Differences Among the Three Divisions: Division II

Division II  is an intermediate-level division of competition, which offers an alternative to both the highly competitive level of intercollegiate sports offered in Division I and the nonscholarship level offered in Division III.

Total Division II Membership:  Division II has 302 member institutions, with 281 currently classified as active member institutions and 21 institutions advancing through the membership process.  These schools range in size from less than 2,500 to over 15,000, with the average enrollment being around 4,500.

Financial Aid:  Very few of the 100,000 student-athletes competing in Division II receive a full athletics grant that covers all of their expenses, but most of them will receive some financial aid to help them through school. For the rest of their expenses, student-athletes are on their own—using academic scholarships, student loans and employment earnings just like most other students attending the Division II institution. This healthy partnership is the essence of Division II, where student-athletes are valued for their athletics contribution and for being an important part of the overall student body.

Division II also provides an intersection where athletically gifted students can compete at a high level, while maintaining much of a traditional student experience. Excellent outcomes come from athletics programs that are properly aligned with the educational mission of the institution. This balance is what distinguishes Division II from the others, and this philosophy is at the heart of all decisions made by the division's governing bodies.

Scheduling:  All Division II schools must field athletes in at least ten sports, with male and female competition in a given sport counting as two different sports. In addition, all coeducational schools must field athletes in at least four sports in each gender.  Regionalization is a significant part of the Division II philosophy and is included in a championship policy that requires sport committees to select a predetermined number of teams in each of the regions of the sports involved.  Regionalization guarantees access to national championships from every geographic area of the country and encourages a member school to compete against opponents within its region, instead of seeking contests against opponents outside the geographical region. This scheduling incentive is aimed at helping schools manage their regular-season travel budgets and limit missed class time for Division II student-athletes.

Public/Private:  Division II schools tend to be smaller public universities (52 percent) and many private institutions (48 percent).

Last Updated: Mar 31, 2011