Division III ( NCAA ) Division III ( or DIII ) is a division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association of the United States . The division consists of college s and universities that choose not to offer athletically related financial aid ( athletic scholarship s ) to their student - athletes . It was formed in 1973 in a split of the College Division , the former second - tier division of NCAA member schools . The former College Division members that chose to offer athletic scholarships became Division II , while the non - scholarship members became Division III . Membership . There are 449 member institutions ( both full and provisional ) , making it the largest of the three divisions in the NCAA . D - III schools range in size from fewer than 500 to over 20 , 000 students . D - III schools compete in athletics as a non - revenue - making , extracurricular activity for students ; hence , they may not offer athletic scholarships , they may not redshirt freshmen , and they may not use endowments or funds whose primary purpose is to benefit their athletic programs . Also , under NCAA rules , D - III schools " shall not award financial aid to any student on the basis of athletics leadership , ability , participation or performance " . Financial aid given to athletes must be awarded under the same procedures as for the general student body , and the proportion of total financial aid given to athletes " shall be closely equivalent to the percentage of student - athletes within the student body . " All Division III schools must field athletes in at least ten sports , with men ' s and women ' s competition in a given sport counting as two different sports . In 2012 , coeducational schools with more than 1 , 000 undergraduates must field athletes in at least twelve sports , with at least six all - female teams and at least six teams that are either all - male or mixed - sex . Schools with fewer than 1 , 000 undergraduates must still field at least five sports in each category . Single - sex schools need only field the required number of sports for the sex that they serve . For all schools regardless of enrollment , at least three sports for each sex must be team sports . < br > Division III schools with Division I programs . 13 D - III schools currently play up to the Division I level in one or two sports ( one for each gender maximum ) . Seven of them are grandfathered schools that have traditionally competed at the highest level of a particular sport prior to the institution of the Division classifications in 1971 . These schools are allowed to offer athletic scholarships in their Division I sports to remain competitive with their opponents . The other six schools choose to play up in one sport for men and optionally one sport for women , but they are not grandfathered and thus are not allowed to offer athletic scholarships . Academic - based and need - based financial aid is still available . Football and basketball may not be grandfathered Division I programs because their revenue - enhancing potential would give them an unfair advantage over other Division III schools . In 1992 , several Division I schools playing Division III in football , most notably Georgetown University , were forced to upgrade its football program to a Division I level . In August 2007 , the NCAA instituted a moratorium on all division moves , including play - ups . That moratorium expired in August 2011 , but the NCAA has indicated that play - ups will no longer be allowed as a general policy ( though at least one exception has been made in women ' s hockey due to the lack of Division II competition in ice hockey ) . Comparison to Division I athletics . General and Historical Considerations . The portion of college athletics most familiar to the American general public is NCAA Division I , and specifically only the portion of that Division which generates enough interest to get television coverage . Public awareness of the other NCAA Divisions is often limited , so it is natural for interested people to want to compare and contrast them with the most familiar Division as a means to learn about them . The comparisons made here , however , will be with Division I as a whole , not just the portion which obtains television coverage . NCAA regulations require signatories to field so many sports programs that a substantial investment in athletics by any member college or university is a must . In any NCAA Division , most schools hire coaches whose job is to coach full - time . They hire people who specialize in developing talent . Further , college athletes are people who devote long hours to practice for their sports . Such a commitment is prone to produce exceptional prowess in those given sports . When coaching staffs which specialize in developing talent full - time are paired with athletes who devote many hours to practice and training for their sports , the result is a high level of athletics , regardless of affiliation . As noted in the article about NCAA Division II , the second NCAA Division formed because many colleges and universities wanted an alternative to the expensive nature of Division I . The goal of what was once called the College Division was for a college or university to be able to be highly competitive without needing to spend a lot of money ; an athletic program no longer needed to be rich to have a strong chance at a postseason tournament or a winning record . Later , as noted above , the College Division split between schools which did want to offer athletics - based financial aid and schools which did not . The results were Division II and Division III . With the creation of new NCAA Divisions , not every school was willing to switch even when a newer Division might be a better match with the nature of its athletic programs . For instance , some NCAA Division I programs do not do athletic scholarships , making them akin to Division III schools . Others invest money in their athletics programs at quantities similar to what is typical for Division II . Because what was originally called the University Division , now called Division I , holds more prestige and obtains more publicity , some college sports programs have remained in Division I even when they hold strong resemblance to programs in another Division . The causes for the NCAA Divisions mean that they all differ in how they invest in their athletic programs . These differences affect recruiting of high school and other prospects . Division I programs typically have more money and more freedom to offer athletics - based financial aid to prospective athletes . They can offer more financial