Today’s College Recruiting Tip is about Division III recruiting. There are many misconceptions when it comes to playing volleyball at the Division III level. It’s important to note that many of our nations most prestigious schools are NCAA Division III members including, Washington University St. Louis, Emory, NYU, Williams and Amherst. While they may not be able to offer athletic scholarships to your student athlete, they do offer other various scholarships that may still result in a full college scholarship.
What is Division III?
Division III programs are members of the NCAA. There are 444 Division III members which comprise of more than 170,000 student athletes. It’s by far the largest division in terms of members, and numbers of participants. Division III members are unable to offer athletic scholarships and academics are the primary focus. The division minimizes compromises between athletics and academics by keeping student athletes on a shorter path to graduation by offering shorter practice times and seasons.
The rising cost of tuition and fees at colleges and universities make Division III a very attractive solution for your athletes future. The student athletes have a higher success rate that those of their peers who participate in other divisions. Another positive attribute is that if your athlete suffers an injury or decides he/she no longer wants to play volleyball in college, the scholarship package the student athlete was admitted on stays the same through graduation as long as he/she continues to meet the academic standards.
When does recruiting in Division III begin?
Although student athletes do not receive athletic scholarship money, they are able to use volleyball as a leg up to get into the institution. Division III programs are highly competitive and operate on tiny recruiting budgets. Many only have up to $500 to spend on travel fees throughout the year which makes evaluating talent very difficult. As a result, Division III coaches rely heavily on video! It’s imperative your student athlete begin the process by their sophomore year in high school to ensure time to build a relationship with the coach, as well as time to visit the different programs.
If your athlete is interested in playing volleyball in college and you are uncertain where and how to begin, give me a call or email and I will offer your family a FREE consultation. I provide recruiting workshops in volleyball clubs nationwide. You may reach me at 888-354-0052 or [email protected] .