Main logo used by the NCAA in Division I, II, and III.

Division III (or DIII) is a division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association of the United States.

Membership[link]

The division consists of colleges and universities that choose not to offer athletically related financial aid (athletic scholarships) to their student-athletes. There are 449 member institutions (both full and provisional), making Division III (D-III) the largest of the three divisions sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

D-III schools range in size from less than 500 to over 20,000 students. D-III schools compete in athletics as a non-revenue making, extracurricular activity for students; hence, they may not offer athletic scholarships, they may not redshirt freshmen for non-medical reasons^[1] and they may not use endowments or funds whose primary purpose is to benefit their athletic programs. Also, under NCAA rules, D-III schools "shall not award financial aid to any student on the basis of athletics leadership, ability, participation or performance".^[2] Financial aid given to athletes must be awarded under the same procedures as for the general student body, and the proportion of total financial aid given to athletes "shall be closely equivalent to the percentage of student-athletes within the student body."^[3]

All Division III schools must field athletes in at least ten sports, with men's and women's competition in a given sport counting as two different sports. In 2012, coeducational schools with more than 1,000 undergraduates must field athletes in at least twelve sports, with at least six all-female teams and at least six teams that are either all-male or mixed-sex. Schools with fewer than 1,000 undergraduates must still field at least five sports in each category.^[4][5] Single-sex schools need only field the required number of sports for the sex which they serve. For all schools regardless of enrollment, at least three sports for each sex must be team sports.^[4]

Conferences competing in Division III[link]

* Conference sponsors football
† The MASCAC does not currently sponsor football, but has announced that it will begin sponsoring football in 2013.

Seven of the 12 schools in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference—all of the members east of the Mississippi, plus Hendrix College in Arkansas—will leave in July 2012 to form a new D-III conference to be known as the Southern Athletic Association. These departures will leave the SCAC with four members in Texas and one in Colorado; that conference will add a Louisiana school in 2012, plus two Texas schools in 2013.

Division III schools with Division I programs[link]

13 D-III schools currently play up to the Division I level in one or two sports (one for each gender maximum).

Seven of them are grandfathered schools which have traditionally competed at the highest level of a particular sport prior to the institution of the Division classifications in 1971. These schools are allowed to offer athletic scholarships in their Division I sports to remain competitive with their opponents.^[6]

• Clarkson University (men's and women's ice hockey)
• Colorado College (men's ice hockey and women's soccer)
• Hartwick College (men's soccer and women's water polo)
• Johns Hopkins University (men's and women's lacrosse)
• Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, (men's and women's ice hockey)
• Rutgers-Newark (men's volleyball)
• St. Lawrence University (men's and women's ice hockey)

(SUNY Oneonta was previously grandfathered in men's soccer but moved totally to Division III in 2006.)

The other six schools choose to play up in one sport for men and optionally one sport for women, but they are not grandfathered and thus are not allowed to offer athletic scholarships. Academic-based and need-based financial aid is still available.

• Franklin and Marshall College (men's wrestling)
• Hobart College (men's lacrosse)
• Lawrence University (fencing)
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology (men's and women's rowing)
• Rochester Institute of Technology (men's and women's ice hockey)
• Union College (men's and women's ice hockey)

Football and basketball may not be grandfathered Division I programs because their revenue-enhancing potential would give them an unfair advantage over other Division III schools. In 1992, several Division III schools who competed at the Division I level in basketball, most notably Georgetown University, were forced to upgrade the rest of their athletic program to a Division I level.

In August 2007, the NCAA instituted a moratorium on all division moves, including play-ups.^[7] That moratorium expired in August 2011, but the NCAA has indicated that play-ups will no longer be allowed as a general policy (though at least one exception has been made in women's hockey due to the lack of Division II competition in ice hockey).

Comparison to Division I athletics[link]

Financial comparison[link]

Division III institutions do not have the same access to scholarship money when it comes to the recruiting process. Division III sports offer non-athletic financial aid packages rather than athletically based support. Division I sports teams are able to provide aid more directly through athletic based scholarships.^[8] Since there are fewer guidelines for athletic scholarships in Division III schools, these institutions have more choice in how they allocate their funds.^[8] Not only is there more financial support that is specifically given to Division I athletes, but Division I teams and facilities receive more funding from the NCAA. The NCAA puts substantially more money towards Division I programs than it does Division III. Sixty percent of all NCAA revenue is given directly to Division I institutions alone.^[9] From 2009–2010, 433 million dollars made up the NCAA's Division I expenses.^[9] Only about three percent of the NCAA’s spending goes towards Division III programs.^[10] The differences in financial support has been a major cause in further differences between both divisions.

Athletic and academic comparison[link]

NCAA regulations in competition and time commitment have made Division III athletics seem less strenuous and binding when compared Division I athletics. Each sport is subject to different regulations, but when comparing the same sports in Division I and Division III competition, there are many differences. For example, Division III baseball limits the number of games to 40 per season^[11] while Division I baseball sets the limit at 56 games per season.^[12] This has caused the general public to view Division III athletics as less competitive and focused.^{[citation needed]} According to a 2008 NCAA survey, participants admitted devoting more time to athletics than they did towards academic responsibilities. This survey found that the average Division I athlete devotes 44.8 hours a week to athletic responsibilities in addition to the 40 hours a week that are set aside for academic life.^[13] This difference in time commitment can also be seen in the average number of classes missed. Twenty-one percent of Division I baseball players miss more than three classes per week compared to twelve percent of Division III baseball players.^[14] This pattern is similar in other sports as well according to the 2011 NCAA survey.

