About Division I

Division I is subdivided based on a school’s football sponsorship. Schools that have football teams that participate in bowl games belong to the Football Bowl Subdivision. Those that participate in the NCAA-run football championship belong to the Football Championship Subdivision. Other schools don’t sponsor football at all.

Schools that belong to the FBS have different requirements from other schools. For example, they must sponsor a minimum of 16 varsity sports, including football. Other Division I schools must sponsor 14 sports. Additionally, FBS schools must meet stricter requirements for financial aid distribution and home football attendance than schools who classify in the FCS or Division I without football.

The subdivisions are based on football sponsorship only. All other sports are considered simply Division I.

Last Updated: May 2, 2013