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Estimated probability of competing in college athletics

Nearly eight million students currently participate in high school athletics in the U.S. Approximately 560,000 compete as NCAA athletes, and just a select few move on to compete at the professional or Olympic level.

The table below shows the total number of high school and college athletes for each sport, along with the estimated percentage of high school athletes who go on to compete at the NCAA level.

Download the full report: Probability of Competing Beyond High School Figures and Methodology

High School Participants NCAA Participants Overall % HS to NCAA % HS to NCAA Division I % HS to NCAA Division II % HS to NCAA Division III
Men
Baseball 472,598 41,580 8.8% 2.7% 2.6% 3.5%
Basketball 540,704 19,617 3.6% 1.1% 1.1% 1.5%
Cross Country 241,565 15,425 6.4% 2.2% 1.8% 2.4%
Football 1,029,588 83,794 8.1% 3.4% 2.1% 2.6%
Golf 162,357 8,818 5.4% 1.8% 1.5% 2.1%
Ice Hockey 32,253 4,558 14.1% 5.2% 0.9% 8.0%
Lacrosse 113,696 16,691 14.7% 3.4% 3.3% 7.9%
Soccer 484,908 28,746 5.9% 1.4% 1.7% 2.8%
Swimming 119,102 10,131 8.5% 3.3% 1.5% 3.7%
Tennis 158,667 7,473 4.7% 1.5% 1.0% 2.1%
Track & Field  644,235 34,747 5.4% 1.9% 1.5% 2.0%
Volleyball 95,972 3,478 3.6% 0.6% 0.9% 2.2%
Water Polo 21,756 1,245 5.7% 3.3% 0.8% 1.6%
Wrestling 300,214 9,056 3.0% 0.9% 0.8% 1.3%
Women
Basketball 356,240 16,823 4.7% 1.4% 1.9% 1.9%
Cross Country 191,733 15,396 8.0% 3.3% 2.7% 2.7%
Field Hockey 50,764 6,610 13.0% 3.9% 7.2% 7.2%
Golf 85,385 5,861 6.9% 2.7% 2.3% 2.3%
Ice Hockey 9,589 3,074 32.1% 9.3% 20.7% 20.7%
Lacrosse 99,292 13,906 14.0% 4.4% 6.3% 6.3%
Soccer 393,048 31,200 7.9% 2.8% 3.0% 3.0%
Softball 338,315 21,916 6.5% 2.1% 2.5% 2.5%
Swimming 138,303 12,998 9.4% 4.2% 3.6% 3.6%
Tennis 204,721 8,137 4.0% 1.4% 1.7% 1.7%
Track & Field 513,808 33,519 6.5% 2.8% 2.0% 2.0%
Volleyball 492,799 19,810 4.0% 1.3% 1.6% 1.6%
Water Polo 18,023 1,333 7.4% 4.5% 1.7% 1.7%

Sources: High school figures from the 2024-25 High School Athletics Participation Survey conducted by the National Federation of State High School Associations; data from club teams not included. College numbers from the NCAA 2024-25 Sports Sponsorship and Participation Rates Report.

Methodology and Notes

  • High school figures come from the 2024-25 High School Athletics Participation Survey conducted by the National Federation of State High School Associations. College numbers are from the NCAA’s 2024-25 Sports Sponsorship and Participation Rates Report. These college numbers account for participation in college athletics at NCAA-member schools only.
  • High school-to-NCAA percentages were calculated by dividing the number of NCAA participants in 2024-25 by the number of HS participants in that same year. This assumes that high school and college rosters are turning over at roughly the same rate (e.g., both HS and college participation numbers include four classes of students, and both sets of teams turn over roughly one-quarter of their rosters each year). In prior versions of this table, more complex calculations were used to estimate the number of HS departures and open college roster slots each year; however, these more involved calculations did not lead to substantially different percentages than the simple calculation used currently. Given several potential confounds (e.g., multi-sport participation in high school, frequency of redshirt in NCAA Division I football that would lead to a 5-year rather than 4-year college track), these calculations should be considered approximations and not exact accounting.
  • The high school-to-NCAA divisional percentages were calculated by dividing the number of 2024-25 participants within each NCAA division by the total number of HS participants. For example, we estimate that approximately 3.6% of HS boys basketball participants go on to play at an NCAA school (Divisions I, II or III), but only 1.1% of HS participants do so at the Division I level.
  • As the high school figures account only for participants on high school teams and not those competing exclusively on club teams or similar, the true pre-college to NCAA percentages could be lower in some sports (e.g., ice hockey, tennis); see this page for sport-specific information regarding club and high school sport participation). Data for several sports (e.g., gymnastics, rowing, skiing) is not shown due to the low number of high school programs in those sports relative to non-scholastic pre-college participation opportunities.

Last Updated: March 2026

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