Limitations of Division III Athletics

Division III athletic programs are non-revenue-generating, extracurricular programs that are staffed and funded like any other university department. Hence, they feature student-athletes who receive no financial aid related to their athletic ability (i.e., no athletic scholarships).  Student athletes also cannot redshirt as freshmen,and schools may not use endowments or funds whose primary purpose is to benefit athletic programs.

Division 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. The ban on scholarships is strictly enforced.

In Division III, athletes are expected to attend to academic responsibilities under the same conditions as the general student body, and are generally expected to be responsible students whose academic performance reflects well on the athletics program. The hours spent in training and competition use time that other students spend on study. This puts the athlete at an academic disadvantage. This means athletics actually makes school more difficult for Division III athletes, rather than easier.