List of USIAA Division Descriptions:
Overview:
- Division One (D1) = Combination of all of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) DI institutions.
- Division Two (D2) = Combination of all of the NCAA DII institutions, the National Association for Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) institutions, as well as the Inter-university Athletic League (LAI) in Puerto Rico.
- Division Three (D3) = Combination of all of the NCAA DIII institutions.
- Division Four (D4) = Combination of all of the 2-year institutions (i.e. Junior Colleges and Community Colleges) in the US.
Division 1:
Division 1 (D1) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the United States Intercollegiate Athletic Association (USIAA). D1 schools include the major collegiate athletic powers with larger budgets, more elaborate facilities, and more athletic scholarships than Division 2 as well as many smaller schools committed to the highest level of intercollegiate competition.
All D1 schools must field teams in at least 7 sports for men and 7 for women (or 6 for men and 8 for women; 14 for men or women if they are a all-men's or all-women's school), with at least 2 team sports for each gender. Division 1 schools must meet minimum financial aid awards for their athletics program, and there are maximum financial aid awards for each sport that a Division I school cannot exceed. There are several other USIAA sanctioned minimums and differences that distinguish Division 1 from Divisions 2 and 3. Each playing season has to be represented by each gender as well. There are contest and participant minimums for each sport, as well as scheduling criteria.
For sports other than football and basketball, Division 1 schools must play 100% of the minimum number of contests against Division I opponents—anything over the minimum number of games has to be 50% Division 1. Men's and women's teams have to play at least one-third of all their contests in the home arena/stadium.
In addition to the schools that compete fully as D1 institutions, the USIAA allows D2 and D3 schools to classify 1 men's and 1 women's sport (other than traditional American football (11-man or 9-man), basketball, or any other 1-division or 2-division sport) as a D1 sport as long as they had been sponsoring those sports prior to 2011. Also, Divisions 2 and 3 schools are eligible to compete for Division I national championships in sports that do not have either a D2 or D3 national championship, and in those sports teams may also operate under D1 rules and scholarship limits.
All D1 schools must field teams in at least 7 sports for men and 7 for women (or 6 for men and 8 for women; 14 for men or women if they are a all-men's or all-women's school), with at least 2 team sports for each gender. Division 1 schools must meet minimum financial aid awards for their athletics program, and there are maximum financial aid awards for each sport that a Division I school cannot exceed. There are several other USIAA sanctioned minimums and differences that distinguish Division 1 from Divisions 2 and 3. Each playing season has to be represented by each gender as well. There are contest and participant minimums for each sport, as well as scheduling criteria.
For sports other than football and basketball, Division 1 schools must play 100% of the minimum number of contests against Division I opponents—anything over the minimum number of games has to be 50% Division 1. Men's and women's teams have to play at least one-third of all their contests in the home arena/stadium.
In addition to the schools that compete fully as D1 institutions, the USIAA allows D2 and D3 schools to classify 1 men's and 1 women's sport (other than traditional American football (11-man or 9-man), basketball, or any other 1-division or 2-division sport) as a D1 sport as long as they had been sponsoring those sports prior to 2011. Also, Divisions 2 and 3 schools are eligible to compete for Division I national championships in sports that do not have either a D2 or D3 national championship, and in those sports teams may also operate under D1 rules and scholarship limits.
Division 2:
Division 2 (D2) is an upper-intermediate-level division of competition in the United States Intercollegiate Athletic Association (USIAA). It offers an alternative to both the highly competitive level of intercollegiate sports offered in Division I and to the no athletic scholarship environments offered in Divisions 3 and 4. Division 2 schools tend to be smaller public universities and many are private institutions. Division 2 also has a diverse membership, with two active member institutions in Alaska and four in Hawaii. Additionally, it is the only division that has member institutions in Puerto Rico and the only division that has expanded its membership to include member institutions. Simon Fraser University became the first institution outside the US to enter the USIAA membership process. Prospective members also must complete at least one year of provisional status before being accepted as full-time Division 2 members.
Division 2 institutions have to sponsor at least 3 sports for men and 3 for women, (or 2 for men and 4 for women; 6 for men or women if they are a all-men's or all-women's school), with 1 team sport for each gender, and each playing season represented by each gender. There are contest and participant minimums for each sport, as well as scheduling criteria -- football and men's and women's basketball teams must play at least 50% of their games against either Division 2 or Division 1 opponents. For sports other than football and basketball, there are no scheduling requirements. There are not attendance requirements for football or basketball. There are maximum financial aid awards for each sport that a Division 2 school must not exceed. Division 2 teams usually feature a number of local or in-state student-athletes. Many Division 2 student-athletes pay for school through a combination of scholarship money, grants, student loans and employment earnings. Division 2 athletics programs are financed in the institution's budget like other academic departments on campus.
