What it Takes to be a Division I Athlete
Most of the time people are confused about what qualifies different schools to be NCAA Division I, II or III. When making the choice on what is the correct institution for you, you should choose a program that best fits your competition level. You have higher performing schools and conferences at all division levels so make sure you look at schools individually instead of as a division as a whole.
Some Facts
Every Division 1 school has to sponsor at least 7 sports for men and 7 seven sports for women (or 6 men and 8 women). At least 2 of the sports for both men and women need to be team sports. Each sports season–Fall, Winter and Spring–needs to be represented by both men’s and women’s sports.
Scheduling Rules
There are participation criteria per sport and scheduling requirements. Except for football and basketball, 100% of scheduled competition has to be against other Division I schools when scheduling the NCAA mandated number of matches in a season.
After the mandated number of games/meets/tournaments have been scheduled, 50% of the overage competitions can be against non-Division I schools. For men’s and women’s basketball all but two games have to be played against Division I teams and a third of all men’s basketball games must be played at home.
The Big Dog: Football
Football is broken up between 2 subdivisions: Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), formally known as Division 1-A or Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), formally known as Division 1-AA. FBS teams are normally your higher ranked, nationally recognized teams. They have to meet a game attendance minimum of 15,000 attendance at a home game; this has to be met at least once in a two year rolling period. FBS schools do not have an attendance criterion that has to be met.
Division 1 schools must also meet the minimum and cannot exceed the maximum amount of financial aid (athletic scholarships) mandated by the NCAA for each sport.
Your Best Fit
As you can see NCAA Division I status is given based on a set of ground rules mandated by the NCAA, but not by specific athletic standards. This means that you will want to look at schools across all division levels to see where you fit best.
If you have questions or comments about NCAA rules or what Division level might be the best fit for you please use the comments section below or connect with us on Facebook or Twitter.
i’m a freshman LT/NG i start both ways and want to know if i have what it takes to be recruited by a college i know it will take hard work but i am willing to give it all i have.
If you are serious about finding a way to compete in college sports, then you need to start reaching out to college coaches and have them determine if you have what it takes. You will need to send them a resume and highlight video in order to have them evaluate you.
im a freshman in highschool im a receiver and cornerback starting both sides on jv and freshman. i was wanting to know if theres a checklist of wat i need to do to be seen by a good school. know schools in SEC PAC 10 divisions?
Hi Hunter,
The biggest thing for you to do to gain more exposure is to reach out to college coaches. They will not know who you are until you tell them. They need to see your stats, they will need to see you play. The sooner you are able to get in touch with them the better. Here is our free guide on creating a sports resume and how you will need to be staying in contact with college coaches; http://www.athleticscholarships.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/How_to_Create_a_College_Recruiting_ResumeE-Book.pdf Look over the information and let us know if you have any other questions.
im a freshman in college and i play running back at a junior college in minneosta i just wanted to know if i can get some help going D1
Of Course! We are here to help athletes with the recruiting process. If you are certain you want to be attending a DI college you can search for them using our coaches database and then start connecting with them. Here’t the link to get started: http://www2.athleticscholarships.net/athletic/ This guide will also help you create a sports resume so you can start sending out your information; http://www.athleticscholarships.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/How_to_Create_a_College_Recruiting_ResumeE-Book.pdf Let us know if you need any more help. Good Luck!!
As a 5 year football player myself, seeing what it takes, I strongly agree that the GPA of any athlete should average an A or B. I highly recommend on an athlete speaking with a coach then sending an highlight of the player.
Absolutely! That is the best way to get your name and skills our to college coaches.
Im a deffensive end im a freshman. I weigh 220 im 6’2 i would love to play for Oklahoma university or Florida State university, and then have a shot in going to the pros. what do college coaches want in my position?
Here is stats on your position and the average sizes coaches are looking for- http://www.athleticscholarships.net/2012/02/08/how-big-are-college-football-players-defense.htm I also think this article will help you create your sports resume football coaches want to see- http://www.athleticscholarships.net/2012/03/13/college-recruiting-resume-football.htm
Have you started contacting coaches at this time? Are you open to more then a handful of colleges? When do you plan to begin college?
Im freshmen , I play start quarterback and runningback my school runs wildcat most of the game .And on defensive I start safety . Im 5’6 133lbs. I plan to become a be quartebaack , so i can be a problem for defensive with my speed too. I really want to play for Rutgers University
What will i have to do for coaches to be interested in me & able to play on their teams ?
You should compile a football resume and highlight video with your current season information and start reaching out to college coaches. Make sure to contact schools in all division levels since you still have a lot of maturing to do as a player, since you are only a freshman. You can use the database on our site to search for schools and get the contact information for coaches here: http://www2.athleticscholarships.net/athletic/customers/registrationForm
I have a son who is trying to transfer from a njcaa school to a ncaa div.1 school. the process is very complicated. Is there someone I can talk to that can give me a clear understanding of how to go about this so I can help my child achieve his goal.
Jarvis, here is our favorite article on the transfer process http://www.athleticscholarships.net/junior-college-transfer-2-4.htm. The best people to get involved are the coaches and athletic department at the school he wants to transfer too. If you are in contact with the coach, contact the athletic department and get them to help you as well. Best of luck, let us know if you need more help.
what if your from canada and your serious about going in to american college D 1 football: QB 6’0 180 sophomore in highschool
You have good size for a sophomore, that will help. You want to make sure to begin getting film together so you can send a highlight video to coaches. Also, getting an online profile (like the one on our site) will help as well. 95% of football programs search our online profiles for recruits and you want to make sure and be on there. Let us know if you have more questions, thanks.
Hi im a junior 5’11 145lb wide receiever who only played one year of football and only plaued in two games in the entire season but my heart for football is strong i want to play a D1 program. Im a bit under developed in muscle but im in the weightroom
constantly. I just want to know the best way to talk and contact coaches. Also better ways to get noticed and looked at. And also what coaches are looking for exactly
If you don’t have the strength and athleticism for D1 schools right out of high school you are going to want to look for a Junior College program to play for first. Many athletes play two years at a Juco, develop their game and then can find a D1 program after that. Good luck.
im a 6’3 offensive tackle and started my sophomore year on varsity and i wanna get some details at what they look for in my position is there any way you can email me some details? i would appreciate in what you have to offer me as far as information.
Here is a explanation of what it takes to play in college at the different positions (http://www.collegesportsscholarships.com/football.htm). The most important thing for playing on the line is that you show good strength and the potential to get bigger and stronger. When you create a highlight tape for coaches you want to show good technique and the ability to finish blocks. Coaches don’t expect lineman to be able to play right away, but you need to show potential. I hope this helps.
im a senior in high school running back/slot/punter im 6ft 210 4.6 (40) but i have no help geting recruited any advise? football honors allsstate running back district mvp allstate punter
The most important thing is that you begin contacting college coaches. You can get the contact information for every college coach in the country just by going to their school website. Once you have that, email them your highlight video and call them. Good luck.