The NCAA—the major governing body for intercollegiate sports—separates its member institutions by divisions. Division III colleges are generally the smallest and have the fewest resources for their athletic teams; however, Division III is the biggest division in terms of number of schools and student-athletes. Many Division III schools take pride in their sports teams, and athletes comprise a significant percentage of the student population.
In this article, I’ll give you a basic understanding of Division III as well as a complete list of current Division III schools, organized by state.
UPDATE: NCAA Changes Due to COVID-19
As a result of the novel coronavirus pandemic, NCAA has made temporary changes to player eligibility. First, prospective Division I and Division II players initially enrolling during the 2021/2022 academic year don't need to submit ACT or SAT scores. Their academic eligibility will only be based on their GPA. Additionally, the NCAA is granting spring and fall 2020 athletes an additional year of eligibility and season of competition. You can find more NCAA Division III updates here.
Why Are There NCAA Divisions?
The NCAA made divisions to create competitive balance and a level playing field. The existence of divisions is meant to enable schools to compete against other schools of a similar size and with similar resources.
What Makes Division III Unique?
In Division III, there are no athletic scholarships. Sports teams have shorter practice times and playing seasons than they do in Divisions I and II. Additionally, in Division III, the focus is more on the participant than it is on generating revenue or creating events for spectators.
Here are some fun facts to know about Division III:
- There are more than 170,000 athletes in Division III
- 80% of Division III schools are private
- Each Division III school sponsors an average of 19 sports
Complete List of NCAA Division III Colleges
Below, we give you the complete list of NCAA Division III colleges for the 2022-2023 school year. At present, there are more than 430 schools in Division III.
But how can you use this list? If there's a particular college you're considering applying to, you can look at this list to determine whether that school is a Division III institution or not.
You can also check to see which colleges are Division III in a certain sport you're interested in. Note that some Division III schools might compete in Division I for one or two sports.
Alabama
- Birmingham-Southern College
- Huntingdon College
Arkansas
- Hendrix College
- Lyon College
- University of the Ozarks (Arkansas)
California
- California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
- California Lutheran University
- Chapman University
- Claremont McKenna–Harvey Mudd–Scripps Colleges
- Occidental College
- Pomona–Pitzer Colleges
- University of California, Santa Cruz
- University of La Verne
- University of Redlands
- Whittier College
Colorado
- Colorado College
Connecticut
- Albertus Magnus College
- Connecticut College
- Eastern Connecticut State University
- Mitchell College
- Trinity College (Connecticut)
- U.S. Coast Guard Academy
- University of Hartford
- University of St. Joseph (Connecticut)
- Wesleyan University (Connecticut)
- Western Connecticut State University
District of Columbia
- Catholic University
- Gallaudet University
- Trinity Washington University
Georgia
- Agnes Scott College
- Berry College
- Covenant College
- Emory University
- LaGrange College
- Oglethorpe University
- Piedmont College
- Wesleyan College (Georgia)
Iowa
- Buena Vista University
- Central College (Iowa)
- Coe College
- Cornell College
- Grinnell College
- Loras College
- Luther College
- Simpson College
- University of Dubuque
- Wartburg College
Illinois
- Augustana College (Illinois)
- Aurora University
- Benedictine University (Illinois)
- Blackburn College
- Concordia University Chicago
- Dominican University (Illinois)
- Elmhurst College
- Eureka College
- Greenville University
- Illinois College
- Illinois Institute of Technology
- Illinois Wesleyan University
- Knox College
- Lake Forest College
- Millikin University
- Monmouth College (Illinois)
- North Central College
- North Park University
- Principia College
- Rockford University
- University of Chicago
- Wheaton College (Illinois)
Indiana
- Anderson University (Indiana)
- DePauw University
- Earlham College
- Franklin College
- Hanover College
- Manchester University
- Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
- Saint Mary's College (Indiana)
- Trine University
- Wabash College
Kentucky
- Asbury University
- Berea College
- Centre College
- Spalding University
- Transylvania University
Louisiana
- Centenary College (Louisiana)
Massachusetts
- Amherst College
- Anna Maria College
- Babson College
- Brandeis University
- Bridgewater State University
- Clark University (Massachusetts)
- Curry College
- Dean College
- Eastern Nazarene College
- Elms College
- Emerson College
- Emmanuel College (Massachusetts)
- Endicott College
