What You Need to Know About DIII Athletics

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Often Overlooked, Division III is the NCAA‘s brilliant third offspring. DIII athletics is an excellent option for student-athletes who want to continue playing their sport at the next level.

It’s not “The Show,”  your kid won’t play in front of a mammoth crowd of adoring fans. He or she will probably never fly to an away game or see themselves featured on SportsCenter. Although, it has happened before. There’s no such thing as the athletic dorm, and they may not have locker rooms. But still, the DIII opportunity is perfect for a lot of student-athletes.

They still get to be competitive, but they also have the opportunity to be a student first.

DIII athletics is still college sports — athletes just won’t receive athletic scholarships for playing.

But other than that, what’s not to like?

Why Should You Consider DIII Athletics?

The athletic opportunities at the NCAA DIII level are excellent. However, far too frequently people consider DIII athletics second fiddle to the other NCAA divisions.

They aren’t even close. DIII athletics is the most sensible approach to athletics and academics.

With a mandate to put academics before athletics, Division III institutions do everything to give athletes the chance to become integral parts of their academic environment and give students the opportunity to continue their athletic careers. They hire coaches who believe this, and the administrators hold them accountable. It’s a way of life, and everyone is on board.

Even though DIII athletics doesn’t have the same practice regimen as DI or DII, it doesn’t mean athletes can miss practices or games without permission, or disregard team rules and obligations.

When a student-athlete joins their school’s team, he or she is still expected to participate and contribute to the very best of their ability.

However, since no athletic scholarship money is attached to that obligation, DIII student-athletes have a little more leeway. Only because athletes must maintain a high level of academic focus and grades come first and foremost. So, DIII can be the ideal environment for student-athletes who want a genuine balance between sports, studies and a social life.

As an overriding philosophy, DIII administrations, athletic department heads, and coaches accept and expect academics to come first. But, DIII athletes enjoy widespread support for their athletic endeavors. In many DIII colleges, well over 50 percent of the student body participates in an intercollegiate sport, considerably higher than at the DI or DII level. Even though athletics isn’t a priority.

In the end, DIII athletes are the most accurate form of the word, student-athlete.

What About Athletic Scholarships?

The absence of athletic scholarship money isn’t a lack of financial assistance for student-athletes. Contrary to popular belief.

The financial packages, which DIII schools offer student-athletes, are usually as generous, if not more so, than those provided by DI or DII schools. That may seem far-fetched, but in truth Division III schools, generally speaking, have access to a ton of funding which can replace their lack of athletic scholarships.

Of course, for a student-athlete to take full advantage of available non-athletic grants and scholarships, excellent classroom results at the high school level are necessary. Like at DI and DII institutions, the higher one’s un-weighted GPA, class rank and standardized test scores, the more money they are eligible to earn.

Admittedly, there remains a stigma about DIII college athletics.  Again, it’s unfair, but the reputation somehow persists nonetheless. Regardless, take our word for it — opportunities await, and good ones at that.

At National Scouting Report, we encourage you to explore options at every level and every school possible. There’s a perfect fit out there for every student-athlete. But it’s unlikely that it will effortlessly land in their lap. To make the very best decision possible, every avenue should be looked at thoroughly to discover your ideal home athletically, academically, socially, geographically and financially.

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