from having a qualified coach watch you compete, review your film, or even assess your stats from MileSplit or athletic.net. If you can find someone with college track and field experience, especially as a coach, or a talent evaluator, 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 track and field?

• 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 athletes are often competing 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 track and field than they are simply because they have not had much exposure to other top athletes. 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.