What Is a D1 Scholarship in 2025?

Football is the number one scholarship sport, offering student-athletes more scholarships, including full-ride scholarships. Now imagine being so good at football that you're able to go to college--all expenses paid--just because of your talent. You can! In the United States, athletic scholarships are primarily regulated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The NCAA was founded in 1906 and later adopted the three division levels. Because of this, the NCAA offers scholarships in each division, including Division I.

This article is all about D1 scholarships, D1 sports, how D1 scholarships work, and more! So, if you're a sports fan or athlete or know someone on their way up the sports chain, stay tuned to know which divisions offer athletics scholarships annually!

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D1 Sports

A Division I Scholarship, also known as a D1 Scholarship, is an athletic scholarship awarded based on athletic ability. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) classifies athletic programs at different universities based on the size of the student body and the school's funding for athletics. D1 programs are the best of the best and recruit only the top student-athletes for their schools.

Athletic programs are split into three divisions, with NCAA Division I schools being at the top. Because Division I schools have larger student bodies and more athletic funding, they also, in turn, have more athletic scholarships available. College coaches want to attract the best athletes possible, and financial aid incentives are a good way of doing so.

Division I schools have the best intercollegiate athletics programs in the country, making Division I the most competitive division. Student-athletes joining D1 schools are the best of the best in their sport and are awarded as such.

How Do D1 Scholarships Work?

Unlike one-time scholarships that are gifted and can't be revoked, NAIA athletic scholarships are given to student-athletes based on their athletic performance and can, therefore, be taken away. In most cases, this only happens if students are no longer contributing to the team as expected. Many scholarships work as annual agreements that are renewed each successive year. Students can get either partial or full scholarships, depending on their sport and athletic ability.

How Much Is a D1 Scholarship Worth?

The amount you earn from a D1 scholarship depends on many factors, as previously discussed. Your school, tuition, sport, and skills determine how much you will get in D1 athletic scholarships. If you play a head count sport like football or women's basketball, you will get more scholarship financial aid than student-athletes playing equivalency sports. Between all of the scholarships awarded to D1 student-athletes, the average amount awarded is around $14,270 a year for men and $15,162 a year for women.

Keep in mind that just because you got a D1 athletic scholarship once doesn't mean it is guaranteed to stay. Student-athletes must continue performing at a high level and continue meeting the requirements in order to keep their scholarships.

How to Get D1 Scholarships

The NCAA awards over $3.6 billion in athletics scholarships annually to Division I and II student-athletes. There are opportunities to receive full-ride scholarships and partial scholarships, depending on ability and division type. Only about two percent of high school athletes will go on to earn athletic scholarships at D2 schools or D1 schools.

College coaches begin scouting for high school athletes early, especially for D1 programs, making high school athletic success an important step towards earning athletic scholarships in college. A student-athlete awarded athletic aid straight out of high school must be an exceptional high school athlete to be considered during the recruiting process.

Aside from having an excellent athletic record, NCAA sports require other criteria as well. This may vary depending on your division. To see if you are eligible to play Division I sports and, therefore, receive their athletic scholarships, visit the NCAA eligibility center here.

How to Apply for D1 Scholarships

Applying for D1 scholarships is different from traditional scholarships. This is because athletic scholarships are based less on a sole application and more on a student's ability when it comes to sports. The recruiting process is huge in getting D1 scholarships since the focus is less on traditional applications. With that being said, it is important to create an account on the NCAA Eligibility Center, which helps give the NCAA scholarship committee an idea of who you are, the type of program you'll be attending, and, ultimately, what kind of scholarships you are eligible for.

The key thing to remember when seeking out D1 scholarships is that your skill is the most important thing. Schools want to see that you are capable and driven. From there, being connected with the NCAA information helps give you an even better advantage when scholarship money is distributed.

Frequently Asked Questions About D1 Scholarships

Is a D1 scholarship a full ride?

Whether or not you get a full-ride scholarship for being a student-athlete depends on the division you are in and what sport you play. Division I offers the most full scholarships. Although D2 schools offer some full scholarships, the number of fully funded scholarships available is significantly less than that of D1 schools. Instead, D2 programs give more partial scholarships to student-athletes.

The sport you play at your D1 school also impacts the type of scholarship you get. D1 sports are split into two categories: headcount sports and equivalency sports. Student-athletes who receive scholarships for a headcount sport are the only ones who can be offered full scholarships. Students playing equivalency sports are more likely to earn a partial scholarship.

There are six headcount sports: football, basketball, tennis, volleyball, and gymnastics. Student-athletes awarded athletics scholarships for these D1 sports get full scholarships. All other sports may give some full-ride scholarships, but they offer more partial athletic scholarships. Check out football scholarships and basketball scholarships here.

How hard is it to get a D1 scholarship?

It's no secret that Division I schools are extremely competitive. With about 8 million high school student-athletes, competition for spots on NCAA teams is high. Even if you make it onto a D1 team and get a scholarship, you still might not get an athletic scholarship. Given that 2% of high school student-athletes actually earn athletic scholarships, it's competitive even once you've made it to a D1 team. D2 scholarships are also competitive since scholarships are split up among multiple scholarships, so earning more aid may depend on your skill level and work ethic.

Just because it is difficult to get athletic scholarships doesn't mean you shouldn't try. Work hard, talk to college coaches, and prepare well in advance to give yourself the best chance possible to get an athletic scholarship.

What are D2 and D3 schools?

Division II schools also have good athletic programs, but the school size and budget for their athletic departments are usually lower. You can still earn athletic scholarships from D2 schools, but there aren't as many available as there are for higher-level students, and you're more likely to receive only a partial scholarship rather than a full scholarship.

Division III is considered the lowest of the divisions, having a significantly smaller student body and a lower athletic budget. Do Division III schools offer scholarships? Read our guide for a more detailed answer, but put simply, D3 schools offer academic scholarships for their athletes.

If you have any questions about Division II and Division III, check out our articles and learn what scholarship opportunities are available!