Our Three Divisions
The NCAA’s three divisions were created in 1973 to align like-minded campuses in the areas of philosophy, competition and opportunity.
|
Division I |
Division II |
Division III |
Schools
346 |
307
*Numbers do not include provisional or reclassifying schools. |
439 |
Median Undergraduate Enrollment
9,970 |
2,524 |
1,790 |
Students Who Are Athletes
 1 in 25 |
 1 in 13 |
 1 in 6 |
Percentage of Student-Athletes in Division
|
|
|
|
Athletics Scholarships
| Multiyear, cost-of-attendance athletics scholarships available 53 percent of athletes receive athletics aid |
Partial athletics scholarship 56 percent of athletes receive athletics aid |
No athletics scholarships 75 percent of athletes receive non-athletics aid |
What are the eligibility requirements in each division?
College-bound students who want to compete at a Division I or Division II school must meet standards set by NCAA members. For Division III, athletes must meet the admissions standards set by the school. Eligibility standards can be found here.
How is each division governed?
NCAA schools develop and approve legislation for their own division. Groups of presidents and chancellors lead each division in the form of committees with regularly scheduled meetings.
Did You Know?
Division I manages the largest athletics budgets. The average for schools in the Football Bowl Subdivision is $62.2 million
Division II provides one championship opportunity for every seven athletes, the highest championship access ratio in the NCAA.
Division III has the highest graduation rate among athletes.
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