Payoff at Division III is Greater Than You Think

In our work with families, it’s common for student-athletes to be drawn to the NCAA Division I experience. It makes sense. Whether they are true DI level student-athletes or not, that’s typically the only form of collegiate competition they see or hear about on TV or in the media.

NCAA DI and DII sports programs offer the most competitive landscape for securing roster spots and athletic scholarships. Only about 2 percent of players are offered DI or DII scholarships, and many of these are relatively small amounts. It is extremely rare for DI or DII student-athletes to secure full ride scholarships.

Due to this intense competition, it’s normal for many players at these collegiate levels to ultimately land at DIII schools. According to the NCAA, Division III is the largest division in terms of a number of schools and number of participants and is comprised of more than 190,000 student-athletes and represents 450 colleges and universities throughout the country. Division III is also the only division that does not award athletic scholarships; however, more than 75 percent of Division III student-athletes receive financial aid or have earned a merit scholarship for academic talent and accomplishment.

Although there are many, the three most often repeated benefits our families mention when attending and competing for DIII programs is that it allows the student-athlete:

1. To maintain a well-rounded collegiate experience. Although the sports programs are very competitive and place a strong emphasis on winning, there is an opportunity for the student-athlete to participate in extra-curricular activities like semesters studying abroad, student government and Greek life.
2. To attend strong academic institutions with advanced and well-positioned internships for future careers.
3. To secure significant merit-based scholarships for academics or other special talents they may possess.

Many Division III institutions have extraordinary supplies of money to attract high-performing student-athletes and can offer exceptional value to families. Listed below is a recent email from a DIII soccer family to share as an example:

“Actually, we did quite well with her grants, scholarships, and loans…

She received the following package:

GRANTS/ SCHOLARSHIPS (four-year grants, spread equally over the four years):

• The University Scholar Award – $72,000
• Board of Directors Grant – $33,716
• Residency Grant – $8000

Total Grants: $113,716

PRE-APPROVED GUARANTEED UNIVERSITY STUDENT LOANS:

• $14,000 subsidized (no interest)
• $8000 unsubsidized (very low interest)

Total Loans: $22,000 (to be repaid after graduation and full-time employment)

WORK STUDY:

$6000 – guaranteed position in the federal work study program all four years

So they delivered a total of $141,716, which represents approximately 75% of her entire undergraduate education ($191,064), including tuition, books, room & board.

Another great bonus, based on her major (International Business), is that they will send her abroad her sophomore year… at their cost.

Finally, they guarantee graduation in four years.

As it turns, she was their top female soccer recruit, but we did not know that until after she committed (her new teammates let the cat out of the bag).

Note: She improved her GPA and her SAT scores during the application process, and she promptly notified the University, and they increased her financial package accordingly, which I also liked.

In fact, there is now one other scholarship that she is academically eligible to apply for, but she missed the February deadline (because she hadn’t even visited the school yet then, and they really weren’t even on her radar), so they sent her a letter, and they want her to apply next year (the Provost Scholarship), and if she gets it, she will get another $6000 in scholarship money ($2k per year for the last three years), and they will adjust my payments.

She is very excited for the opportunity, and I hope that it all works out for her. I will keep in touch to let you all know how she does.

Thank you for your assistance.”

Whether your son or daughter has the desire to compete in their sport at NCAA Division I, II or III college levels, Division III institutions may present significant academic and athletic opportunities that you did not know existed.

For a personal college recruiting evaluation and honest estimate of your potential to compete at the next level, contact us at:

Phone: 1.888.9787084
Email: scouting@sportsforceonline.com

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