Effects on student athletes[link]

The differences in division requirements and financial regulation have led to some distinct differences in student life. Participation in school activities are more common in Division III athletes.^{[citation needed]} Division III athletes are also known to put much more emphasis on their academic experience which includes participation in on-campus research and extra-curricular activities.^[10] Not only is there more involvement, but Division III Athletes have proven to be more successful in time management when compared to non-athletes at the same institution.^[10] There are also differences in the student-athlete social experience. Division I athletes are more likely to have friends who are exclusively part of their respective team.^[14]

Recent changes[link]

In 2003, concerned about the direction of the Division, the Division III Presidents' Council, led by Middlebury College President John McCardell, acted to limit the length of the traditional and non-traditional seasons, eliminate redshirting, and redefine a season of participation, all of which were approved by a majority vote of the membership.

An additional proposal which would have eliminated the ability of the institutions listed above to offer athletic scholarships was rejected, though rules limiting the exception to only those schools currently offering D-I programs was approved. These actions took place at the January 2004 NCAA Convention.

References[link]

External links[link]

• NCAA official website
• NCAA official sports website
• D3football.com, covers Division III football
• D3hoops.com, covers Division III men's and women's basketball
• D3baseball.com, covers Division III baseball
• D3soccer.com, covers Division III men's and women's soccer
• USCHO.com, covers Division III men's and women's ice hockey

v t e National Collegiate Athletic Association NCAA Awards Hall of Champions Conferences Division I sports and championships Institutions Athletic directors Baseball (Championship, CWS) Basketball (Men, Women) Women's bowling Boxing Cross country (Men, Women) Fencing (Team, Individual) Women's field hockey Football (FBS / BCS, FCS) Golf (Men, Women) Gymnastics (Men, Women) Ice hockey (Men, Women) Lacrosse (Men, Women) Rifle Rowing (Women's Championship) Skiing Soccer (Men, Women) Softball (Championship, CWS) Swimming and diving (Men, Women) Tennis (Men, Women) Track and field (Men's indoor and outdoor, Women's indoor and outdoor) Volleyball (Men, Women) Water polo (Men, Women) Wrestling (Championship) Division II Institutions Baseball (CWS) Basketball (Men, Women) Football (Championship) Soccer (Men) Softball (CWS) Division III Institutions Baseball (CWS) Basketball (Men, Women) Football (Championship) Soccer (Men) Softball (CWS)

In sport, the Third Division, also called Division 3, Division Three, or Division III, is often the third highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below.

Association football[link]

• Belgian Third Division, third highest level in Belgian football
• Cypriot Third Division, third major league of Cyprus
• Egyptian Third Division, third level of the Egyptian football league system
• Football League Third Division, third tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992
• Galway & District League Third Division, fourth tier of the Galway & District League football
• Hong Kong Third Division League, third level of football of the Hong Kong Football Association
• Indonesian Third Division, lowest level of nationwide football competition in Indonesia
• Interdistrict Division Three, fifth tier of football in the Northern New South Wales Australia
• Iran Football's 3rd Division, fourth-highest division in the Iranian football system
• Kildare Senior Football League Division 3, Kildare Gaelic Athletic Association
• Kolmonen - Finnish League Division 3, fifth level in the league system of Finnish football
• Lebanese Third Division, third division of Lebanese football
• Leinster League Division Three, third division of the Leinster League
• Libyan Third Division, third tier of Libyan football
• Maltese Third Division, lowest league level in Maltese football
• Norwegian Third Division, fourth highest division of football in Norway
• Portuguese Third Division, fourth level of the Portuguese football league system
• Scottish Football League Third Division, fourth-highest division in the Scottish football system
• Sligo Intermediate Football League Division 3 (ex Div. 2), Sligo Gaelic Athletic Association
• Surrey & Hants Border Football League Division 3, Surrey & Hants Border Football League
• Swedish football Division 3, fifth level in the league system of Swedish football
• Swedish Ladies Football Division 3, fourth level in the league system of Swedish Ladies football
• Victorian State League Division 3, fourth tier football competition in Victoria, Australia
• Welsh Football League Third Division, fourth level of the football league system in south Wales
• York Football League Division Three, fourth level in the York Football League system

Other sports[link]

• AIB Division Three, rugby union league in Ireland
• Division III (NCAA), the third tier of intercollegiate sports in the United States.
• IIHF World Championship Division III, lowest level of the International Ice Hockey Federation
• National Conference League Division 3, fourth division in the British Amateur Rugby League
• North Division Three (shinty), fourth tier of the Shinty league system in Scotland
• Portuguese Handball Third Division, fourth handball league in Portugal
• Rugby Football League Championship Third Division, third level of Britain’s Rugby Football League
• Scottish National League Division Three, one of Scotland's national rugby union league divisions
• Scottish Premiership Division Three, lowest division in the Scottish rugby union Premiership
• Speedway National League Division Three, third division of motorcycle speedway in the United Kingdom
• WRU Division Three East, a rugby union league in Wales
• WRU Division Three North, a rugby union league in Wales
• WRU Division Three South East, a rugby union league in Wales
• WRU Division Three South West, a rugby union league in Wales
• WRU Division Three West, a rugby union league in Wales

Non-sport uses[link]

For usage of the term in the military, see 3rd Division (disambiguation).

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.