NCAA Division Levels

NCAA COLLEGE DIRECTORY
NCAA DI
$99.99
DIVISION I Division I schools, on average, enroll the most students, manage the largest athletics budgets, offer a wide array of academic programs and provide the most athletics scholarships.

PARTICIPATION
179,200 student-athletes
351 colleges and universities


ATHLETICS SCHOLARSHIPS
59 percent of all student-athletes receive some level of athletics aid 


ACADEMICS
2017 Graduation Success Rate: 87 percent* 


OTHER STATS
Median Undergraduate Enrollment: 9,629
Average Number of Teams per School: 19
Average Percentage of Student Body Participating in Sports: 4 percent
Division I National Championships: 26

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NCAA DII
$99.99
Division II provides growth opportunities through academic achievement, high-level athletics competition and community engagement. Many participants are first-generation college students.

PARTICIPATION
121,900 student-athletes
308 colleges and universities


ATHLETICS SCHOLARSHIPS
62 percent of all student-athletes receive some level of athletics aid


ACADEMICS
2017 Academic Success Rate: 72 percent*


OTHER STATS

Median Undergraduate Enrollment: 2,485
Average Number of Teams per School: 16
Average Percentage of Student Body Participating in Sports: 9 percent
Division II National Championships: 25

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Division III
$99.99
The Division III experience provides an integrated environment that focuses on academic success while offering competitive athletics and meaningful non athletic opportunities.

PARTICIPATION
190,900 student-athletes
443 colleges and universities


FINANCIAL AID
80 percent of all student-athletes receive some form of academic grant or need-based scholarship; institutional gift aid totals $17,000 on average


ACADEMICS
2017 Academic Success Rate: 87 percent*


OTHER STATS

Median Undergraduate Enrollment: 1,748
Average Number of Teams per School: 18 Average Percentage of Student Body Participating in Sports: 26 percent Division III National Championships: 28

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Eligibility Requirements

If your goal is to be recruited by NCAA DI or DII schools, you will need to register with the NCAA Eligibility Center. The registration fee is $100 for athletes in the U.S., U.S. territories and Canada. For international athletes, the cost is $180. If you are unable to pay this fee, the NCAA does have fee waiver options available.

Become an NCAA Athlete
A referee holding a basketball in front of another player.

NCAA Eligibility Center Account Types

Division I or II
$99.99

You need to be certified by the NCAA Eligibility Center to compete at an NCAA Division I or II school. You also need to be registered with a Certification Account before you can make official visits or sign a National Letter of Intent in Division I or II.

Create an Account
Division III or Undecided
$99.99

If you plan to compete at a Division III school or are currently unsure in which division you want to compete, create a Profile Page. If at any time you wish to pursue a Division I or II path, you will be able to transition to a Certification Account.

Create a Profile

NCAA D1

To be classified as a Division I member institutions with the NCAA, the university must sponsor at least seven sports for men and seven for women (or six for men and eight for women) with two team sports for each gender. Each sport is also regulated with the number of contests and participants they must have in addition to scheduling criteria. One hundred percent of all contests must be between other Division I level programs with the exception of football and basketball. Football Bowl Subdivision teams have to meet minimum attendance requirements (average 15,000 people in actual or paid attendance per home game), which must be met once in a rolling two-year period. NCAA Football Championship Subdivision teams do not need to meet minimum attendance requirements. Division I schools must meet minimum financial aid awards for their athletics program.

NCAA D2

To be classified as a Division II member institutions with the NCAA, the university must sponsor at least five sports for men and five for women (or six for men and eight for women) with two team sports for each gender. Each sport is also regulated with the number of contests and participants they must have in addition to scheduling criteria. Football and men’s and women’s basketball teams must play at least 50 percent of their games against Division II or Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) or Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) opponents. For sports other than football and basketball there are no scheduling requirements. Division II programs do not have any attendance requirements but they do have maximum financial aid awards that they must not exceed. Many athletes that compete on the Division II level receive financial aid in the form of athletic and academic grants, loans and work study programs.

NCAA D3

To be classified as a Division III member institutions with the NCAA, the university must sponsor at least five sports for men and five for women (or six for men and eight for women) with two team sports for each gender. Division III athletes may not receive financial aid in the form of athletic scholarships or grants but they may receive academic grants and need based financial aid for college.

Top Questions

How do I have my test scores sent?

Students can request the testing agencies send their ACT/SAT scores directly to the Eligibility Center using code 9999. You can list the Eligibility Center as a score recipient at the time of test registration to avoid additional fees. Please note: Only official test scores sent from the testing agency (ACT/SAT) are acceptable. Test scores on your high school transcript cannot be used.

Here is the step-by-step process to have your test scores sent.

SAT Scores:

  1. Log in to the SAT’s website at sat.collegeboard.org/scores/send-sat-scores.
  2. The code is 9999 to select the NCAA Eligibility Center as a score recipient (either during exam registration or after exam registration).
  3. After submitting the request, your official test scores will be sent to the NCAA Eligibility Center and the test score and status report sections of your account will be updated.
  4. Timeframe for the NCAA Eligibility Center to receive scores depends on the testing agency’s service standard.
  5. If you need additional assistance, you can contact SAT College Board’s customer service at 866-756-7346.