aid money to top prospects , offer to more top prospects , and appeal to the notoriety that their program receives as a Division I school . Division II schools offer less athletics - based money and must limit the quantity of beneficiaries per NCAA regulations . Division III schools do not offer athletics - based financial aid , and further , commonly have academic demands which would discourage many top prospects . All this being said , college athletics programs recruit athletes who have devoted many long hours to practice in their sports , and have exceptional aptitude in their sports . Whether a college athletics programs gets the very best of high level athletes or the least of high level athletes still means the school gets high level athletes , regardless of NCAA Division . Further , it should be remembered that college athletes are expected to be enrolled students in classes at that school . Whether a college or university affiliates with NCAA Division I , Division II , or Division III , the athletes on those teams are supposed to be involved in the academic studies in their schools . The amount the athlete is expected to expend in academic pursuits varies , but every athlete is supposed to be enrolled in college classes and making some level of academic progress . Financial comparison . Division III institutions do not have the same access to scholarship money when it comes to the recruiting process . Division III sports offer non - athletic financial aid packages rather than athletically based support . Division I sports teams are able to provide aid more directly through athletic based scholarships . Since there are fewer guidelines for athletic scholarships in Division III schools , these institutions have more choice in how they allocate their funds . Not only is there more financial support that is specifically given to Division I athletes , but Division I teams and facilities receive more funding from the NCAA . The NCAA puts substantially more money towards Division I programs than it does Division III . Sixty percent of all NCAA revenue is given directly to Division I institutions alone . From 2009 – 2010 , 433 million dollars made up the NCAA ' s Division I expenses . Only about three percent of the NCAA ’ s spending goes towards Division III programs . The differences in financial support has been a major cause in further differences between both divisions . Athletic and academic comparison . NCAA regulations in competition and time commitment have made Division III athletics seem less strenuous and binding when compared to Division I athletics . Each sport is subject to different regulations , but when comparing the same sports in Division I and Division III competition , there are differences . For example , Division III baseball limits the number of games to 40 per season while Division I baseball sets the limit at 56 games per season . According to a 2008 NCAA survey , participants admitted devoting more time to athletics than they did towards academic responsibilities . This survey found that the average " major " Division I athlete devotes 44 . 8 hours a week to athletic responsibilities in addition to a little less than 40 hours a week set aside for academic life . This difference in time commitment can also be seen in the average number of classes missed . Twenty - one percent of Division I baseball players miss more than three classes per week compared to twelve percent of Division III baseball players . This pattern is similar in other sports as well according to the 2011 NCAA survey . The primary difference between Division III and the other divisions is that athletics - based financial aid is prohibited in Division III . To expect athletes to perform well both in athletics and in academics is normal , and further , athletes are expected to attend to academic responsibilities under the same conditions as the general student body . The publicity given to Division I and to Division III differs . All of these considerations affect recruiting : Division I schools tend to get the top prospects . Some prospects sought by Division I programs choose a Division III program for academic / educational or other reasons , but they are exceptions to the norm . Further , NCAA Division III teams commonly do not make cuts : the coaches give a chance to whomever is willing to do the work , and the aspiring athlete will either quit or improve . Because of these considerations , there is a slight difference in athletic prowess between the average Division I and the average Division III athlete . It is in some ways difficult to gauge the difference in athletic performance . In racing sports , such as cross country and track & field , it is easy because all one has to do is look at the individual standings . In sports where only two teams play each other , it is difficult because of the relative rarity of such competitions , as well as the fact that often the only thing publicized is who won , not the actual competition . Naturally , schools are more prone to use limited schedule slots to play against teams in their own NCAA Division and mostly to members of their own conference . There are Division III personnel who prefer an aloofness from scholarship athletics in such sports , and compete exclusively with Division III teams in these sports . Traditionally , prejudices have also discouraged Division I teams from scheduling Division III teams in such sports during the regular season , and not all conferences allow it . In recent years , exhibition games have allowed Division I teams to schedule Division III teams before the regular season in some sports , allowing a greater understanding of the level of Division III teams . It is becoming more common to see such competitions during both the preseason and regular season , although the Division I opponent is usually a well - known program with greater notoriety than many other Division I programs . In sports where only two teams are competing , such as basketball , what happens to the Division III team varies between being blown out from the start , to being close for much of the game but eventually losing , to occasionally winning . A microcosm from men ' s basketball could be considered . In November 2012 , an unranked Division III team played a ranked Division I team , and was only down 10 points at halftime - - then cut the lead to single digits after halftime before eventually losing . The next month , another Division III team played against another Division I team and was leading with 12 minutes remaining before eventually losing . In regards to this second Division I team that season , it