Financial aid can be a major deciding factor when students choose a college or university. For high school athletes, athletic scholarships sometimes offer a sizable discount on college tuition. You may be wondering if the best way to fund college is to attend the school that offers you the most money for playing the sport you love.
At Gustavus Adolphus College, we offer student-athletes a wide array of scholarship options and exciting Division III sports opportunities, with 11 men's and 12 women's varsity sports options. As a D3 school, we foster an environment where our students can play hard, study hard, and still take advantage of other extracurriculars that are important to their college experience and professional goals. We're committed to making a top-tier liberal arts education more broadly available to student-athletes regardless of financial situation.
What are your scholarship options and how do they correspond to your college's NCAA sports division? Keep reading for information on D1, D2, and D3 sports and how to assess financial aid opportunities as a future college athlete.
How does Division III athletics differ from D1 and D2?
Division I schools are large universities with a typical student population in the range of 20,000-25,000 students. A Division II school might have 5,000-8,000 students, and Division III schools are the smallest, often 4,000 students or less. The National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) oversees intercollegiate sports at Division I, II, and III schools, with different regulations at each level.
D1 schools generate a lot of revenue from their athletic events, which they use to actively recruit high school athletes, in some cases through full-ride scholarships. This system incentivizes a central focus on sports, with Division I student-athletes under substantial performance pressure that can interfere with academic achievement. Division II schools typically fall between D1 and D3 schools in terms of pressure and time commitments for student-athletes.
Division III schools have the smallest team sizes. While D3 programs still feature rigorous training schedules and intercollegiate competition, schools in Division III promote a healthy balance between athletics and academics. Division III athletes have fewer total competitions per season, travel less, and enjoy more freedom to focus on academics and additional extracurriculars.
Why play sports at a Division III school?
Prospective college students sometimes assume that Division III sports are for less skilled athletes who didn't make it into a higher division school. In fact, D3 schools attract many talented athletes, including high school team stars looking to continue playing competitively inside an intimate and supportive school environment. Division III schools such as Gustavus have smaller total student populations than D1 and D2 schools, with smaller average classes and a higher faculty-to-student ratio. Small liberal arts colleges offer students more individualized attention, greater student support services, and more intimate collaborative opportunities in both academics and extracurriculars.
A Division III team environment remains focused on competitive excellence while emphasizing student-athlete participation and teamwork. Teams are smaller than at D1 and D2 schools, with more opportunities for playing time, greater team cohesion, and more focus on the individual athlete's well-being and progress. Student-athletes gain all the physical fitness benefits and competitive excitement of the college sports experience without the overarching pressure to win games at the cost of academics and the overall college experience.
Where D1 athletics can sometimes dominate student-athlete life, athletes at Gustavus and other Division III schools report that playing sports in college is a positive experience that allows them to pursue academics and other activities. Given the many benefits of Division III athletics, over a quarter of Gustavus students play varsity sports. To accommodate our hundreds of student-athletes, we avoid scheduling any classes during afternoon practice times. Never having to compromise on your class schedule for the sake of athletics is one more great reason to play Division III sports at Gustavus.
Does Division III give athletic scholarships?
No, NCAA regulations prohibit Division III schools from awarding scholarships for athletics. Student-athletes at Division III colleges compete for entrance based on standard college entrance criteria and participate in sports without the pressure of retaining athletic scholarship eligibility. By disallowing athletic scholarships, the NCAA preserves the essential Division III philosophy of promoting a well-rounded college experience where student-athletes don't feel pressure to make sports their primary focus.
This lack of athletic scholarships might seem like a drawback, but athletics is just one scholarship avenue, and other types of financial aid opportunities are often better at D3 schools. If you plan to play college sports, do the math carefully to determine what scholarships you may qualify for in the categories of athletics, academics, and non-sports extracurriculars.
What financial aid can I get as a D3 college athlete?
Most prospective college students in the U.S. are eligible to apply for federal student aid by submitting a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Federal student aid consists of a mixture of federal loans and sometimes grants (need-based scholarships). Your total federal loans and grants are calculated using your household's annual income. You can also seek out and apply for private scholarships offered by businesses, foundations, and other corporate entities.
Often, though, the majority of a student's scholarship money comes from their college or university. In the case of a Division I or II school, this may include athletic scholarships. If you're offered an athletic scholarship, clarify what all is covered and what your remaining expenses will be, including tuition, housing, meals, school fees, books, and travel costs associated with intercollegiate competitions. See what other in-house scholarships you qualify for, and compare these with the financial aid offered by your prospective Division III school(s).
Scholarships for student-athletes at Gustavus
As a D3 school, Gustavus can't offer athletic scholarships. Instead, we provide financial aid to student-athletes through an array of need-based and merit-based scholarships, disbursing over $60 million annually from our institutional scholarship fund.
Merit-based scholarships
Incoming students with significant achievement in academics, service, or leadership are automatically considered for the Dean's or President's Scholarship, with awards between $32,000 and $36,500 annually. We also offer a host of smaller merit-based scholarships, including fine arts and performing arts scholarships and awards for high school achievements such as taking AP courses.
Need-based scholarships
Every incoming student is covered under the Gustie Guarantee, receiving a minimum tuition scholarship of $25,000/year over four years, with higher amounts awarded based on financial need. Minnesota students with a household income of $80,000 or less are eligible for the First Year Free Tuition Program. This scholarship pays your first year's tuition and provides the same aid amount for the next three years, covering almost all of your total college tuition.
What this means for student-athletes
With all financial aid factored in, Division III school tuition costs can be comparable to or lower than those at a D1 or D2 school offering an athletic scholarship. At Gustavus, each of our scholarships renews yearly based on clear eligibility criteria that don't rely on student sports performance or school athletic funding. This way we ensure student-athletes can play competitive sports all four years of college alongside a student-centered liberal arts education and enriching co-curricular and extracurricular experiences.
Over 25% of Gustavus students play varsity sports, with others participating in club sports or intramurals. Whatever level of competition and time commitment you choose, we collaborate with you to design a well-rounded college plan tailored to your priorities and goals. Play Division III sports at Gustavus without sacrificing important college opportunities such as studying away, performing original research, and pursuing professional internships. Enjoy the benefits of Division III athletics and a liberal arts education that's more affordable than you might think.