- Fitchburg State University
- Framingham State University
- Gordon College
- Lasell College
- Lesley University
- Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
- Massachusetts Maritime Academy
- Mount Holyoke College
- Nichols College
- Regis College (Massachusetts)
- Salem State University
- Simmons University
- Smith College
- Springfield College
- Suffolk University
- Tufts University
- University of Massachusetts Boston
- University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth
- Wellesley College
- Wentworth Institute of Technology
- Western New England University
- Westfield State University
- Wheaton College (Massachusetts)
- Williams College
- Worcester Polytechnic Institute
- Worcester State University
Maryland
- Goucher College
- Hood College
- Johns Hopkins University
- McDaniel College
- Notre Dame of Maryland University
- Salisbury University
- St. Mary's College of Maryland
- Stevenson University
- Washington College (Maryland)
Maine
- Bates College
- Bowdoin College
- Colby College
- Husson University
- Maine Maritime Academy
- Saint Joseph's College (Maine)
- Thomas College
- University of Maine at Presque Isle
- University of Maine, Farmington
- University of New England
- University of Southern Maine
Michigan
- Adrian College
- Albion College
- Alma College
- Calvin College
- Finlandia University
- Hope College
- Kalamazoo College
- Olivet College
Minnesota
- Augsburg University
- Bethany Lutheran College
- Bethel University (Minnesota)
- Carleton College
- College of Saint Benedict
- Concordia College, Moorhead
- Crown College (Minnesota)
- Gustavus Adolphus College
- Hamline University
- Macalester College
- Martin Luther College
- North Central University
- Saint John's University (Minnesota)
- Saint Mary's University of Minnesota
- St. Catherine University
- St. Olaf College
- The College of St. Scholastica
- University of Minnesota, Morris
- University of Northwestern–St. Paul
- University of St. Thomas (Minnesota)
Missouri
- Fontbonne University
- Washington University in St. Louis
- Webster University
- Westminster College (Missouri)
Mississippi
- Belhaven University
- Millsaps College
- Mississippi University for Women
North Carolina
- Brevard College
- Greensboro College
- Guilford College
- Meredith College
- Methodist University
- North Carolina Wesleyan College
- Pfeiffer University
- Salem College (North Carolina)
- Warren Wilson College
- William Peace University
Nebraska
- Nebraska Wesleyan University
New Hampshire
- Colby-Sawyer College
- Keene State College
- New England College
- Plymouth State University
- Rivier University
New Jersey
- Centenary College (New Jersey)
- Drew University
- Fairleigh Dickinson University, Florham
- Kean University
- Montclair State University
- New Jersey City University
- Ramapo College
- Rowan University
- Rutgers, The State Univ. of New Jersey, Camden
- Rutgers, The State Univ. of New Jersey, Newark
- Saint Elizabeth University
- Stevens Institute of Technology
- Stockton University
- The College of New Jersey
- William Paterson University of New Jersey
New York
- Alfred State College
- Alfred University
- Bard College
- Baruch College
- Brooklyn College
- Buffalo State, State University of New York
- Cazenovia College
- Clarkson University
- College of Mount Saint Vincent
- College of Staten Island
- D'Youville College
- Elmira College
- Farmingdale State College
- Hamilton College
- Hartwick College
- Hilbert College
- Hobart College
- Houghton College
- Hunter College
- Ithaca College
- John Jay College of Criminal Justice
- Keuka College
- Lehman College
- Manhattanville College
- Medaille College
- Medgar Evers College
- Morrisville State College
- Mount Saint Mary College (New York)
- Nazareth College
- New York University
- Plattsburgh State University of New York
- Pratt Institute
- Purchase College, State University of New York
- Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)
- Rochester Institute of Technology
- Russell Sage College
- Sarah Lawrence College
- Skidmore College
- St. John Fisher College
- St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn)
- St. Joseph's College (Long Island)
- St. Lawrence University
- State University College at Old Westbury
- State University of New York at Brockport
- State University of New York at Canton
- State University of New York at Cobleskill
- State University of New York at Cortland
- State University of New York at Delhi
- State University of New York at Geneseo
- State University of New York at New Paltz
- State University of New York at Oneonta
- State University of New York at Oswego
- State University of New York at Potsdam
- State University of New York Maritime College
- State University of New York Polytechnic Institute
- The City College of New York
- The State University of New York at Fredonia
- U.S. Merchant Marine Academy
- Union College (New York)
- University of Rochester
- Utica College
- Vassar College
- Wells College
- Yeshiva University
- York College (New York)
Ohio
- Baldwin Wallace University
