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NCAA RECRUITING FACTS College sports create a pathway to opportunity for student-athletes.

480,000
1
19,000	Divisions Student-athletes Teams                           Association

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

• 176,000 student-athletes

• 346 colleges and universities

ATHLETICS SCHOLARSHIPS

56 percent of all student-athletes receive some level of athletics aid

ACADEMICS

2014 Graduation Success Rate: 83 percent*

OTHER STATS
Median Undergraduate Enrollment: 9,205 Average Number of Teams per School: 19 Average Percentage of Student Body
Participating in Sports: 4 percent
Division I National Championships: 26 (1 out of every 8.5 student-athletes participates)

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

PARTICIPATION

• 118,800 student-athletes

• 307 colleges and universities

ATHLETICS SCHOLARSHIPS

61 percent of all student-athletes receive some level of athletics aid

ACADEMICS

2014 Academic Success Rate: 71 percent*

OTHER STATS
Median Undergraduate Enrollment: 2,530 Average Number of Teams per School: 15 Average Percentage of Student Body
Participating in Sports: 10 percent Division II National Championships: 25
(1 out of every 7 student-athletes participates)

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

PARTICIPATION

• 187,800 student-athletes

• 439 colleges and universities

FINANCIAL AID

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

ACADEMICS

2014 Academic Success Rate: 87 percent*

OTHER STATS
Median Undergraduate Enrollment: 1,860 Average Number of Teams per School: 18 Average Percentage of Student Body
Participating in Sports: 21 percent
Division III National Championships: 28 (1 out of every 10 student-athletes participates)

Want to play NCAA sports? Visit www.NCAA.org/playcollegesports

*Graduation rate for student-athletes, including those who transfer from one school to another.
July 2016

Facts about NCAA sports

Does the NCAA award athletics scholarships?
Individual schools award athletics scholarships. Divisions I and II schools provide $2.7 billion in athletics scholarships annually to more than 150,000 student-athletes. Division III schools, with more than 180,000 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.

ESTIMATED PROBABILITY OF COMPETING IN NCAA ATHLETICS BEYOND HIGH SCHOOL

Student-Athletes

High School Student-Athletes

NCAA Student-Athletes

Percentage Moving from High School to NCAA

All Sports

7,800,000

480,000

6%

Men’s Basketball

541,500

18,700

3.5%

Women’s Basketball

429,500

16,600

3.9%

Football

1,083,600

72,800

6.7%

Baseball

486,600

34,200

7%

Men’s Ice Hockey

35,900

4,100

11.3%

Men’s Soccer

432,600

24,500

5.7%

Percentage Moving from NCAA to Major Professional*	2%	1.1%	0.9%	1.6%	9.7%	6.6%	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.

NCAA is a trademark of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.	July 2016