defeated another Division I team by a larger margin , and that team beat several other Division I teams by 20 + points , one of which had multiple victories of 20 + points over other Division I teams . Other Division I teams beat / beatable by a wide margin by either of these two Division I teams could have been challenged or even possibly defeated by one or both of these two Division III teams or others roughly equal to or superior to them . Occasionally , a Division III team does come out on top at the end , but more often than not , the game is a blowout from the beginning or goes along similar to the two games just described : competitive for much of the contest but eventually a loss . In sports where only two teams play each other , most Division I teams will not have a single Division III team on their schedule , and most Division III teams will not have a single Division I team on their schedule . In racing sports , sports teams can compete with more than one team at a time , and this causes teams from each Division to compete with more teams both in their Division and other Divisions . It is common in racing sports , such as cross country and track & field , for Division III teams to beat Division I teams . It is even more common for the same among individual competitors . The average Division III racing sport competitor who competes with Division I teams on a regular basis will beat Division I competitors on a regular basis . In most such competitions , however , the median Division I competitor will beat the median Division III competitor . Academically , the two divisions have different priorities . In Division I , typically , the athlete is expected to focus on prime athletic preparedness , and perform adequately in academics to meet NCAA academic eligibility minimums . In Division III , college authorities have generally chosen that affiliation because they do not want strict academic priorities to have a damaging effect on sports competitiveness . Those authorities expect coaching staffs to support those academic priorities . Simply maintaining academic eligibility is typically not adequate to satisfy expectations coaching staffs place on their athletes . Athletes are expected to have solid academic performance to support a positive image of their program / s . Ultimately , college athletes are college athletes , and in general , excel in their sports . College athletes are also students of their respective schools . There is significant overlap between the Divisions among athletes in both prowess in their sports and in academic achievement . The norm for athletic performance , however , is slightly but noticeably higher in Division I . The academic expectations , as a norm , are higher in Division III . Effects on student athletes . The differences in division requirements and financial regulation have led to some distinct differences in student life . Participation in school activities outside of intercollegiate athletics is more common in Division III athletes , and they are more likely to see themselves as part of their college ' s community . Division III athletes are also known to put much more emphasis on their academic experience , including participation in on - campus research and extra - curricular activities . Not only is there more involvement , but Division III Athletes have proven to be more successful in time management when compared to non - athletes at the same institution . There are also differences in the student - athlete social experience . Division I athletes are more likely to have friends who are exclusively part of their respective team . Division III athletes are not considered to have athletic obligations to their college or university . They do not feel their prospects of an education to be dependent upon their athletic performance . Because athletics - based financial aid is prohibited , an athlete ' s financial support is not going to be withdrawn for not performing as well as a teammate . This allows a less stressful approach to the sport itself . Further , because a student ' s financial aid is not tied to any athletics obligation , an athlete is not going to be told to not declare a particular major or refrain from any course under threat of having financial support withdrawn . This frees the athlete to make the most of the educational opportunities afforded by the college . Division III athletes in general must live a disciplined lifestyle to be successful , because they must undergo rigorous training to be able to compete at the level expected of college athletes , and they must attend to their academic responsibilities on the same terms as other students . College administrators who place affiliation with Division III do so by choice , and because of that , expect a priority placed upon colleges as educational institutions . Coaches are expected to support the high priority placed on academics , and those expectations are reflected onto athletes . The NCAA requires a C grade average to remain eligible , but it is common for Division III programs to consider this unsatisfactory for their athletes . There are not supposed to be course sections specifically for athletes , nor are there supposed to be athletic tutors nor similar special academic support . Athletes are expected to pursue their degrees under the same conditions as other students . Keeping up with the demands of rigorous training and with expectations of solid academic performance present a dual challenge for Division III athletes which calls for a disciplined approach to college life . Division III alumni are often quite proud of their college experiences and of what is commonly referred to as " the Division III culture " and / or " the Division III philosophy . " They commonly take pride in having met the dual challenge of athletic performance at a high level and adhering to strong academic expectations as they earned their degrees . Recent changes . In 2003 , concerned about the direction of the Division , the Division III Presidents ' Council , led by Middlebury College President John McCardell , acted to limit the length of the traditional and non - traditional seasons , eliminate redshirting , and redefine a season of participation , all of which changes were approved by a majority vote of the membership . An additional proposal that would have eliminated the ability of the institutions listed above to offer athletic scholarships in their Division I sports was rejected , though rules limiting the exception to only those schools currently offering D - I programs were approved . These actions took place at the January 2004 NCAA Convention .