Athletic scholarships are offered in most sponsored sports at most institutions, but with more stringent limits as to the numbers offered in any one sport than at the Division 1 level. For example, Division 2 schools may give financial aid in football equivalent to 36 full scholarships (whereas each school in Division 1 is allowed 66 individuals receiving financial aid for football), although some Division 2 conferences limit the number of scholarships to a lower level. Division 2 scholarship programs are frequently the recipients of student-athletes transferring from Division I schools; a transfer student does not have to sit out a year before resuming sports participation as would be the case in the event of transferring from one Division I institution to another. All Division II sports are classified as "equivalency" sports, meaning that the USIAA restricts the total financial aid that a school can offer in a given sport to the equivalent of a set number of full scholarships.
Division 2 institutions have to sponsor at least 3 sports for men and 3 for women, (or 2 for men and 4 for women; 6 for men or women if they are a all-men's or all-women's school), with 1 team sport for each gender, and each playing season represented by each gender. There are contest and participant minimums for each sport, as well as scheduling criteria -- football and men's and women's basketball teams must play at least 50% of their games against either Division 2 or Division 1 opponents. For sports other than football and basketball, there are no scheduling requirements. There are not attendance requirements for football or basketball. There are maximum financial aid awards for each sport that a Division 2 school must not exceed. Division 2 teams usually feature a number of local or in-state student-athletes. Many Division 2 student-athletes pay for school through a combination of scholarship money, grants, student loans and employment earnings. Division 2 athletics programs are financed in the institution's budget like other academic departments on campus.
Athletic scholarships are offered in most sponsored sports at most institutions, but with more stringent limits as to the numbers offered in any one sport than at the Division 1 level. For example, Division 2 schools may give financial aid in football equivalent to 36 full scholarships (whereas each school in Division 1 is allowed 66 individuals receiving financial aid for football), although some Division 2 conferences limit the number of scholarships to a lower level. Division 2 scholarship programs are frequently the recipients of student-athletes transferring from Division I schools; a transfer student does not have to sit out a year before resuming sports participation as would be the case in the event of transferring from one Division I institution to another. All Division II sports are classified as "equivalency" sports, meaning that the USIAA restricts the total financial aid that a school can offer in a given sport to the equivalent of a set number of full scholarships.
Division 3:
Division 3 (D3) is a division of the United States Intercollegiate Athletic Association (USIAA) that consists of colleges and universities that choose not to offer athletically related financial aid (athletic scholarships) to their student-athletes. Division 3 schools range in size from a minimum undergraduate enrollment of 348 to a maximum of 21,247, but the average enrollment is 2,717.
Like Division 2, Division 3 institutions have to sponsor at least 3 sports for men and 3 for women (or 2 for men & 4 for women; 6 for men or women if they are a all-men's or all-women's school), with at least 1 team sport for each gender, and each playing season represented by each gender. There are minimum contest and participant minimums for each sport. Division 3 athletics features student-athletes who, for the most part, will not receive any financial aid related to their athletic ability (no athletic scholarships) and athletic departments are staffed and funded like any other department in the university.
Student athletes also cannot redshirt as freshmen and schools may not use endowments or funds whose primary purpose is to benefit athletic programs. academic 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."
Like Division 2, Division 3 institutions have to sponsor at least 3 sports for men and 3 for women (or 2 for men & 4 for women; 6 for men or women if they are a all-men's or all-women's school), with at least 1 team sport for each gender, and each playing season represented by each gender. There are minimum contest and participant minimums for each sport. Division 3 athletics features student-athletes who, for the most part, will not receive any financial aid related to their athletic ability (no athletic scholarships) and athletic departments are staffed and funded like any other department in the university.
Student athletes also cannot redshirt as freshmen and schools may not use endowments or funds whose primary purpose is to benefit athletic programs. academic 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."
Division 4:
Division 4 (D4) is a division of the United States Intercollegiate Athletic Association (USIAA) that consists of all 2-year institutions (community college and junior college athletic departments) throughout the United States.
Division 4 institutions have to sponsor at least 1 sport for men and 1 for women (or 2 for men or women if they are a all-men's or all-women's school). Unlike the rest of the USIAA, Division 4 schools are the only schools that can actively recruit both varsity & JV athletes to their programs, with an exception for single division sports, 2-division sports, & JV sports.
D4 is a good option for students who didn’t get accepted to any of the other divisions because of academics.
Like Division 3, Division 4 athletics features student-athletes who receive no financial aid related to their athletic ability (i.e. no athletic scholarships) and athletic departments are staffed and funded like any other department in the university. Student athletes also cannot redshirt as freshmen and schools may not use endowments or funds whose primary purpose is to benefit athletic programs. 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."
Division 4 institutions have to sponsor at least 1 sport for men and 1 for women (or 2 for men or women if they are a all-men's or all-women's school). Unlike the rest of the USIAA, Division 4 schools are the only schools that can actively recruit both varsity & JV athletes to their programs, with an exception for single division sports, 2-division sports, & JV sports.
D4 is a good option for students who didn’t get accepted to any of the other divisions because of academics.
Like Division 3, Division 4 athletics features student-athletes who receive no financial aid related to their athletic ability (i.e. no athletic scholarships) and athletic departments are staffed and funded like any other department in the university. Student athletes also cannot redshirt as freshmen and schools may not use endowments or funds whose primary purpose is to benefit athletic programs. 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."