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Division 3 Athletic Scholarships and Your Student-Athlete

Division 3 athletic scholarships

Division 3 Athletic Scholarships and Your Student-Athlete

Published April 22, 2021 | Last Updated September 23rd, 2023 at 03:13 pm

Division 3 athletic scholarships

If you are the parent of a serious student-athlete, then chances are you’re becoming familiar with the scholarship policies of schools at various levels of competition.

Division 1 schools offer the most scholarship money, but also put the highest demands on student time, and are incredibly competitive. Meanwhile, you may have heard that there are no Division 3 (D3) athletic scholarships. 

That’s not exactly true.

What is a more accurate statement is that there are no Division 3 athletic scholarships that are administered by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), which provides funding for scholarships at other levels.

Instead, student-athletes who are interested in playing sports at a Division 3 school will often find that there are considerable Division 3 scholarships available, just from other sources.

Do Division 3 Schools Give Athletic Scholarships?

Division 3 colleges do not provide athletic scholarships per se, but instead provide scholarships based on need and merit, like most other universities.

That means that parents, with students interested in pursuing a Division 3 athletic career, should familiarize themselves with how merit-based and need-based aid work.

That does not mean that athletics counts for nothing. Some of the best ways to demonstrate leadership experience, gain an appreciation for community service, and generally prove that your child has all the “soft” factors that make a great admit is through sports.

As extracurricular activities count towards consideration for D3 merit scholarships for athletes, admissions committees are always happy to see someone who is willing to play ball, literally.

What Can D3 Schools Offer Athletes?

Don’t think that your child will somehow be cheated out of a student-athlete experience by going to a D3 school; nothing could be further from the truth.

In fact, due to shorter seasons, they will likely be able to enjoy a more balanced time while pursuing their degree.

After all, many Division 3 schools are academic powerhouses; while the Ivy League is a Division 1 conference (but one that treats scholarships like a D3 school), the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC), has some of the top colleges in the country and is firmly a D3 conference.

That doesn’t mean that competition is anything other than fierce. Some of the most heated rivalries in college sports exist between Division 3 schools.

While Amherst—Williams may not get the media coverage of Michigan—Ohio State or Auburn—Alabama, you can bet that students and alumni take the games very seriously.

Finally, Division 3 schools try to put the student first. At schools with NCAA athletic scholarships, a student must continue to play for the scholarship to be valid.

Division 3 admits have no such requirement; if after a season or two continued involvement is not in the student’s interest, there is no financial consequence for your child walking away from a sport.

How Do D3 Athletes Pay for School?

Because there are no sports scholarships at the Division 3 level, student-athletes have to pay for college like the majority of other applicants. However, they do have a couple of advantages at hand.

First, they stand out, meaning they are more likely to get preferred consideration for merit-based rewards.

Second, many Division 3 schools already offer substantial financial aid packages and offer preferred acceptance to athletes. After all, just because there aren’t scholarships doesn’t mean that these programs are not incredibly competitive, and coaches (and admissions officers) are pragmatic: They know that successful sports teams are a great way to build rapport with alumni. 

In fact, being an athlete can help students gain admission to universities where they would otherwise be waitlisted, like Williams, Hamilton, or Amherst.

These colleges, like practically all others in the NESCAC, offer comprehensive financial aid packages for many middle-class families. As you can see in the table below, other Division 3 colleges still work to meet the financial needs of student-athletes.

