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What are levels of NAIA?

Author

Rachel Ellis

Published Jan 09, 2026

The NAIA is a smaller association than the NCAA, with just over 60,000 students. It includes two divisions (Division I and II) and Division I in the NAIA is comparable to Division II in the NCAA. Over 90% of schools in the NAIA offer scholarships and NAIA athletes receive an average of $7,000 of financial aid.

Is NAIA higher than D3?

NAIA is the higher level of football than D3 anyway you want to slice it.

What's the difference between NAIA d1 and d2?

Division 1 is home to the largest universities and colleges, whereas Division II and Division III member schools are smaller in size. A common misunderstanding among athletes is that the level of Division II is by definition weaker than in Division I; or Division III compared to Division II.

Is NAIA lower than D3?

Heck even the American football Coaches Association Division 2 All America team includes NAIA players. D3 is not on equal terms with NAIA. NAIA isn't what it was but it sure still is a higher level of football than D3.

What's better Division 3 or NAIA?

While many of the demographics for top performing schools in the NAIA and the NCAA are similar, there are some key differences that set the NAIA apart. DIII schools spend 70% more than NAIA schools to offer quality athletic programs. NAIA schools spend significantly less to be nationally competitive.

20 related questions found

Does NAIA count NCAA eligibility?

The main difference to note is that NCAA student-athletes will need to register with the NAIA Eligibility Center, while current NAIA athletes should already have an NAIA Eligibility Center account. The first step in transferring to an NAIA school is to determine if the athlete qualifies as a transfer student.

Is NAIA higher than D2?

The NAIA is a smaller association than the NCAA, with just over 60,000 students. It includes two divisions (Division I and II) and Division I in the NAIA is comparable to Division II in the NCAA. Over 90% of schools in the NAIA offer scholarships and NAIA athletes receive an average of $7,000 of financial aid.

Does NAIA give full scholarships?

Do NAIA schools offer full athletic scholarships? Yes, the NAIA awards over $800 million in athletic scholarships to student-athletes competing at NAIA institutions each year. Each sport has a maximum number of scholarships they are allowed to award recruits.

Is NAIA a good division?

NAIA: The Right Choice for You

If your school wants to be nationally competitive at a reasonable price, while driving enrollment and supporting the school's bottom line, the NAIA is the best association for you. NAIA schools measure success not just by game scores, but by their financial bottom lines, too.

Do d3 athletes get free gear?

They also don't constantly receive free stuff. DI athletes don't get paid, but they get iPads, hoverboards, and other gifts.

Do NAIA players get drafted?

Last year, 45 NAIA athletes (including 33 pitchers) were lucky enough to get drafted, something many baseball players can only dream of. This year, 44 players from 28 schools were drafted by 24 of MLB's 30 professional organizations. The first player taken was Dane Phillips from Oklahoma City University.

Is JUCO better than D1?

The Levels of College Sports

D1 is the best, with JUCO being the worst. The best players, coaches, facilities, and teams are D1 – and the worst are JUCO. While this may be true for some schools – there is much more congruency than you were originally led to believe. In actuality, all the levels are overlapped.

Does NAIA have football?

The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Football National Championship is decided by a post-season playoff system featuring the best NAIA college football teams in the United States.

Can a JUCO be D1?

It is certainly possible to go from JUCO to D1. Ziola-Vega recommends that student-athletes hoping for recruitment by a larger program look at D1 JUCOs; this is the most competitive of the NJCAA divisions, and the most likely to place students in NCAA schools down the line.

What does D1 juco mean?

JUCO is a way to keep playing college football for players who are ruled academically ineligible at a higher level. It's also a place to go for players whose teams have booted them for disciplinary reasons. Others might go to JUCO out of high school in an attempt to draw interest from Division I scouts.

Is it better to go JUCO or NAIA?

The development that you see at a NJCAA school is better than any junior varsity program at a NAIA school so to speak.” JUCO's offer athletes two years to develop as athletes. If an athlete takes this time seriously, they have two years to: Sharpen their skills.

Do NAIA athletes go pro?

There are many athletes who competed at NAIA schools and went on to pursue professional sports careers. Tramaine Brock signed on as a free agent with the San Francisco 49ers following the 2010 NFL Draft.

Do NAIA give athletic scholarships?

The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) offers scholarships on both the Division I and Division II level. Division III level sports do not offer scholarship funding.

How many NAIA athletes are there?

The NAIA offers 26 championships in 13 sports, with around 60,000 student-athletes at 300 member colleges and universities throughout the United States and Canada.

Does NAIA have a dead period?

The NAIA does not impose mandatory start dates or dead periods. The 24-week season applies on a sport basis. Every team within that sport (varsity, junior varsity and freshman) has the same 24-week season.

Can NAIA athletes be paid?

The legislation, which was announced by the association in a press release on Tuesday, allows NAIA athletes to receive compensation from their names, images and likenesses, and permits them to refer to their participation in NAIA athletics in the process.

What NAIA schools are in Texas?

You have four NAIA colleges in Texas to choose from: Jarvis Christian College in Hawkins, Paul Quinn College in Dallas, Texas College in Tyler and Wiley College in Marshall.

What does d3 mean sports?

NCAA Division III (D-III) is a division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States. D-III consists of athletic programs at colleges and universities that choose not to offer athletic scholarships to their student-athletes.