Different Divisions = Different Scholarships

Swimming and Diving Scholarships by Division

By Kyle Haflich|Updated on June 27, 2023 (originally published on March 17, 2022)

When going through the recruiting process, it is important to know the different divisions that are offered for swimming and diving in college. There is NCAA Division I, II, III, NAIA, and NJCAA. All of these have different funding opportunities for student-athletes.

There are different amounts of scholarships that are offered in the different divisions, and they also vary by gender.

Division I Women's
For a Division I women's swimming and diving program, the maximum amount of scholarships offered across the entire team is 14. That means, a coach has 14 scholarships to spread among an entire swimming roster, if they are fully funded. Many institutions, depending on the amount of sports and funding, have less than the maximum 14 scholarships.

As opposed to big name sports like basketball, football, and volleyball, most swimming scholarships are partial (also known as equivalency scholarships). That means that a swimmer can get 60% of a scholarship or even as little as 10% of a scholarship, and the full scholarship amount can be split among as many athletes as the coach chooses. There are times when a coach will offer just enough to pay for their books, otherwise known as a book scholarship.

Division I Men's
For a Division I men's swimming and diving team, the maximum number of scholarships offered is 9.9. With less scholarships offered for a fully funded men's swimming and diving program, it can be a lot harder to receive aid.

Division II
At a Division II program, there are fewer opportunities to get a scholarship. The maximum amount of scholarships offered for a fully funded Division II program is 8.1 for each of the men and women teams.

Division III
Division III does not offer any athletic scholarships to athletes, but there are other ways to get scholarships at a Division III institution. For example, university academic merit scholarships.

NAIA
On the other hand, the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) does offer athletic scholarships. They offer 8 full scholarships for both separate teams. Again, those scholarships can be split among as many athletes as the coach chooses, so it is very unlikely that athletes would get a “full-ride.”

Related: NAIA Scholarships by Sport

NJCAA
There is also the NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association). The NJCAA is made up of two-year colleges. These institutions do offer scholarships, and each team has 24 full scholarships to give away to each men's and women's team if they are fully funded.

With that being said, there are many different opportunities to go about receiving a scholarship in the realm of college swimming and diving. You can go swim at a DI school and receive a 20% athletic scholarship with academic merit scholarships. Or, you go to junior college and get your entire Associate's degree paid for in two years. Or, you could swim/dive at a Division III school and not receive any athletic scholarship, but (hopefully) make up for it in other types of aid!

Every option is viable for anyone who wants to swim in college.

Try to remember that many people who do not receive a scholarship are still swimming and or diving. If you love the sport and want to compete, know that there are many routes you can take to compete in college.

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