NameState4 yr
Grad
Rate
Need Met Avg Fin Aid for Freshmen w/NeedPrivate COA
Wesleyan UniversityCT89100$65,227$89,094
Wellesley CollegeMA82100$64,345$90,341
Washington University in St. LouisM088100$63,820$83,760
Colby CollegeME84100$63,725$85,470
University of ChicagoIL89100$63,056$89.040
Colorado CollegeCO84100$62,383$86,500
Amherst CollegeMA84100$62,236$91,304
Washington and Lee UniversityVA91100$62,138$87,000
Williams CollegeMA88100$61,853$81,160
The Colorado CollegeCO83100$56,923$87,128
Vassar CollegeCA81100$61,182$86,886
Haverford CollegePA83100$61,176$90,382
Smith CollegeMA83100$60,749$86,026
Johns Hopkins UniversityMD89100$60,027$86,065
Cazenovia CollegeNY5085$58,796$52,404
Bard CollegeNY5790$58,581$78,080
Swarthmore CollegePA90100$58,439$81,376
Bowdoin CollegeME88100$58,320$85,100
Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyMA88100$57,691$82,730
Vassar CollegeNY87100$57,597$85,220
Carleton CollegeMN88100$57,354$84,893
Hamilton CollegeNY89100$57,037$86,030
Bryn Mawr CollegePA100100$57,010$82,250
St. Lawrence UniversityNY7790$56,038$80,350
Grinnell CollegeIA84100$55,722$82,890
Franklin & Marshall CollegePA81100$55,201$87,367
Tufts UniversityMA90100$54,954$88,300
Trinity CollegeCT80100$54,753$85,410
Macalester CollegeMN8397$54,387$79,890
Bates CollegeME88100$54,033$83,932

D3 Merit Scholarships for Athletes

Finally, there is the matter of merit scholarships, especially for athletes. While the NCAA places firm limits on the amount of outside funding students who receive NCAA scholarships may receive, those rules don’t apply for Division 3 athletes.

Instead, they can get a full range of merit scholarships, which differ by university, and some of which exist to reward athletic prowess.

You can find colleges that offer merit scholarships for athletes with our easy-to-use, online R2C Insights Tool. Filter, sort, and compare the results for information not only about merit scholarships, but test-optional, early decision, early action, need-based aid, and more.

Competition at Division 3 level colleges is aggressive,  and just because your child plays a sport does not mean that they will be automatically accepted.

However, for many families whose children would be borderline at other divisions, going to a D3 school is a viable option, and may permit them to get financial aid beyond what they would otherwise receive.

NameState4 yr
Grad
Rate
Freshmen w/out NeedFreshmen w/out Need Receiving Merit AidAvg Merit Aid for Freshmen w/out NeedPrivate COA
Swarthmore CollegePA9048%1%$45,110$81,376
Washington and Lee UniversityVA9147%11%$43,818$87,000
Bard CollegeNY5724%10%$40,474$78.080
Albion CollegeMI4814%100%$39,697$67,796
Johns Hopkins UniversityMD8945%10%$39,328$86,065
Susquehanna UniversityPA6617%98%$36,317$70,600
Kalamazoo CollegeMI7122%96%$36,009$68,166
Clarkson UniversityNY6426%100%$35,794$76,666
DePauw UniversityIN7348%102%$35,510$70,880
Allegheny CollegePA5915%129%$35,299$66.746
Washington & Jefferson CollegePA6917%100%$34,857$45,515
The College of WoosterOH7038%98%$33,902$73,550
Washington CollegeMD6729%100%$33,834$67.960
Wheaton College (MA)MA7222%50%$33,421$77,510
Ursinus CollegePA6923%97%$33,247$74,240
Washington University in St. LouisMO8857%6%$32,844$83,760
Simpson CollegeIA6415%100%$32,534$55,394
Lebanon Valley CollegePA6014%98%$32,257$60,460
Wabash CollegeIN7328%100%$31,853$61,500
Hartwick CollegeNY4414%11%$31,823$66,409
Lawrence UniversityWI6230%99%$31,503$66.987
Widener UniversityPA5614%97%$31,300$68,148
Lake Forest CollegeIL7419%107%$31,278$65,780
Agnes Scott CollegeGA6922%100%$31,127$61,195
Ohio Wesleyan UniversityOH5922%99%$30,854$69,443
Hollins UniversityVA5818%100%$30,658$56,360
Illinois Wesleyan UniversityIL7529%93%$30,636$68,612
Whittier CollegeCA6231%95%$30,466$64,547
Lycoming CollegePA5514%98%$30,445$61,559
Whitworth UniversityWA6624%80%$28,942$68,668

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