Division Info

Division I:

Schools need to sponsor at least 7 sports for men and 7 for women (or 6 for men and 8 for women) with 2 team sports for each gender.
For sports other than football and basketball, schools must play 100 percent of the minimum number of contests against Division I opponents, and anything over the minimum has to be 50 percent Division I.
For basketball, men's and women's teams must play all but two games against Division I teams; for men, they must play one-third of all their games in the home arena.
For football, teams need to meet the minimum attendance requirements - an average of 15,000 people in actual or paid attendance per home game.
Schools must meet minimum financial aid awards for their athletics programs, and there are maximum financial aid awards for each sport that these schools can't exceed.

Division II:

Schools need to sponsor at least 5 sports for men and 5 for women (or 4 for men and 6 for women) with 2 team sports for each gender.
Football and men's and women's basketball teams have to play at least 50 percent of their games against Division II opponents.
For sports other than football and basketball, there are no scheduling requirements. There are no attendance requirements for football.
There are maximum financial aid awards for each sport that these schools can't exceed.
Typically, these schools have a number of local or in-state student athletes. Traditional rivalries with regional institutions dominate schedules of most athletic programs.
The athletic programs are financed in the school's budget like other academic departments on campus.

Division III:

Schools must sponsor at least 5 sports for men and 5 for women, with 2 team sports for each gender.
There are minimum contest and participant minimums for each sport.
Student athletes receive no financial aid related to their athletic ability, and athletic departments are staffed and funded like all other university departments.
Athletic programs place primary emphasis on regional in-season and conference competition and encourage participation by maximizing the number and variety of athletic opportunities available to students.

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