- Bluffton University
- Capital University
- Case Western Reserve University
- Defiance College
- Denison University
- Franciscan University of Steubenville
- Heidelberg University
- Hiram College
- John Carroll University
- Kenyon College
- Marietta College
- Mount St. Joseph University
- Muskingum University
- Oberlin College
- Ohio Northern University
- Ohio Wesleyan University
- Otterbein University
- The College of Wooster
- University of Mount Union
- Wilmington College (Ohio)
- Wittenberg University
Oregon
- George Fox University
- Lewis & Clark College
- Linfield College
- Pacific University (Oregon)
- Willamette University
Pennsylvania
- Albright College
- Allegheny College
- Alvernia University
- Arcadia University
- Bryn Athyn College
- Bryn Mawr College
- Cabrini University
- Cairn University
- Carnegie Mellon University
- Cedar Crest College
- Chatham University
- Clarks Summit University
- Delaware Valley University
- DeSales University
- Dickinson College
- Eastern University
- Elizabethtown College
- Franklin & Marshall College
- Geneva College
- Gettysburg College
- Grove City College
- Gwynedd Mercy University
- Haverford College
- Immaculata University
- Juniata College
- Keystone College
- King's College (Pennsylvania)
- La Roche College
- Lancaster Bible College
- Lebanon Valley College
- Lycoming College
- Marywood University
- Messiah College
- Misericordia University
- Moravian College
- Mount Aloysius College
- Muhlenberg College
- Neumann University
- Penn State Berks College
- Penn State Harrisburg
- Penn State University, Abington
- Penn State University, Altoona
- Pennsylvania College of Technology
- Pennsylvania State Univ. Erie, the Behrend College
- Rosemont College
- Saint Vincent College
- Susquehanna University
- Swarthmore College
- Thiel College
- University of Pittsburgh, Bradford
- University of Pittsburgh, Greensburg
- University of Scranton
- University of Valley Forge
- Ursinus College
- Washington and Jefferson College
- Waynesburg University
- Westminster College (Pennsylvania)
- Widener University
- Wilkes University
- Wilson College
- York College (Pennsylvania)
Rhode Island
- Johnson & Wales University (Providence)
- Rhode Island College
- Roger Williams University
- Salve Regina University
South Carolina
- Bob Jones University
Tennessee
- Maryville College (Tennessee)
- Rhodes College
- University of the South
Texas
- Austin College
- Concordia University Texas
- East Texas Baptist University
- Hardin-Simmons University
- Howard Payne University
- LeTourneau University
- McMurry University
- Schreiner University
- Southwestern University (Texas)
- Sul Ross State University
- Texas Lutheran University
- Trinity University (Texas)
- University of Dallas
- University of Mary Hardin-Baylor
- University of St. Thomas (Texas)
- University of Texas at Dallas
Virginia
- Averett University
- Bridgewater College (Virginia)
- Christopher Newport University
- Eastern Mennonite University
- Emory and Henry College
- Ferrum College
- Hampden-Sydney College
- Hollins University
- Mary Baldwin University
- Marymount University (Virginia)
- Randolph College
- Randolph-Macon College
- Roanoke College
- Shenandoah University
- Southern Virginia University
- Sweet Briar College
- University of Lynchburg
- University of Mary Washington
- Virginia Wesleyan College
- Washington and Lee University
Vermont
- Castleton University
- Middlebury College
- Northern Vermont University–Johnson
- Northern Vermont University–Lyndon
- Norwich University
Washington
- Pacific Lutheran University
- University of Puget Sound
- Whitman College
- Whitworth University
Wisconsin
- Alverno College
- Beloit College
- Carroll University (Wisconsin)
- Carthage College
- Concordia University Wisconsin
- Edgewood College
- Lakeland University
- Lawrence University
- Maranatha Baptist University
- Marian University (Wisconsin)
- Milwaukee School of Engineering
- Mount Mary University
- Northland College
- Ripon College
- St. Norbert College
- University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire
- University of Wisconsin–La Crosse
- University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh
- University of Wisconsin–Platteville
- University of Wisconsin–River Falls
- University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point
- University of Wisconsin–Stout
- University of Wisconsin–Superior
- University of Wisconsin–Whitewater
- Wisconsin Lutheran College
West Virginia
- Bethany College (West Virginia)
What's Next?
Learn the difference between NCAA divisions. If you're a prospective student-athlete, be sure that you know the SAT and ACT scores you'll need to be eligible to participate in NCAA athletics.
For many students, athletics are their extracurricular of choice. But there are tons of extracurriculars out there! Check out this list of hundreds of extracurriculars you can choose from.
Athletics should only only be one component of your college decision. Read our expert article on how to choose the best college for you.
