Playing Sports in College
Okay….you’re a student-athlete or parent/guardian and you (or your child) may want to play in college. There are multiple levels of Collegiate Athletics and each has specific rules and eligibility requirements in order to even be permitted to play. This page is meant to walk parents/guardians and students through the process if you are interested in playing.
CLICK HERE to Read this before proceeding down the page!
FEATURED ARTICLES
What should students and parents ask College Coaches if being recruited or interviewed?
CLICK HERE for UPDATED 2024-2025 Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete (NCAA)
CLICK HERE for UPDATED Rules and Policies regarding NCAA Eligibility as published 8/1/2024
CLICK HERE for NCAA rules on test scores and GPA requirements
CLICK HERE for financial aid options for Student-Athletes
THE DIFFERENT COLLEGE LEVELS
There are MULTIPLE levels for collegiate Athletic participation. Each level has it’s own specific set of rules
CLICK ANY LEVEL BELOW that will LINK to that “level’s” official page
NCAA D1
NCAA D2
NCAA D3
NAIA
USCAA
Junior College
To be perfectly honest, only the most elite high school athletes reach the D1 level of participation. Most D2 programs are also really high quality. The opportunities increase as you go down to the smaller schools and lower levels. But lower levels in college are not the same as a lower level in high school. It doesn’t mean beginners. The lower levels still have similar to or tougher competition than most top divisions in high school sports. The difference is that they play much faster and are typically stronger. Using Professional Baseball as an example, imagine D1 is the major league and D2 is like AAA. It’s really difficult to get to that level, and your sport must be your passion, where you pretty much live and breathe it. You may not play for a D1 or D2 school unless you meet NCAA Eligibility requirements through a central portal (see next section of this page). Both levels can offer athletic scholarships, but again, it is tough to get recruited by these schools in most sports.
D3 schools are plentiful and typically are smaller institutions. The rules to be able to play are similar to high school (where you meet school-based or conference-based eligibility criteria rather than from a central eligibility portal). There are a TON of D3 schools nationwide, but they can not give Athletic Scholarships. Some institutions will favor athletes via merit scholarships, alumni grants, and housing/board assistance, and generally speaking, most athletes tend to have high grades to begin with in most sports.
NOTE: NCAA D3 (DIII) is the largest program in all of college sports and thus, has the most opportunities
D3 Colleges do not offer athletic scholarships but do offer students who are really good at their sports, but maybe not at the top D1/D2 tier, the opportunity to play in college. They can offer financial packages creatively to athletes on merit-based criteria or academic criteria.
NAIA is an alternative to the NCAA. In a direct comparison, the schools tend to be smaller and very similar to NCAA D3 schools with one big exception…they do offer Athletic Scholarships. The NAIA has actually been around since 1940 and held the first National Men’s Basketball Championship. NAIA also has another recent first: They are the first college organization or level to offer official, Varsity Women’s Flag Football with scholarships. NAIA does have a central eligibility portal like NCAA D1 and D2 schools.
USCAA schools are all small. Typically, they are less than 600 students (so smaller than Rush). Locally, Manor College and most of the satellite Campuses for Penn State (other than Abington) compete in this association. There is league-wide eligibility criteria, but no central portal. You can view the requirements here. MANY schools that compete in USCAA also compete in NAIA or in some cases, NCAA D2. These schools are considered USCAA D1 schools and are permitted to grant scholarships, but the other USCAA schools are not.
Junior Colleges or JUCO do have a central eligibility portal but are limited to schools that specialize in 2 year programs. In the grand scheme of things, and going back to the Baseball analogy where NCAA D1 was the Major Leagues and D2 was Triple A, JUCO schools are essentially Rookie Ball in Florida. Rookie Ball in Baseball is limited for really low draft picks OR men who just try out for the pro teams as a way to develop their skills at a faster level with the hopes of getting looked at and promoted. In Collegiate Athletics, the JUCO students essentially get a 5th and 6th year of playing their sport at a slightly faster level than high school. Junior Colleges do not offer athletic scholarships; they can offer financial packages creatively to athletes on merit-based criteria or academic criteria.
CREATE YOUR NCAA or NAIA PROFILES
CREATE AN OFFICIAL FREE NCAA PROFILE (D1, D2 and D3): (free of charge and all student-athletes interested in playing for college need to do it they may do it at any time but must do it by end of Junior year.)
OFFICIAL NAIA eligibility account
If you are trying to find information for one of the other Collegiate levels, click the links above in the section about those levels
ELIGIBILITY –
All of the links here are for NCAA procedures. If you are trying to find information for one of the other Collegiate levels, click the links above
OFFICIAL NCAA Eligibility Brochure
*****FREE ONLINE COURSE ON NCAA ELIGIBILITY****** created by the National Federation of High Schools
NOTE: Division III schools are responsible for setting their own academic eligibility rules. If you are going to be competing for a DIII institution, or if you are unsure what division level you’ll be competing at, you can start with a free NCAA Profile page. If you do decide to pursue a DI or DII program, you can always transition to a Certification Account later.
NCAA FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)