The United States has a long history of developing non-profit associations aimed at regulating athletic scholarships and overseeing university athletes across the country. You need to be aware of the existence of such scholarships, the specifics and rules of obtaining them, the chances of participating in certain sports events, and many other important aspects related to the process of applying to US universities. Your admission prospects will directly depend on which association the university you are interested in belongs to.
Below is a brief overview of the main sports associations and their divisions. It includes:
- The number of schools that belong to the association;
- Rules followed by members;
- Rules for awarding scholarships to foreign students.
National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)
The NCAA is a non-profit organization that includes athletes from 1,121 universities. It consists of three main divisions, each differing in resource availability, level of competition, types of sports, rules, and restrictions on members and athletes.
Each division has its requirements. Keep in mind that all student-athletes wishing to participate in Division I and II must register and be certified by the NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse. Review the NCAA Eligibility Center guide to learn about the registration process, sports included in each division, documents, standards, and many other useful provisions you need to know to apply for athletic scholarships.
Colleges and universities themselves decide which association (and division) they want to be a part of, depending on the resources and goals they pursue. Sometimes a university may belong to one division in one sport while being a member of another division in another sport.
NCAA Division I
The first division of the NCAA consists of 350 universities, considered the most prestigious and generous in terms of athletic scholarships, and have the highest level of competition. These universities, for the most part, are also the largest and mainly consist of public universities.
You must have good athletic records, be one of the best in your sport, and have great endurance to balance sports and education at a university in the first division.
It’s worth noting that Ivy League universities such as Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, UPenn, Princeton, and Yale are Division I universities that do not offer athletic scholarships.
NCAA Division II
The second division of the NCAA consists of 300 colleges and universities, which vary significantly in size and academic environment. State and private universities are represented in roughly equal numbers with a slight bias towards the former group. The average number of students in Division II universities is 5000.
Division II universities provide a high level of competition, with less strict rules and academic barriers for foreign athletes, making it an excellent choice and ideal platform for many rising athletes outside the United States. Universities in this division are less generous in terms of financial support, mainly providing partial awards to athletes playing in this division.
NCAA Division III
The third division of the NCAA is the largest in the association, including about 450 institutions, mainly consisting of small private colleges, although there are also several large universities such as MIT, U of Chicago, Tufts, Carnegie Mellon, and others.
The third division has the lowest level of competition in the NCAA, and students do not need to register with the NCAA Clearinghouse. Division III universities do not offer athletic scholarships, but many students receive financial support through merit-based scholarships, financial need, and on-campus work. Training takes much less time, so students have many more opportunities to balance sports, academics, and participation in other extracurricular activities.
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA)
The NAIA is the governing body of sports programs primarily offered by small private colleges. It includes about 350 universities and offers fewer sports but fewer restrictions on recruiting athletes compared to the NCAA, making it an excellent option for foreign students to start their academic careers in the United States.
The level of athletes and competition is high, and many NAIA teams could easily compete with athletes from the NCAA. Foreign students applying to US universities that are part of the NAIA must register with the NAIA Eligibility Center and carefully read the guide for foreign students.
National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA)
The NJCAA is another governing organization primarily comprising two-year colleges. This association consists of three divisions, providing the opportunity for full scholarships for the first division and partial scholarships for the second division. Like other associations, the third division does not offer scholarships. Review the Eligibility Rules Pamphlet to learn more about athletic scholarships and qualification requirements for foreign students.