ACT Scores:

  1. Log in to the ACT’s website at actstudent.org/scores/send/.
  2. The code is 9999 to select the NCAA Eligibility Center as a score recipient (either during exam registration or after exam registration).
  3. After submitting the request, your official test scores will be sent to the NCAA Eligibility Center and the test score and status report sections of your account will be updated.
  4. Timeframe for the NCAA Eligibility Center to receive scores depends on the testing agency’s service standard.
  5. If you need additional assistance, you can contact the ACT’s customer service at 319-337-1270.
How long does it take for the NCAA Eligibility Center to receive my transcript?

This depends on how your transcript was sent. The fastest way to submit your transcript is by having your high school counselor use the direct upload feature on the High School Portal. By doing this, your transcript will show as being received same day, usually within 30 minutes.

  • If your transcript was sent by U.S. mail, it can take up to three weeks for your transcript to be added to your account, depending on the speed of the U.S. Postal Service.
  • If your transcript was sent through an overnight delivery service, it may take two to three business days from the date of receipt to show as received, due to the processing time required once it arrives at the NCAA Eligibility Center.
  • If your transcript was sent through an approved e-transcript provider, the transcript should show as being received on your account within three to four business days of receipt.
  • If your transcript was emailed, allow two to three days from the date of receipt for processing.
How do I request my final amateurism certification?

Only students with paid certification accounts or students who have received a fee waiver are able to request final amateurism. Students enrolling in the fall can request final amateurism beginning April 1st prior to enrollment. Students who are enrolling in the winter/spring can request final amateurism beginning October 1st prior to enrollment. 

Does the NCAA award athletics scholarships?

Individual schools award athletics scholarships. Divisions I and II schools provide more than $3 billion in athletics scholarships annually to more than 150,000 student-athletes. Division III schools, with more than 190,000 student-athletes, do not offer athletically related financial aid, but most student-athletes receive some form of academic grant or need-based scholarship. 

Do many high school athletes earn athletics scholarships?

Very few, in fact. About 2 percent of high school athletes are awarded some form of athletics scholarship to compete in college. 

Do NCAA student-athletes have difficulty meeting graduation requirements with the time demands of their sport?

While competing in college does require strong time-management skills and some thoughtful planning with academic advisors, on average NCAA student-athletes graduate at a higher rate than the general student body. 

Do many NCAA student-athletes go on to play professionally?

Fewer than 2 percent of NCAA student-athletes go on to be professional athletes. In reality, most student-athletes depend on academics to prepare them for life after college. Education is important. There are nearly half a million NCAA student-athletes, and most of them will go pro in something other than sports.

Student-Athletes All Sports Men’s Basketball Women’s Basketball Football Baseball Men’s Hockey Men’s Soccer
High School Student-athletes 7,300,000 546,400 429,400 1,083,300 488,800 35,200 440,300
NCAA Student-Athletes 492,000 18,700 16,600 73,700 34,600 4,100 24,800
Percentage Moving from High School to NCAA 6% 3.4% 3.9% 6.8% 7.1% 11.7% 5.6%
Percentage Moving from NCAA to Major Professional* 2% 1.1% 0.9% 1.5% 9.7% 5.6% 1.4%

*Percent NCAA to Major Professional figures are based on the number of draft picks made in the NFL, NBA, WNBA, MLB, NHL and MLS drafts.

FAQ Categories

Registration FAQs

How often can I update my sports participation (amateurism) information?

How long does it take for the NCAA Eligibility Center to receive my transcript?

Where can I find my NCAA ID number?

What is a fee waiver?

Academic Requirements FAQs

How long does it take for the NCAA Eligibility Center to receive my transcript?

How do I send my SAT/ACT scores to the NCAA Eligibility Center?

How can I check my eligibility status?

Are the initial-eligibility standards different for student for students with an education-impacting disability (EID)?

Amateurism FAQs

Do all sports have the same rules for amateurism?

How do I request my final amateurism certification?

How often can I update my sports participation (amateurism) information?

Am I automatically ineligible if I violated the amateurism rules?

High School Review FAQs

Can computer science courses be approved as core courses?

Can I change my password, PIN or contacts?

How can I find an approved nontraditional program?

How can I find my school’s list of approved courses?

Home School FAQs

Are parents allowed to graduate home school students?

Can home school students receive a fee waiver?

Does the umbrella program administrator or the parent complete the home school administrator statement?

Does the umbrella program administrator or the parent sign the transcript?

International FAQs

Do international students need to meet the NCAA Division I core-course progression requirement (10/7)?

Do international students have to take the SAT or ACT?

How long does it take for the NCAA Eligibility Center to receive my transcript?

Can the Eligibility Center use TOEFL scores?

Recruiting FAQs

If a coach is recruiting me, how do they find my NCAA ID?

What do I have to do to be able to go on an official visit?

What is a contact period?

What is a dead period?

Additional FAQs

Where can I find my NCAA ID number?

How do I contact the Enforcement Certification and Approval Group (ECAG)?

How do I know which division my school is in?

I have a question about NCAA bylaws, rules or DI compliance. Who do I contact?